Type B Proof for Rent-a-room

[snowhit3]

Hello Folks

Hope you are having a fantastic weekend!

I am currently facing a little bit of an issue with gathering Type B proofs

I have been renting a room in Dublin since I came to Ireland in 2019 as a student. So I am living with the Homeowner and his son. We have a written licensee agreement signed at the start of my stay in 2019 for a year. Haven't made any new agreement since all arrangement made past 2020 was verbal. And since its rent-a-room, I do not have any bills in my name.

The problem that I am facing now is the period I spend on stamp 1G (from 2021-2022). At the time, we were under the impression that Stamp 1G Graduate wasn't counted towards citizenship, so I never paid much attention to gathering residence proof.

Since govt has clarified 1G Graduate is also counted towards citizenship, I am now in a bit of a pickle. I had a job at the time, so I have EDS, bank statements with 3 POS transactions etc to satisfy Type A proof for 2021 and 2022. But for type B proof, all I have is the licensee agreement. I had a student credit card at the time, but I do not have 3 POS transactions on it. All the utility bills are on the homeowner's son's name. As its rent-a-room, RTB registration isnt needed either, so I dont have any documents regarding that as well.

For 2023 (on CSEP now), I think I am set as I have CC statements with 3POS transactions on it.

I have 3 options here (i Guess?):
1, Go with the licensee agreement and get a letter from the homeowner confirming I was indeed living at his house from 2019. I read on another thread that if we are living in the same place, there will be only one agreement. Does that apply to rent-a-room as well?

2, Go with the affidavit explaining why this happened?

3, Count the reckonable year from 2023 (avoiding 2021 and 2022)?

I know I am not eligible to apply for citizenship for atleast another 2-3 years. I am just collecting and organizing documents so the process will be smoother for me. Just wondering if there is anyone in similar situation as me.

Apology in advance if this has been asked before. I tried asking citizenship helpdesk, but never got a response from them.

Thanks in advance

[Vadrar]

Hello Folks

Hope you are having a fantastic weekend!

I am currently facing a little bit of an issue with gathering Type B proofs

I have been renting a room in Dublin since I came to Ireland in 2019 as a student. So I am living with the Homeowner and his son. We have a written licensee agreement signed at the start of my stay in 2019 for a year. Haven't made any new agreement since all arrangement made past 2020 was verbal. And since its rent-a-room, I do not have any bills in my name.

The problem that I am facing now is the period I spend on stamp 1G (from 2021-2022). At the time, we were under the impression that Stamp 1G Graduate wasn't counted towards citizenship, so I never paid much attention to gathering residence proof.

Since govt has clarified 1G Graduate is also counted towards citizenship, I am now in a bit of a pickle. I had a job at the time, so I have EDS, bank statements with 3 POS transactions etc to satisfy Type A proof for 2021 and 2022. But for type B proof, all I have is the licensee agreement. I had a student credit card at the time, but I do not have 3 POS transactions on it. All the utility bills are on the homeowner's son's name. As its rent-a-room, RTB registration isnt needed either, so I dont have any documents regarding that as well.

For 2023 (on CSEP now), I think I am set as I have CC statements with 3POS transactions on it.

I have 3 options here (i Guess?):
1, Go with the licensee agreement and get a letter from the homeowner confirming I was indeed living at his house from 2019. I read on another thread that if we are living in the same place, there will be only one agreement. Does that apply to rent-a-room as well?

2, Go with the affidavit explaining why this happened?

3, Count the reckonable year from 2023 (avoiding 2021 and 2022)?

I know I am not eligible to apply for citizenship for atleast another 2-3 years. I am just collecting and organizing documents so the process will be smoother for me. Just wondering if there is anyone in similar situation as me.

Apology in advance if this has been asked before. I tried asking citizenship helpdesk, but never got a response from them.

