DanaM, you kindly answered my earlier question about adequate accommodation. Can the letter confiming the number of rooms in our rental and stating that we're sole tenants be provided by the estate agent (broker) handling the rental rather than the landlord? The landlord has proven to be very slow to respond to such requests and I anticipate that it will be significantly quicker if the estate agent provides the letter. My name is on the tenancy agreement so I expect I don't need the landlord's permission to live in the property.
If you are renting, the requirements are either:
- original tenancy agreement with both your names on it
OR
- original tenancy agreement with just the sponsor's name on it
- letter from the landlord confirming the tenancy and giving permission for the applicant to live there and/or be added to the tenancy after their visa has been granted
It is illegal for a landlord to rent to someone without a valid visa to live in the UK (they can be fined up to £3,000 for it and potentially face jail), so normally it won't be possible to get the applicant added to the tenancy until after they have received their fiance/spousal visa and moved to the UK (unless they have been living in the UK on a different visa), so the second option is the most common.
Ideally the letter should be written by the landlord but if the letting agency have permission to write a letter on the landlord's behalf, that should be okay.
