Thanks, im sure the guy is all above board but i now know what things might start to ring alarm bells.
You .must do checks to make sure that the tenant is legally in the UK. Pretty sure that this is law. I use an agent who does this for me so can't help you how to go about it. I know it costs me every month but I do nothing, they find the tenants, vet them and sort all the paperwork, collect the rent, and sort any problems, so much easier.