Landlord responsibilities

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Starting a new tenancy

When you issue a new assured or short assured tenancy you must provide: 

  • a copy of the government's How to Rent guide to your new tenant
  • protection of their rent deposit
  • a copy of the property’s gas safety certificate
  • a copy of the property's valid energy performance certificate

Tenancy deposit scheme

You must put your tenants' deposit in a government-approved tenancy deposit scheme (TDS) if you rent your home to tenants on an assured shorthold tenancy that started after 6 April 2007.

At the end of a tenancy, you must return your tenants' deposit within 10 days of both you and your tenant both agreeing on how much deposit you will be returning.

If you are in a dispute with your tenant over the return of a deposit, the TDS will hold the deposit until the dispute is resolved.

Find out more information on Tenancy Deposit Scheme on GOV.UK.

Tenancy agreement

A tenancy agreement is a contract between you and your tenant. It should set out the legal terms and conditions of the tenancy.

If you are providing a tenancy agreement it should be fair. Both you and your tenant have certain rights and responsibilities, whether or not you have a tenancy agreement.

Read the tenancy agreements overview on GOV.UK.

Safety and state of repair

You must ensure any property you rent is safe and in good repair. Your property must legally, under the Housing Act 2004, be free from hazards that may put your tenant at risk and cause harm.

You are responsible for ensuring:

  • the property structure and exterior
  • basins, sinks, baths, and other sanitary fittings including pipes and drains
  • heating and hot water
  • gas appliances, pipes, flues and ventilation
  • electrical wiring is compliant with the relevant standards
  • the property is free from infestations and vermin

You are also usually responsible for repairing common areas, such as staircases in blocks of flats and houses in multiple occupation.

If you don't take action to fix problems at your property, your tenant can report this to the Housing Regulatory Services team.

Housing Regulatory Services enforcement officers will investigate a property in poor condition using the housing health and safety rating system (HHSRS). Officers can ultimately force you, through the service of enforcement notices, to make those improvements if you fail to respond appropriately to requests.

Management Regulations

Landlords, agents and tenants of all types of houses in multiple occupation (HMO) must comply with the HMO Management Regulations.

The HMO Management Regulations require the manager to keep all parts of the HMO safe, clean and well maintained. Tenants of HMOs must cooperate with the manager and not damage any fire safety equipment.

It is an offence not to comply with any of the HMO Management Regulations.

Buildings which are converted into flats without the right Building Control checks are a special type of HMO which have their own Management Regulations

Energy performance certificate (EPC)

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. It should also provide recommendations about how to reduce energy use and save money.

You can find the EPC for a property on GOV.UK.

Your contact details

You must provide your tenant with your contact details so they can communicate with you, especially in the case of an emergency.

Evictions

You must follow strict procedures if you want your tenant to leave your property. If you do not, you may be guilty of illegally evicting or harassing your tenant.