0This is a sharp increase from figures in 2011, which stated that there were 3.9 million renters. According to the property website Zoopla. Renting can suit tenants who are saving up for a deposit for a mortgage for their own house. However, being a tenant means you have to follow a range of rules and regulations which are often put in place for both the tenant’s and landlord’s safety and convenience.
Pay Rent On Time
When you ask people what their number one rule would be if they were a landlord, many will tell you that they want their rent payments to be paid on time. This is why landlords often add clauses within tenancy agreements where tenants pay late fees if they pay their rent too late after the date agreed upon. However, out of all of the rules within this article paying rent on time is likely a rule that can be most out of the tenant’s control. In recent years the cost of living crisis has made managing one’s finances more difficult, as not only are prices going up in shops but large scores of people are losing their jobs at the same time; with large retail chains employing thousands of people suddenly announcing they are closing down, with recent examples including Wilkos and Debenhams. These issues combined are making it increasingly difficult for people to pay their rent and mortgages, according to The Telegraph “an estimated 700,000 UK households missed or defaulted on a rent or mortgage payment in the month of April 2023.”
Landlord Inspection
Landlord Inspections are important for peace of mind from the landlord’s perspective, they are carried out no more often than every 3 months. During these periodic inspections, the landlord can determine if the tenants are treating the property with adequate care, whilst being an easy point of call for tenants to address any issue or maintenance requests. Additionally, the landlord can use this time to spot any signs of illicit activity within the property such as drug activity.
Breaking The Lease
Leases between landlords and tenants afford an agreement between the two parties which protects their mutual interests. From the landlord’s perspective, they have agreed with the tenant about the tenancy length; which often includes a stipulation that the tenant must inform the landlord at least one month before the tenant wishes to leave the property. This provides the landlord with adequate time to advertise the property to prospective renters therefore minimising the time when the property isn’t bringing in rent due to there not being an active tenant living there. Tenancy leases also protect the tenant, as they have a written legal contract with the landlord. Meaning if the landlord fails to adhere to agreements on their part, such as providing maintenance when needed the tenant has greater legal rights to press the landlord into action.
Leases however can be restrictive to tenants, as they are bound into paying rent for a fixed period of time. Sometimes tenants start tenancy agreements and decide they want to leave earlier than originally planned for a variety of reasons. However, it is worth noting that the landlord does not have to end the tenancy early, as the tenant signed a legally binding contract when they first moved into the property stating that they will pay the rent up until a certain date. This often means that the tenant has to continue paying rent until the original agreed date on the lease. Whilst this can be bad news for tenants, this affords landlords with more protections as they don’t have an uncontrollable stream of new tenants staying for short periods of time and leaving, which would incur high costs from the landlord’s perspective.
Pet Policies
It’s official the figures don’t lie, around 57% of the UK population have pets. This isn’t surprising given the emotional comfort owning pets provides. But what may be surprising is the fact that given this information around 45% of private landlords do not accept their tenants having pets. According to a report carried out by Gov.UK. The reasoning behind pet policies being adopted by landlords mainly lies in the fact that pets may cause damage to the property, causing landlords to enforce bans to protect their property. However new proposed legislation offers more protections for tenants who wish to have pets living with them in their rented accommodation, as tenants will be able to challenge decisions made by the landlords about pets. Additionally, the Gov.UK report states that the government’s proposed changes “will make it easier for landlords to accept pets by amending the Tenant Fees Act 2019 to include pet insurance as a permitted payment.”
Sub-Letting
Subletting is where a tenant already renting the property rents the property to a 3rd party, this can happen if a tenant wants to move out of the property before the agreed-upon
end-of-tenancy date. Rent costs are offset by the new 3rd party tenant. Allowing the official tenant who now has the funds to move out elsewhere. Sub-letting by tenants can cause headaches for landlords as the person now living in the house will assume that they have been let the property by the owner of the property, whereas in fact they have been let by the official tenant on the official property lease. This can lead to the actual landlord losing control of the property and not being able to respond to any maintenance issues. This lack of ability to address household emergencies such as leaks and unsafe electrical appliances can be bad news for both the landlord and tenant, as emergencies such as a water leak could progressively cause more issues with the house over time.
For example, a water leak could damage the structural integrity of the house itself. If you are renting from an independent landlord it is advisable to buy the Title Register document for about £3, which shows who the property owner is and their residential address. Allowing you to see if the names match up between the owner of the property and the individual claiming to be a landlord. Other tips to increase your security when applying for rental properties include renting from reputable letting companies, but make sure that the URL for the website on property websites such as Rightmove and Spareroom matches with the letting agent’s website to avoid online scams.
Conclusion
Having clear boundaries between landlord and tenant in a lease agreement can be beneficial for both tenant and landlord as each party knows what is expected of the other. Additionally, as the lease is a legal contract it protects both parties from malice and misunderstandings from the other party. Both tenant and landlord can seek further legal advice and be taken seriously due to them having a legitimate legal contract with the offending party, this allows issues to be resolved in a fair manner for both parties.
We hope you found this blog post on What Rules Should You Have for Your Tenants? useful. Be sure to check out our post on Essential Tips for Renting Your First Apartment in 2023 for more great tips!
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