All tenants 18 years or older must have the right to rent before the start of their tenancy. Your landlord must check before your tenancy agreement starts. You can find more information about proving your right to rent on GOV.UK.
Determine how much rent you can afford to pay. Keep in mind there are other bills like energy and council tax. In many cases, 35% of their take-home pay is the most people can afford.
Ensure the deposit doesn’t exceed legal limits and is protected with a government-approved scheme during the tenancy. Note that there is now a cap on deposits. If the total annual rent is less than £50,000, the maximum deposit is five weeks’ rent. If the annual rent is £50,000 or more, the maximum deposit is six weeks’ rent. There is more information about deposit protection on the Shelter website
How long do you want to stay? The property’s landlord must allow you to stay for a minimum of six months. Many landlords offer tenancies for a fixed term of six or 12 months, but you can explore more flexible options to suit your situation.
Assess your eligibility for Housing Benefit or Universal Credit to help with rent. If you’re renting from a private landlord, you may receive up to the Local Housing Allowance rate to help cover your rent costs.
Decide on your preferred location. The larger the area you’re prepared to look in, the more likely you are to find a home that suits you.
Gather all the necessary documents. This will likely include but is not limited to, identification documents, immigration status, credit history and employment status.
A guarantor is someone who agrees to pay your rent if you do not pay it. You will not always need a guarantor, however many landlords and agents ask for a rent guarantor before offering you a tenancy. More information regarding guarantors is available from Shelter
Is the property suitable to you? If you’re disabled or have a long-term condition and think you may need to make changes to the property so you can live independently, you should discuss these with your landlord or letting agent.
Check for any fees charged by landlords or letting agents; most fees are banned, with exceptions. You can learn more about tenancy fees on the Shelter website.
There are two different ways of renting a property: direct or indirect. A direct rental is directly from a landlord, and an indirect rental is via a letting agent.
If you’re renting directly from a landlord, it’s advised you find landlords who belong to an accreditation scheme, like the National Residential Landlords Association and the Guild of Residential Landlords.
If you’re renting indirectly and your letting agency is taking your rent or deposit, make sure your agent is part of a redress scheme and client money protection scheme like the Guild of Property Professionals, Propertymark, Safeagent, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors or the UK Association of Letting Agents. By law, this information should be clearly visible on their premises or website.
Ensure you have your landlord’s name and an address in England or Wales for written notices. Rent isn’t legally due until this information is provided.
If you’re renting a flat, confirm if the landlord owns or leases it and check if the freeholder has approved the rental. If there’s a mortgage, find out if the lender consents because failure to pay may lead to eviction.
For houses, verify ownership, mortgage status, and lender consent because non-payment of the mortgage may mean you have to leave the property.
Check to see if there are any rules about smoking or pets so you’re well aware before signing your tenancy agreement.
Check to see who’s responsible for bills like electricity, gas, water and council tax. Usually, the tenant covers these in self contained properties but this may be different in shared accommodation.
When you’ve found a suitable property, you should always check the condition before signing the tenancy agreement. Always read the tenancy agreement carefully. If you have questions, ask.
Here’s a checklist of property checks we recommend:
Once you’ve found a property and feel ready to move forward with signing the tenancy agreement, check you have all the correct paperwork from your landlord or letting agent.
You should be provided with:
You should also carefully check the paperwork:
If you’re starting your property search and want help understanding your rights, get in touch with us today.
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