Thanks in advance

So renting from a landlord living in the same house is one of the key reasons the affidavit is offered, because as you say, it is legal to not register the lease. If you want to use those years you’ll need to do 1 and 2 - submit the lease you have signed and homeowner letter and use the affidavit to explain it. You should also get the homeowner to sign a copy of a utility bill they are named on, confirming they give you permission to live there.

It is definitely advisable to build a back up to this though - as you are doing with credit card records. It is worth noting that many professionals expect the credit card to be taken off Proof B list once the department thinks sufficient transition time has been offered. I’d consider the signed utility bill as a back up to the landlords letter.

I’d also recommend you use your landlord for one of your 3 references assuming they are Irish and note this in your affidavit. This gives them the opportunity to call them and confirm your residency. They are not likely to do this - but making it possible is in your favour.

I’d also suggest you get a letter (and utility bill, as above) from your landlord at least annually. It just means if something untoward happens, you aren’t document-less for that year.

[Vadrar]

Also, make sure you are keeping your signed rent receipts. You can match these to your bank statements and signed lease and strengthen your application.

[snowhit3]

Hello Folks

Hope you are having a fantastic weekend!

I am currently facing a little bit of an issue with gathering Type B proofs

I have been renting a room in Dublin since I came to Ireland in 2019 as a student. So I am living with the Homeowner and his son. We have a written licensee agreement signed at the start of my stay in 2019 for a year. Haven't made any new agreement since all arrangement made past 2020 was verbal. And since its rent-a-room, I do not have any bills in my name.

The problem that I am facing now is the period I spend on stamp 1G (from 2021-2022). At the time, we were under the impression that Stamp 1G Graduate wasn't counted towards citizenship, so I never paid much attention to gathering residence proof.

Since govt has clarified 1G Graduate is also counted towards citizenship, I am now in a bit of a pickle. I had a job at the time, so I have EDS, bank statements with 3 POS transactions etc to satisfy Type A proof for 2021 and 2022. But for type B proof, all I have is the licensee agreement. I had a student credit card at the time, but I do not have 3 POS transactions on it. All the utility bills are on the homeowner's son's name. As its rent-a-room, RTB registration isnt needed either, so I dont have any documents regarding that as well.

For 2023 (on CSEP now), I think I am set as I have CC statements with 3POS transactions on it.

I have 3 options here (i Guess?):
1, Go with the licensee agreement and get a letter from the homeowner confirming I was indeed living at his house from 2019. I read on another thread that if we are living in the same place, there will be only one agreement. Does that apply to rent-a-room as well?

2, Go with the affidavit explaining why this happened?

3, Count the reckonable year from 2023 (avoiding 2021 and 2022)?

I know I am not eligible to apply for citizenship for atleast another 2-3 years. I am just collecting and organizing documents so the process will be smoother for me. Just wondering if there is anyone in similar situation as me.

Apology in advance if this has been asked before. I tried asking citizenship helpdesk, but never got a response from them.

Thanks in advance

So renting from a landlord living in the same house is one of the key reasons the affidavit is offered, because as you say, it is legal to not register the lease. If you want to use those years you’ll need to do 1 and 2 - submit the lease you have signed and homeowner letter and use the affidavit to explain it. You should also get the homeowner to sign a copy of a utility bill they are named on, confirming they give you permission to live there.

It is definitely advisable to build a back up to this though - as you are doing with credit card records. It is worth noting that many professionals expect the credit card to be taken off Proof B list once the department thinks sufficient transition time has been offered. I’d consider the signed utility bill as a back up to the landlords letter.

I’d also recommend you use your landlord for one of your 3 references assuming they are Irish and note this in your affidavit. This gives them the opportunity to call them and confirm your residency. They are not likely to do this - but making it possible is in your favour.

I’d also suggest you get a letter (and utility bill, as above) from your landlord at least annually. It just means if something untoward happens, you aren’t document-less for that year.

Thanks Vardar for the advice.

