Broadly speaking, you are responsible for treating tenants fairly. The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) Code of Practice says to, ‘act in a fair, honest and reasonable way with all tenants at all times’.
This involves:
A letting agent may be able to carry out some of these tasks for you. But as the property owner, you’re responsible for meeting your legal obligations.
If you’re renting out a property in Scotland, Northern Ireland or Wales, you must register with the local council. In England, you need to check with your local council to see if you need to register in the area where your property is located.
If you own a property you wish to let, you’ll need to find and vet tenants. For your own protection, it’s important to take references, and possibly do background and financial checks. For example, if you’re letting a property in England, you need to check your tenant has the legal right to rent in the UK.
If you prefer, you can use a letting agent who could do this on your behalf for a fee.
Once you’ve found a tenant, you must protect your tenant’s deposit in a government-approved deposit protection scheme within 30 days, or 28 days in Northern Ireland. There are separate schemes for England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
When a tenancy ends, you must return the deposit, provided your tenants:
The deposit must be returned within 10 days of the landlord and tenant agreeing on how much will be returned.
An EPC measures how energy efficient a property is, from A (extremely efficient) to G (least efficient). You must show the EPC to the tenants before they rent the property.
Currently in England and Wales, all domestic rental properties need to have an EPC rating of band E and above to be suitable for letting.
In England, you need to give your tenants a copy of the government’s How to rent checklist when they start renting from you. This guide helps tenants understand what their rights are, what responsibilities they have, and what questions to ask.
In Scotland, you must give the tenant a tenancy agreement. Tenants in Northern Ireland must be given a statement of tenancy terms and a rent book. In England and Wales, the tenancy agreement can be written or verbal.
It’s important to remember that tenants and landlords have certain legal rights, regardless of what’s written in the tenancy agreement.
Your duties as a landlord can vary, depending on where in the UK the property is. You’re obliged to:
You must ensure your tax obligations are met, for example, paying income tax on your rental income. Always seek tax advice, as tax rules can change and depend on individual circumstances.
Your property may be repossessed if you don’t keep up repayments on your mortgage.
This article was last updated on 15/04/2024, 08:27
