Renting Guide

What to check before renting a room or property

Before you commit to anything, make sure you know exactly what you are renting, who you are renting it from, and what you are agreeing to pay.

• Who the landlord or agent is, and whether the person showing you the property is the same person you would pay.
• Whether you are renting the whole property or one room in a shared home.
• The full monthly rent, what it includes, and how and when it is paid.
• The deposit amount, and which tenancy deposit scheme it will be protected in.
• The length of the agreement, any fixed term, and how much notice each side has to give.
• Whether council tax, utilities, water and broadband are included.
• Who else lives in the property and how communal spaces are shared.

Questions to ask before agreeing to rent

A short list of direct questions will tell you a lot. A straightforward landlord or agent will answer all of these without hesitation.

• Are you the landlord, a letting agent, or the current tenant?
• Is this an assured shorthold tenancy, a licence, a lodger arrangement or a joint tenancy?
• Which deposit protection scheme will my deposit be held in?
• Can I see the gas safety record, the electrical installation report and the EPC?
• Is the property licensed as a house in multiple occupation, if one is required?
• What happens if a housemate moves out during the agreement?
• How are repairs reported, and how quickly are they usually dealt with?
• Is there anything I would be charged for beyond rent and the deposit?

Viewing a property safely

Treat a viewing like meeting anyone new. Never feel pressured to go alone or to stay longer than you want to.

• Tell someone where you are going and when you expect to be back.
• Take a friend, a family member or a dwella Group member with you where you can.
• Insist on seeing the property in person, or by live video call if you genuinely cannot attend.
• Take photographs and notes of anything that concerns you.
• Never hand over cash or transfer money at a viewing.
• Leave straight away if anything feels wrong. You never owe anyone an explanation.

Tenancy agreements

A tenancy agreement is the contract between you and your landlord. It can be written or verbal, but a written agreement protects everyone because it records what was actually agreed.

Most private renters in England and Wales have an assured shorthold tenancy. Scotland uses the private residential tenancy, and Northern Ireland has its own separate rules, so check the guidance for the nation you are renting in.

Read the whole document before you sign, including anything described as house rules or an addendum. Ask for a copy of anything you sign and keep it.

Licence agreements, tenants and lodgers

A tenancy usually gives you exclusive possession of your own space and a defined set of legal protections. A licence generally gives permission to occupy without that exclusive possession, which is the normal arrangement for a lodger living with their live-in landlord.

Lodgers usually have fewer legal protections than tenants, including around how much notice they receive. That is not automatically unfair, but you should know which arrangement you are actually entering into before you sign.

Warning signs of a sham licence or misleading agreement

What an agreement is called matters far less than how the arrangement actually works in practice. If a document is labelled a licence but you have your own lockable room in a property where the landlord does not live, the label may not reflect reality.

• The document is labelled a licence, but no landlord actually lives in the property.
• You are told a deposit does not need protecting because the agreement is a licence.
• You are asked to sign a very short document with no landlord address or contact details.
• Clauses allow the landlord to enter your room at any time, without notice, for any reason.
• You are told repair obligations or safety certificates do not apply to this arrangement.
• You are rushed into signing before you have had a chance to read it.

Deposits and tenancy deposit protection

If you have an assured shorthold tenancy in England or Wales, your landlord must protect your deposit in a government-approved tenancy deposit scheme and give you prescribed information about where it is held.

Ask which scheme your deposit is in, and check it yourself with that scheme rather than relying on being told. Keep the confirmation.

Holding deposits

A holding deposit is a payment to reserve a property while checks are carried out. In England, the Tenant Fees Act sets limits on what can be charged and rules about when a holding deposit must be repaid.

Get in writing what the holding deposit covers, what happens to it if you go ahead, and what happens if you do not.

Rent in advance

You may be asked to pay some rent in advance, particularly if you are a student, new to the UK or self-employed. Make sure any advance payment is recorded in writing, that you know which rental periods it covers, and that you get a receipt.

Be cautious about very large advance payments, especially when combined with pressure to pay quickly.

Fees and charges

The Tenant Fees Act restricts the payments landlords and agents in England can charge private tenants. Similar restrictions exist elsewhere in the UK, so check the rules for the nation you are renting in.

If you are asked for an administration, referencing or renewal fee, ask what legal basis it has before you pay.

Bills and council tax

Confirm in writing whether rent includes gas, electricity, water, broadband and council tax. In shared homes, check whether bills are split equally and whose name the accounts are in, because the named account holder carries the liability.

Full-time students are usually disregarded for council tax purposes, but the rules depend on who else lives in the property, so check with the local council.

