Tenant guides
Your rights as a private tenant, in plain words, with a date on it.
The same law as the landlord guides, seen from your side: deposit, certificates, rent rises, notices, repairs, fees. Each guide says when it was last checked. Information, not legal advice; for a notice or a dispute, get free advice from Shelter or Citizens Advice.
Your deposit: protected within 30 days, capped at five weeks, and the 1 to 3 times rule
A private landlord in England must protect your deposit in a government scheme within 30 days and tell you where it is. If they did not, you can claim up to three times the deposit, and some possession grounds are blocked. How to check for free.
Checked 27 September 2026 · 3 questions answered
The safety certificates your landlord must give you
Gas safety record every year, an electrical report every five years, an EPC rated E or better, and working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. What you should have been given, when, and what to do if you were not.
Checked 27 September 2026 · 3 questions answered
Rent increases: once a year, two months' notice, and how to challenge one
In England since 1 May 2026 a private landlord can only raise the rent by a section 13 notice on the prescribed form, once a year, with at least two months' notice. Anything else is not valid. You can ask the tribunal to set a market rent, free.
Checked 27 September 2026 · 3 questions answered
Repairs, damp and mould: what the landlord must fix, and how fast
Your landlord must keep the structure, heating, water, gas and electrics in repair, and deal with damp, mould and other hazards within set times under Awaab's law. How to report a problem so it counts, and who to go to when nothing happens.
Checked 27 September 2026 · 3 questions answered
Notices, eviction and your rights since section 21 ended
Since 1 May 2026 there is no "no-fault" section 21 eviction in England. Your tenancy is periodic, you give two months' notice, and the landlord needs a legal ground, a proper notice and a court order. What a section 8 notice means, the notice periods, and what to do.
Checked 27 September 2026 · 3 questions answered
Fees a landlord or agent cannot charge you, and rent in advance
The Tenant Fees Act bans most charges to tenants: no admin, referencing, inventory or check-out fees, no more than one month's rent in advance, and no bidding above the advertised rent. What is allowed, what is not, and how to get a banned fee back.
Checked 27 September 2026 · 3 questions answered
The landlord database, the ombudsman, and licensing: checks you can make
From 15 December 2026 every private landlord in England must register on the Private Rented Sector Database, region by region, and join the landlord ombudsman. Shared houses and some areas need a licence. What each one gives you, and how to check.
Checked 27 September 2026 · 3 questions answered