As for backup, I will talk with the landord about the possibility of adding me on to any of the bills.

[snowhit3]

Also, make sure you are keeping your signed rent receipts. You can match these to your bank statements and signed lease and strengthen your application.

I had a talk with the landlords son and he agreed to add me on to Bin collection bill. I will try and see if I can be added onto any main bills like electricity or Tv or gas. If that doesn't work, will bin bills be enough? Like you said I can get the other bills signed by him to show I have been living here coupled with CC statement.

I will get the rent book sorted as well. Thank you so much for the tip mate

[Vadrar]

Also, make sure you are keeping your signed rent receipts. You can match these to your bank statements and signed lease and strengthen your application.

I had a talk with the landlords son and he agreed to add me on to Bin collection bill. I will try and see if I can be added onto any main bills like electricity or Tv or gas. If that doesn't work, will bin bills be enough? Like you said I can get the other bills signed by him to show I have been living here coupled with CC statement.

I will get the rent book sorted as well. Thank you so much for the tip mate

Bins will be fine. TV licence doesn’t count. If you get an electricity bill too that’s great, but bins should be enough to give you full documents.

[snowhit3]

Also, make sure you are keeping your signed rent receipts. You can match these to your bank statements and signed lease and strengthen your application.

I had a talk with the landlords son and he agreed to add me on to Bin collection bill. I will try and see if I can be added onto any main bills like electricity or Tv or gas. If that doesn't work, will bin bills be enough? Like you said I can get the other bills signed by him to show I have been living here coupled with CC statement.

I will get the rent book sorted as well. Thank you so much for the tip mate

Bins will be fine. TV licence doesn’t count. If you get an electricity bill too that’s great, but bins should be enough to give you full documents.

Sorry to bring it up again. There was a recent post here where citizenship helpdesk confirmed mobile phone bills are accepted too. I sent them an email to ask if it's only bill pay phones or does it apply to prepay as well. Haven't received anything back yet

Just wondering if you have any info on this?

[Vadrar]

Also, make sure you are keeping your signed rent receipts. You can match these to your bank statements and signed lease and strengthen your application.

I had a talk with the landlords son and he agreed to add me on to Bin collection bill. I will try and see if I can be added onto any main bills like electricity or Tv or gas. If that doesn't work, will bin bills be enough? Like you said I can get the other bills signed by him to show I have been living here coupled with CC statement.

I will get the rent book sorted as well. Thank you so much for the tip mate

Bins will be fine. TV licence doesn’t count. If you get an electricity bill too that’s great, but bins should be enough to give you full documents.

Sorry to bring it up again. There was a recent post here where citizenship helpdesk confirmed mobile phone bills are accepted too. I sent them an email to ask if it's only bill pay phones or does it apply to prepay as well. Haven't received anything back yet

Just wondering if you have any info on this?

TL;DR: Send the best you have, and if that is a mobile phone bill use an affadivit as well. Be prepared for at least some mobile phone bill proofs to be rejected or lengthen processing time.

Between colleagues and applicants we sent 8 requests for information on validity of mobile phones as proof last year, both before and after introduction of type A/B. 6 respones said landlines only, 1 response said submit mobile bill with affidavit if no other proof available, 1 said mobile bill pay was ok. We didn't ask about pre-pay, only bill pay mobile phone.

We are currently supporting several applicants whose mobile phone bills haven't been deemed sufficient proof. We responded with our one precious response of mobile phones ok. The responses we got in return said helpline guidance isn't definitive and doesn't override departmental discretion. We were told to submit additional proof or an affidavit if no other proof available.

