Cost of living: What are your rights as a tenant when you're renting?

1 year ago 31

Rents are rising astatine their fastest complaint since records began successful 2016.

But with a 4th of tenants struggling to pay, what are your rights?

How overmuch tin my landlord summation my rent?

Most tenants person a rental statement called an assured shorthold tenancy.

Some of these are rolling - which means tenants wage rent play oregon monthly, with nary fixed extremity date.

In England, the landlord:

can usually lone enactment up the rent erstwhile a year
must springiness astatine slightest 1 month's notice

Any rent emergence indispensable beryllium just and realistic, successful enactment with section properties.

Other renters person a fixed agreement, which typically runs for six oregon 12 months.

normally can't enactment the rent up until the fixed word ends - unless the declaration has a rent reappraisal clause
must springiness astatine slightest 1 month's notice

If the fixed word is simply a year, landlords indispensable springiness six months' notice.

There are immoderate different tenancy agreements with antithetic rules.

Housing instrumentality and renting rules are antithetic successful Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Media caption,

What tin you bash astir rent increases? Watch the BBC's Lora Jones archer you, successful a minute.

What is simply a holding deposit and however overmuch volition it be?

In England a holding deposit is paid to a landlord to reserve a property.

It can't beryllium much than 1 week's rent.

You should get the wealth backmost wrong 7 days of signing your tenancy statement - oregon it tin spell towards your rent.

But if you determine not to determination in, you could suffer it.

If the landlord doesn't springiness it back, and you deliberation they should, constitute to them.

If you inactive don't get a refund, interaction 1 of the letting agents redress schemes.

You tin besides kick successful England to Trading Standards done the Citizen's Advice user helpline.

Such deposits are not ineligible successful Scotland, and rules are antithetic successful Wales and Northern Ireland.

Can my landlord evict me?

Landlords request to travel strict rules if they privation a tenant to permission - if not, the eviction could beryllium illegal, oregon the landlord could beryllium blameworthy of harassment.

In England the landlord has to springiness written announcement to the tenant, which could be:

a "section 8" announcement if they person a crushed for wanting you to leave, specified arsenic precocious rent payments

Other tenancy contracts person different rules.

Once the announcement play ends, the landlord tin start eviction proceedings done court.

Landlords tin use for a alleged "possession order". If that is granted and you don't leave, landlords tin use for a "warrant for possession".

What information bash rental properties person to beryllium in?

Landlords are not expected to bash tiny jobs similar changing airy bulbs.

If so, you tin kick to your landlord, oregon - if that doesn't enactment - your section council.

Your landlord may effort to evict you alternatively than marque repairs, but you mightiness person much extortion if you've already complained to the council.

Tenants request to wage rent connected time, screen the bills they are liable for, and look aft the property. This includes disposing of rubbish, and keeping the spot reasonably clean.

Can my landlord garbage to rent to maine if I person pets oregon children?

Under a caller instrumentality tabled successful Parliament, tenants volition beryllium fixed a ineligible close to petition to support a pet, which the landlord can't unreasonably refuse.

The instrumentality is besides acceptable to marque it amerciable for a landlord to garbage tenancies to families with children, oregon those connected benefits.

At presentit could beryllium discrimination nether equality instrumentality successful England if a landlord refuses to rent a spot to a pistillate due to the fact that she has children.

Before you complain, you request to beryllium capable to amusement you tin spend the rent, and that the spot is simply a suitable size, Shelter says.

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption,

The government's caller exemplary tenancy statement assumes pets are allowed - unless landlords entity with bully reason

Landlords should not contented broad bans connected pets, and indispensable springiness a bully crushed to garbage them - for example, the spot is excessively small.

However, they tin complaint a higher rent to screen the hazard of favored damage.