Knowing your tenancy rights can be extremely beneficial,. From deposit protection and safety standards to the length of notice your landlord must provide you before evicting you.
The government puts in place numerous rules to protect you if you rent a house in the private sector. Knowing your rights as a renter can be extremely beneficial. From the moment you identify a property you’d like to rent to the end of your tenancy, we’ll explain your legal renter rights.
Renter Rights – Upfront Payments
Knowing your tenancy rights, from deposit protection to safety requirements to the period of notice your landlord must provide you before evicting you, can be incredibly advantageous. Learn these rights and you can know with confidence your tenancy should be a better experience.
If you rent a residence in the private sector, there are many restrictions placed in law to protect you. Knowing your rights as a tenant can be quite advantageous. We’ll explain your legal renter rights from the moment you find a property you want to rent through the end of your tenure.
Renter Rights – Financial Protections
You must place your deposit in a government-backed tenancy deposit protection programme within 30 days of your payment. Your landlord must give proof that it has been placed in one of these schemes.
In England, all letting agents must be members of a client money protection programme. The programme ensures that any money you provide them, such as monthly rental payments, covers shortfalls due to bankruptcy.
In addition, letting agents should publish information about which scheme they are a member of in their office and should also publish it on their website.
Renter Rights- The Property
The legislation mandates that landlords make rental premises safe and in excellent working order.
They must complete repairs within a reasonable amount of time if any maintenance issues emerge during your rental.
Landlords must have an Electrical Installation Condition Report. This report should shows that a competent electrician has examined all electrical installations. Examples of this include wiring and electrical sockets.
They must perform these inspections at least once every five years. You should receive a copy of the electrician’s report within 28 days of its issuance as a renter.
Other Considerations
You should also see copies of the property’s gas safety certificate, which owners must renew every year. If you rent a home in Scotland, your landlord must now adhere to a number of new safety regulations. Heat alarms in kitchens, smoke alarms in living rooms, halls and landings and carbon monoxide alarms near any carbon-fueled boilers. Additionally, fires, or heaters are just a few examples. Rental homes must also meet minimum energy efficiency standards.
You can request to examine your property’s Energy Performance Certificate,. It should always receive a grade of E or higher, indicating that it is properly insulated and heated.
Terms & Conditions
Your tenancy agreement must be reasonable and legal. A owner must provide you with a written copy. You have the right to contest unreasonably high charges or rent increases. They must be ‘fair and practical,’ meaning that they must compare fairly to area average rentals.
Additionally, a landlord can only increase your rent at specific times. If you have a rolling tenancy. Your landlord can only raise it once a year. If you have a fixed-term tenancy, you can only increase your rent if you agree or when the specified term finishes. A owner must give a month’s notice to any rise they issue.
Renter Rights – Other Rights
You also have the right to know who your landlord is. Councils can penalise landlords if you seek this information and they do not provide it to you within 21 days.
Your right to live in the property undisturbed is likewise protected, and landlords must give 24 hours’ notice of a property visit or inspection unless it is an emergency. Such visits must also occur at a decent hour of the day.
If you request revisions to your contract in the middle of your tenancy, the charges are restricted at £50.
