Explanation of our tenant fees

Your landlord cannot use a Section 21 ‘no-fault’ eviction. They must have a valid legal ground for possession, serve the correct notice and, if you do not leave, obtain a court order. Grounds can include selling the property, the landlord or a close family member moving in, serious rent arrears, anti-social behaviour or another breach of the tenancy.

You will normally need to give two months’ notice in writing, timed to expire on a rent-payment day or the day before. You and your landlord can agree in writing to a shorter notice period.

Your rent can generally be increased only once in any 12-month period and cannot normally be increased during the first year of a new tenancy. Your landlord must use the prescribed Form 4A and give you at least two months’ notice. You may challenge an increase that is above the open-market rent.

Yes. You can ask your landlord for permission to keep a pet, and your request must be considered individually. The landlord cannot unreasonably refuse permission but may decline where there is a valid reason, such as a restriction within a superior lease or the property being unsuitable for the proposed animal.

Yes. Landlords and letting agents must not disadvantage an applicant simply because they receive benefits or have children. Your application can still be assessed using fair and consistent criteria such as affordability, references, credit history and Right to Rent requirements.

No. Rental properties must be advertised at a specific asking rent. Landlords and letting agents must not encourage or accept offers above the advertised amount.

You cannot be asked to pay rent before the tenancy agreement has been signed. After signing, you can normally be asked to pay no more than one month’s rent before the tenancy begins.

A holding deposit may be retained if you provide false or misleading information, fail a Right to Rent check, decide not to proceed or do not take reasonable steps to enter into the tenancy within the agreed timescale. If it is retained, you will be given the reason in writing.

A holding deposit can be no more than one week’s rent. It reserves the property while referencing and other pre-tenancy checks are completed. It will normally be refunded or, with your agreement, put towards your first month’s rent or tenancy deposit.

Most new private tenancies are assured periodic tenancies. They run on a rolling basis—usually monthly—and do not have a fixed end date. The tenancy continues until you give the required notice or the landlord obtains possession using an appropriate legal ground.

Existing written tenancy agreements did not automatically need to be replaced when the Renters’ Rights Act came into force. However, most existing Assured Shorthold Tenancies became assured periodic tenancies, and the new legal rules apply regardless of the wording in the original agreement. Landlords must ensure that tenants have received all required government information.

A tenant can normally end an assured periodic tenancy by giving no more than two months’ notice. A shorter notice period may be included in the tenancy agreement or subsequently agreed in writing between the landlord and tenant.

Most new private tenancies are now assured periodic tenancies and therefore do not have a fixed minimum term or contractual end date. The tenancy continues until the tenant gives the required notice or the landlord obtains possession using an appropriate legal ground. A tenant’s notice period cannot normally exceed two months.

Our local offices are on hand Monday to Friday and “on call” over weekends to help with any everyday issues that you may have.