Contents
1. Before you start 3
Key questions 3
Ways to rent a property 4
2. Looking for your new home 5
Things to check 5
Licensing requirements 7
3. When you’ve found a place 8
Check the paperwork 8
Things the landlord must provide you with 8
Check if the property is suitable for your
needs if you are disabled 9
4. Living in your rented home 10
Things the tenant must do 10
Things the tenant should do 10
Things the landlord must do 11
Things the landlord should do 11
5. At the end of the fixed period 12
If you want to stay 12
If you or the landlord want to end
the tenancy 12
6. If things go wrong 14
Protection from eviction 15
7. Further sources of information 17
If you have downloaded a copy of this guidance, please check you have the
most up-to-date version by following this link:
How to rent - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
The landlord or the letting agent should give the current version of this guide to the tenant when a new assured shorthold tenancy starts. There is no requirement for them to provide the document again if the assured shorthold tenancy is renewed unless the document has been updated.
Who is this guide for?
This guide is for people who are renting a home privately under an assured
shorthold tenancy, either direct from a landlord or through a letting agency.
Most of it will also apply if you are in a shared property but in certain cases,
your rights and responsibilities will vary.
The guide does not cover lodgers (people who live with their landlord) or people with licences (such as many property guardians – see this specific guidance on property guardians), nor tenants where the property is not their main or only home.