Guarantors

A guarantor agrees to cover rent or damage if you do not pay. This is a serious financial commitment, and in a joint tenancy a guarantor may be liable for the whole rent rather than only your share.

Anyone acting as your guarantor should read the agreement in full and understand exactly what they are covering and for how long.

Right to Rent checks

In England, landlords must check that adult occupiers have the right to rent in the UK. You may be asked to provide documents or a share code before an agreement starts. This check does not apply in the same way across the whole of the UK.

Give documents only to the landlord or agent, and only for this purpose. Nobody at dwella will ever ask you to send identity documents through a chat message.

HMOs and HMO licensing

A house in multiple occupation is a property shared by people from more than one household who share facilities such as a kitchen or bathroom. Larger HMOs need a licence from the local council, and some councils operate additional licensing schemes covering smaller ones.

Licensed HMOs come with extra standards on room sizes, amenities and fire safety. You can ask the council whether a property is licensed.

Property condition and safety

Landlords have legal responsibilities for the safety and condition of the property they let. Look closely at damp, mould, window locks, external doors, fire doors and escape routes during your viewing.

Gas safety

If the property has gas appliances, the landlord must arrange an annual safety check by a Gas Safe registered engineer and give you a copy of the record. Ask for it before you move in and keep it.

Electrical safety

Electrical installations in privately rented homes in England must be inspected and tested at regular intervals, and you are entitled to a copy of the report. Ask for it, and check that any faults it identifies have been dealt with.

Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms

Rented homes must have working smoke alarms, and carbon monoxide alarms are required where there are certain fuel-burning appliances. Test the alarms on the day you move in and report anything that does not work straight away.

Energy Performance Certificates

An EPC rates how energy efficient a property is and must normally be provided to prospective tenants. A poor rating is a useful warning that heating the home may be expensive.

Repairs and landlord responsibilities

Landlords are generally responsible for the structure and exterior of the property and for installations supplying water, gas, electricity, sanitation and heating. Report repairs in writing, keep copies, and take dated photographs.

If repairs are not dealt with, your local council's environmental health team can inspect the property.

Rental scams and fraudulent listings

Rental fraud usually works by creating urgency around a property that is cheaper or better than everything else available, then asking for money before you can verify anything.

• The rent is noticeably below the going rate for the area.
• You are told the property is in high demand and must be secured today.
• The landlord says they are abroad and cannot show you the property.
• You are asked to pay a deposit, holding fee or first month's rent before viewing.
• You are pushed to move the conversation off dwella immediately.
• You are asked to pay by bank transfer, cryptocurrency, gift cards or a money transfer service.
• Photographs look like stock images or appear on other listings elsewhere.
• Documents contain no company details, no address and no way to verify the landlord.

Warning signs before transferring money

Stop and check before any payment leaves your account. Legitimate landlords and agents will not lose your business because you took an extra day to verify who they are.

• Confirm the identity of the landlord or agent independently, not only through details they gave you.
• Check that a letting agent is a real, registered business with a physical address.
• Never pay before you have seen the property and received a written agreement.
• Be suspicious of any last-minute change of bank details.
• Keep every payment record, receipt and message.

What to check before signing anything

Take the agreement away and read it properly. Ask for time. Ask for clarification in writing on anything you do not understand.

• Names and addresses of all parties, including the landlord.
• Rent, payment dates and payment method.
• Deposit amount and the scheme it will be protected in.
• Start date, fixed term and notice periods.
• Whether the tenancy is joint or individual.
• Rules about guests, pets, smoking and subletting.
• Who is responsible for which repairs.
• Any clause that looks unusual or one-sided.

Moving-in documentation and inventories

An inventory records the condition and contents of the property at the start of the agreement. It is your best protection against unfair deposit deductions later.

• Take dated photographs and video of every room, including existing damage.
• Record meter readings for gas, electricity and water on day one.
• Check the inventory carefully, note any disagreement in writing, and keep a signed copy.
• Save copies of the tenancy agreement, deposit protection certificate and safety certificates.

What to do if something goes wrong

Put your concern in writing to the landlord or agent first, keep a copy, and give them a reasonable chance to fix it. If that does not work, escalate.

• Contact your local council for disrepair, hazards or unlicensed HMOs.
• Use your deposit scheme's free dispute resolution service for deposit disagreements.
• Get independent advice from Citizens Advice or Shelter before taking further steps.
• Report suspected fraud to your bank immediately and to the police.

Where renters can get independent help

These organisations are independent of dwella and provide free, up-to-date information on renting in the UK.