Landlords are being warned of an update to the government’s How to Rent guide. The revised version of How to rent: a checklist for renting in England takes into account new pieces of legislation since the guide was last issued 18 months ago. These include changes to the rules affecting landlords in the Tenant Fees Act 2019, which limits tenant deposits, and the Electrical Safety Act 2020, which makes electrical inspections mandatory.
The government has reissued two additional guides; ‘How to Rent a Safe Home’ and ‘How to Let’. Together, the three documents help tenants and landlords understand their rights and responsibilities.
The guides direct readers to government information for the private rented sector during the Covid-19 pandemic, which is updated regularly and has details of measures to help renters over the winter. These include emergency legislation, which increased the required notice periods for asking a tenant to vacate the property.
Landlords should be aware of the updates, because it is a legal requirement to issue the latest version of the How to Rent guide at the start of any new tenancy or when a tenancy is renewed. If you don’t, you will lose the right to repossess the property using a Section 21 notice. The guide can be printed and given to your tenant as a hard copy or supplied by email as a PDF, with your tenant’s consent. It is a good idea to obtain proof of receipt.
How to Rent provides a checklist and more detailed information on each stage of the process of renting a home, including:
Read more about this story on the Landlord Today and National Resident Landlords Association websites.
Neil is the Operations Director at Assetgrove Lettings, London's Leading Rent Guarantee Company, providing Landlords with no voids, property maintenance, fee-free property management and stress-free service.
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