Permitted Occupier – are backgound checks permitted?

Intreresting to see the different ideas. I would not agree to the permitted occupier route. This appears to be a new relationship so neither you nor your tenant really know enough about the new partner to deal with the situation in that way. If I was the landlord I would say that my standard AST provides for guests and she is free to invite him as her guest up to the stated time limits. If she wants him to live there permanently I would enter an agreement with her for surrender of the existing tenancy and grant of a new joint tenancy contingent on the new joint tenant (her partner) passing the usual checks. And I know what you mean by background checks, I do those myself, I never let anyone else get involved.I have avoided some disasters by doing background checks. I have only had one bad tenant – a female who walked out on her male joint tenant leaving him to pay all the rent – I agreed a surrender with him. My background checks are based on dealing with tenancy applications just like recruitment for a job where security is important. I get a CV from the prospective tenant/s, sit down with them face-to-face and go through it, then I check every detail. I take nothing on trust, nothing at all. The lies I’ve been told over the years beggar belief but I have always found them out before it is too late.