we take from that several things:
1) helpline guidance has long been conflicting, varying and unhelpful. We knew that in advance which is why we kept asking until we got an answer that we hoped to use in defence of applicants who needed it.
2) We don't regard outlier helpline guidance as reliable, even when it is written.
3) some proofs don't get questioned - like gas, bins, electric, RTB. Some do - and mobile phone bills are one of them. Our strong recommendation is to use listed proofs (ie ones that don't get disputed) every time possible and to get them arranged if not currently available.
4) they are still accepting affidavits. If you are submitting now, submit the best you have, and use an addidavit if you need to. Sort out list proof immediately in case you are asked for updated proof.
5) we've noticed that mobile phone bills seem to be more regularly rejected based on the entirety of the application. Proof of FT work + no absences + mobile phone bills can go through ok. Spotty bank statements/or tax or bank statements in someone else's name - or worse, not even list type A; + absences + mobile phone bills seem to trigger push back. Mobile phone bills only relied on for a year or two seem far less of a red flag; using them for all 5 years seems riskier. At the very least, a mobile bill needs to demonstrate solid Irish use (local phone calls etc) in the detailed bill breakdown.
6) back of the envelope analysis suggests the mobile phone bill applications take longer to process. Take this with a pinch of salt though - we sorted a few database columns and squinted - it wasn't a serious piece of detailed analysis using regression. When people complain they have a 'completely standard application but they've waited unusually long time' I often wonder if they used mobile phone bills.
6) if you are working towards a future application sort your documentation out. The supposition is that the longer type A and B are in place, the less leeway for affadavit + non-list proofs there will be.

We'll send another bunch of requests for clarification this year, and monitor which types of proofs are being accepted and which rejected, in case their stance on bills changes under the era of online + typeA+B proofs. What is acceptable can change over time, as the department sees what sort of things typically get submitted.

Tolerance on proof types has tightened considerably in the last 24 months. We've gone from 'any 3 documents per year' pre 2021 to the spreadsheet with a laundry list including items as odd as a fishing or dog licence in 2022, to a quite small list in type A and B in 2023. They've discarded lots of things they previously needed - eg copies of every page in every passport, tax clearance certs etc etc. They've worked out they want proof of presence not proof of address (ie re type B). It all points to the things they do want being much more important and less substitutable - which is why we think we are seeing pushback on mobile phone bills.

That was an essay, and it is really meant for the benefit of those applying in the future and have a choice about what documents they generate. If you are applying now, there are limits on the choices you have so run with the best you have.

But all our experience suggests to us that it is far from a simple 'mobile phone bills are fine.' It is frustrating and confusing, but that sums up the entire process I think.

[Danini___]

Also, make sure you are keeping your signed rent receipts. You can match these to your bank statements and signed lease and strengthen your application.

I had a talk with the landlords son and he agreed to add me on to Bin collection bill. I will try and see if I can be added onto any main bills like electricity or Tv or gas. If that doesn't work, will bin bills be enough? Like you said I can get the other bills signed by him to show I have been living here coupled with CC statement.

I will get the rent book sorted as well. Thank you so much for the tip mate

Bins will be fine. TV licence doesn’t count. If you get an electricity bill too that’s great, but bins should be enough to give you full documents.

Sorry to bring it up again. There was a recent post here where citizenship helpdesk confirmed mobile phone bills are accepted too. I sent them an email to ask if it's only bill pay phones or does it apply to prepay as well. Haven't received anything back yet

Just wondering if you have any info on this?

TL;DR: Send the best you have, and if that is a mobile phone bill use an affadivit as well. Be prepared for at least some mobile phone bill proofs to be rejected or lengthen processing time.

Between colleagues and applicants we sent 8 requests for information on validity of mobile phones as proof last year, both before and after introduction of type A/B. 6 respones said landlines only, 1 response said submit mobile bill with affidavit if no other proof available, 1 said mobile bill pay was ok. We didn't ask about pre-pay, only bill pay mobile phone.

