When you start a new assured or short assured tenancy, your landlord must give you a copy of the government's How to Rent guide.
As a tenant in a privately-rented property, you have the following rights.
Deposit protection
Your landlord must put your deposit in a government-approved tenancy deposit scheme (TDS) if you rent your home on an assured shorthold tenancy that started after 6 April 2007.
At the end of your tenancy, your landlord must return your deposit within 10 days of you both agreeing how much you will get back. If you are in a dispute with your landlord over your deposit, the TDS will hold the deposit until the dispute is resolved.
For more information on TDS, see Tenancy deposit protection: Overview at GOV.UK.
A fair tenancy agreement
A tenancy agreement is a contract between you and your landlord. It lets you live in a property as long as you pay rent and follow the rules. It also sets out the legal terms and conditions of your tenancy.
It can be written or verbal. If you have a fixed-term tenancy of more than 3 years, you should have a written agreement.
If you have been provided with a tenancy agreement, it should be fair. Both you and your landlord have certain rights and responsibilities, whether or not you have a tenancy agreement.
For more information, see Private renting for tenants: tenancy agreements: Overview at GOV.UK.
A property that is safe and in a good state of repair
If your property is not safe or needs repairs, your landlord or letting agents must take steps to improve this. If they don't, you can report disrepair to the private sector housing team who can investigate.
To know who your landlord is
If you do not know who your landlord is, you can write to the company you pay rent to. Your landlord can be fined if they do not give you this information within 21 days.
To see a copy of the property’s energy performance certificate
An energy performance certificate (EPC) is needed whenever a property is rented. An EPC gives a property an energy rating from A (most efficient) to G (least efficient) and is valid for 10 years.
The EPC should contain information about the typical amount of energy the property would use and typical energy costs, such how much it would cost to heat. It should also provide recommendations about how to reduce energy use and save money.
Protection from an unfair eviction or unfair rent
Your landlord must follow strict procedures if they want you to leave their property, depending on the type of tenancy agreement you have and the terms within it. If they do not, they may be guilty of illegally evicting or harassing you.
You can find more information on our evictions and harassment page.