At the start of the month, the Government updated its Guide for tenants renting in England, ‘How to rent: the checklist for renting in England – October 2023’. The Guide is for tenants and landlords in the private rented sector to help them understand their rights and responsibilities.
It provides a checklist and more detailed information on each stage of the process, including:
- what to look out for before renting
- living in a rented home
- what happens at the end of a tenancy
- what to do if things go wrong
Landlords in England are required to provide the latest version of the Guide to their tenants when the first tenancy starts. Moreover, landlords are also required to provide a new copy of the Guide at the beginning of any subsequent tenancy, including statutory periodic tenancies, but only if there has been an update to the Guide.
A hard copy of the Guide must be provided, unless the tenant agrees to accept a pdf copy via email.
For landlords, it is important to remember that the correct version of the Guide must be served on tenants before a notice under Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 can be validly served to regain possession of the rented home.
Download the updated ‘How to rent’ guide.
Jacqueline Knox
Jacqueline is a partner and head of the firm's cross-firm affordable housing practice.