We are currently supporting several applicants whose mobile phone bills haven't been deemed sufficient proof. We responded with our one precious response of mobile phones ok. The responses we got in return said helpline guidance isn't definitive and doesn't override departmental discretion. We were told to submit additional proof or an affidavit if no other proof available.

we take from that several things:
1) helpline guidance has long been conflicting, varying and unhelpful. We knew that in advance which is why we kept asking until we got an answer that we hoped to use in defence of applicants who needed it.
2) We don't regard outlier helpline guidance as reliable, even when it is written.
3) some proofs don't get questioned - like gas, bins, electric, RTB. Some do - and mobile phone bills are one of them. Our strong recommendation is to use listed proofs (ie ones that don't get disputed) every time possible and to get them arranged if not currently available.
4) they are still accepting affidavits. If you are submitting now, submit the best you have, and use an addidavit if you need to. Sort out list proof immediately in case you are asked for updated proof.
5) we've noticed that mobile phone bills seem to be more regularly rejected based on the entirety of the application. Proof of FT work + no absences + mobile phone bills can go through ok. Spotty bank statements/or tax or bank statements in someone else's name - or worse, not even list type A; + absences + mobile phone bills seem to trigger push back. Mobile phone bills only relied on for a year or two seem far less of a red flag; using them for all 5 years seems riskier. At the very least, a mobile bill needs to demonstrate solid Irish use (local phone calls etc) in the detailed bill breakdown.
6) back of the envelope analysis suggests the mobile phone bill applications take longer to process. Take this with a pinch of salt though - we sorted a few database columns and squinted - it wasn't a serious piece of detailed analysis using regression. When people complain they have a 'completely standard application but they've waited unusually long time' I often wonder if they used mobile phone bills.
6) if you are working towards a future application sort your documentation out. The supposition is that the longer type A and B are in place, the less leeway for affadavit + non-list proofs there will be.

We'll send another bunch of requests for clarification this year, and monitor which types of proofs are being accepted and which rejected, in case their stance on bills changes under the era of online + typeA+B proofs. What is acceptable can change over time, as the department sees what sort of things typically get submitted.

Tolerance on proof types has tightened considerably in the last 24 months. We've gone from 'any 3 documents per year' pre 2021 to the spreadsheet with a laundry list including items as odd as a fishing or dog licence in 2022, to a quite small list in type A and B in 2023. They've discarded lots of things they previously needed - eg copies of every page in every passport, tax clearance certs etc etc. They've worked out they want proof of presence not proof of address (ie re type B). It all points to the things they do want being much more important and less substitutable - which is why we think we are seeing pushback on mobile phone bills.

That was an essay, and it is really meant for the benefit of those applying in the future and have a choice about what documents they generate. If you are applying now, there are limits on the choices you have so run with the best you have.

But all our experience suggests to us that it is far from a simple 'mobile phone bills are fine.' It is frustrating and confusing, but that sums up the entire process I think.

Hi Vadrar,
Thanks for your explanation! I have a question here, i once rented a room for a year, it was a head tenant who rented it to me, he was the only one on the lease. Before i moved in, he asked for my pps number and said the landord would register me as a tenant even though he was the only one on the lease. I did not receive any RTB letter and i never talked to the landlord directly, the head tenant was the only one i talked to and the utility bills were all under his name. In this case, what should i do? Thank you!

[Vadrar]

If you don’t have documents you’ll need to use an affidavit. If you think you were RTB registered but didn’t get letter contact them and ask for a new copy.

[Danini___]

If you don’t have documents you’ll need to use an affidavit. If you think you were RTB registered but didn’t get letter contact them and ask for a new copy.

Hi Vadrar,

Thanks for your reply, you are very helpful.

I have three questions regards to your answers,

1. I cannot guarantee that the landlord has registered me, if the head tenant was the only one got registered on RTB, will that be a problem for me to submit the rental confirmation letter?
2. You were saying providing mobile bill for 5 years is risky, will that also be risk if i have to provide affidavit letter for 5 years alongside the rental confirmation letter?

Thank you

[Danini___]

If you don’t have documents you’ll need to use an affidavit. If you think you were RTB registered but didn’t get letter contact them and ask for a new copy.

The last question is: you were saying i should submit some copies of bills signed by landlord, apart from the signature, should they also write anything on the bill?

[Vadrar]

If you don’t have documents you’ll need to use an affidavit. If you think you were RTB registered but didn’t get letter contact them and ask for a new copy.

Hi Vadrar,

Thanks for your reply, you are very helpful.

I have three questions regards to your answers,

1. I cannot guarantee that the landlord has registered me, if the head tenant was the only one got registered on RTB, will that be a problem for me to submit the rental confirmation letter?
2. You were saying providing mobile bill for 5 years is risky, will that also be risk if i have to provide affidavit letter for 5 years alongside the rental confirmation letter?

Thank you

1. Contact RTB and find out if you were registered/ there’s no point guessing. If you aren’t registered you can’t get an RTB letter. If the landlord doesn’t know or approve of you living there I can’t imagine they’ll write you a letter - but again, you need to ask them, no-one else can tell you. A landlord’s letter without an RTB letter does look odd - it proves somewhere is doing something against the law - either you did live there and should have been RTB registered or you weren’t registered because you didn’t live there and landlord’s letter is false. It does happen though and won’t be the first time the department has seen an illegal sub-let.
2. The rental letter is for Proof B. Mobile bills are also for Proof B. There’s no point submitting both for the same year (though you might be talking about using them in different years.) a rental letter without RTB or lease and mobile bills are both weak proofs. Either will need an affidavit. Both make your application at risk of rejection but if you have nothing else you don’t have much choice’if you don’t want to wait. In any case you must make sure you now have proper Type B - actual utility bills, lease, RTB or credit card statements.

[Danini___]

If you don’t have documents you’ll need to use an affidavit. If you think you were RTB registered but didn’t get letter contact them and ask for a new copy.

Hi Vadrar,

Thanks for your reply, you are very helpful.

I have three questions regards to your answers,

1. I cannot guarantee that the landlord has registered me, if the head tenant was the only one got registered on RTB, will that be a problem for me to submit the rental confirmation letter?
2. You were saying providing mobile bill for 5 years is risky, will that also be risk if i have to provide affidavit letter for 5 years alongside the rental confirmation letter?

Thank you

1. Contact RTB and find out if you were registered/ there’s no point guessing. If you aren’t registered you can’t get an RTB letter. If the landlord doesn’t know or approve of you living there I can’t imagine they’ll write you a letter - but again, you need to ask them, no-one else can tell you. A landlord’s letter without an RTB letter does look odd - it proves somewhere is doing something against the law - either you did live there and should have been RTB registered or you weren’t registered because you didn’t live there and landlord’s letter is false. It does happen though and won’t be the first time the department has seen an illegal sub-let.
2. The rental letter is for Proof B. Mobile bills are also for Proof B. There’s no point submitting both for the same year (though you might be talking about using them in different years.) a rental letter without RTB or lease and mobile bills are both weak proofs. Either will need an affidavit. Both make your application at risk of rejection but if you have nothing else you don’t have much choice’if you don’t want to wait. In any case you must make sure you now have proper Type B - actual utility bills, lease, RTB or credit card statements.

Hi Vadrar,

I really appreciate your advice, you are very helpful! I have one more question here: I have moved house in 2020, so from January to June, i lived in a house without lease, the landlord definitely did not registered me. To June to December, i moved to a different house and lived with the landlord's family, they can provide me the rental statement and signed bills. In this case, i only have rental statement for half the year, will that be a problem?

Thank you
Dani

[Vadrar]

If your residential documents don’t show continuity across the 5 years they can ask for more documents or reject the application. But they can also just decide to approve. Only the reviewing officer can know what they will decide. It isn’t ideal, and does risk rejection, if that’s what you mean by a problem. But could also be fine. As before, what you must do in this situation is make sure you are fully regularised now- so if they ask for current docs you can show you’ve sorted it.

[Danini___]

If your residential documents don’t show continuity across the 5 years they can ask for more documents or reject the application. But they can also just decide to approve. Only the reviewing officer can know what they will decide. It isn’t ideal, and does risk rejection, if that’s what you mean by a problem. But could also be fine. As before, what you must do in this situation is make sure you are fully regularised now- so if they ask for current docs you can show you’ve sorted it.

Hi Vadrar,

Thanks for your explanation！There are some small details i want to confirm with you.
1. I lived with a landlord and his family for 1.5 years, and the landlord is happy to provide a confirmation letter for me. However, he does not want to refer himself as a 'landlord', instead, he calls himself as 'houseowner' in the letter. Would that sound fishy to immigration officers?
2. I lived in a rental house for a year, the landlord had another home but she left a spare bedroom for herself in the rental property, there were letters for her sent to that rental address and all the bills were under her name. She is also willing to provide me the confirmation letter, can I refer her as a living in landlord?

Thank you
Dani

[Vadrar]

If your residential documents don’t show continuity across the 5 years they can ask for more documents or reject the application. But they can also just decide to approve. Only the reviewing officer can know what they will decide. It isn’t ideal, and does risk rejection, if that’s what you mean by a problem. But could also be fine. As before, what you must do in this situation is make sure you are fully regularised now- so if they ask for current docs you can show you’ve sorted it.

Hi Vadrar,

Thanks for your explanation！There are some small details i want to confirm with you.
1. I lived with a landlord and his family for 1.5 years, and the landlord is happy to provide a confirmation letter for me. However, he does not want to refer himself as a 'landlord', instead, he calls himself as 'houseowner' in the letter. Would that sound fishy to immigration officers?
2. I lived in a rental house for a year, the landlord had another home but she left a spare bedroom for herself in the rental property, there were letters for her sent to that rental address and all the bills were under her name. She is also willing to provide me the confirmation letter, can I refer her as a living in landlord?

Thank you
Dani

1. This is the rent a room scheme. Owner doesn’t need to register it and isn’t a landlord. Nothing fishy about it and owner is right to not call himself a landlord.
2. This is likely a tax fraud situation. I’d have nothing to do with what she calls herself as I’d want no responsibility for it. She’ll likely want to refer to herself as owner and rent-a-room. What she does isn’t your responsibility so I’d just take whatever she gives you.

[Danini___]

If your residential documents don’t show continuity across the 5 years they can ask for more documents or reject the application. But they can also just decide to approve. Only the reviewing officer can know what they will decide. It isn’t ideal, and does risk rejection, if that’s what you mean by a problem. But could also be fine. As before, what you must do in this situation is make sure you are fully regularised now- so if they ask for current docs you can show you’ve sorted it.

Hi Vadrar,

Thanks for your explanation！There are some small details i want to confirm with you.
1. I lived with a landlord and his family for 1.5 years, and the landlord is happy to provide a confirmation letter for me. However, he does not want to refer himself as a 'landlord', instead, he calls himself as 'houseowner' in the letter. Would that sound fishy to immigration officers?
2. I lived in a rental house for a year, the landlord had another home but she left a spare bedroom for herself in the rental property, there were letters for her sent to that rental address and all the bills were under her name. She is also willing to provide me the confirmation letter, can I refer her as a living in landlord?

Thank you
Dani

1. This is the rent a room scheme. Owner doesn’t need to register it and isn’t a landlord. Nothing fishy about it and owner is right to not call himself a landlord.
2. This is likely a tax fraud situation. I’d have nothing to do with what she calls herself as I’d want no responsibility for it. She’ll likely want to refer to herself as owner and rent-a-room. What she does isn’t your responsibility so I’d just take whatever she gives you.

Thanks for explaining it! my only concern about No.2 is that if immigration office ever try to contact her by address, it might be a problem because she only collects her letters sometime. Hopefully I am over thinking it.