Landlord Guide

Inside, the best advice is to keep things plain and neutral. It sounds boring, but neutral colours appeal to the widest range of tenants and make the space feel bigger and brighter.

• Walls: matt emulsion in white or a warm neutral. Avoid bold feature walls.
• Flooring: hard-wearing, practical carpets, or wood and laminate in high-traffic areas, kitchens and bathrooms.
• Bathrooms: a good-quality shower is almost always preferred over a bath-only suite.
• Kitchens: clean, functional and with enough storage. Dated units can be rejuvenated with new doors or handles rather than a full replacement.

You can let the property in one of three ways. We will advise on what works best for your area and property type, because demand varies.

• Furnished: typical for student or short-term lets. Includes beds, sofas, dining table, white goods and curtains or blinds.
• Part-furnished: usually white goods and curtains or blinds only. Common for family lettings.
• Unfurnished: the blank canvas. Preferred by long-term tenants who own their own furniture.

Any furniture you supply must meet current fire safety regulations, see the furniture fire safety section below.

All utilities should be connected and in working order before the tenant moves in.

• Gas, electricity and water connected.
• Telephone line active and broadband available, even if the tenant chooses their own provider.
• If the property uses LPG or oil, check tanks are topped up and in working order.
• If there is a septic tank, have it emptied before the tenancy begins.

All central heating, hot water, plumbing and electrical systems must be safe, sound and in good working order before a tenancy starts.

Leave instruction manuals for the boiler, cooker and any other appliances in a kitchen drawer or folder, along with details of any maintenance contracts such as boiler cover or an alarm system. Tenants are much more likely to use things correctly if they know how they work.

The entire property should be professionally cleaned before the tenant moves in. This sets the standard for how you expect it to be returned at the end of the tenancy, and provides a fair baseline for the inventory check.

Pay particular attention to the oven, extractor fan, bathroom grouting and carpets, as these are the areas most often disputed at check-out.

If you have a residential mortgage on the property you plan to let, you need written permission from your lender before the tenancy begins. Letting a property without consent can breach the terms of your mortgage.

Some lenders grant a formal consent to let for a defined period. Others will require you to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage product, which typically has a different rate structure and fees.

If the property is leasehold, which applies to most flats and some houses, check the terms of your lease carefully before letting.

Many leases require written permission from the freeholder or management company before you can sub-let. Some ban sub-letting entirely, some cap the number of years you can let for, and some charge an administration fee for each new tenancy.

You must notify your insurance provider that you are letting the property. Standard home insurance does not cover a rental property, so you need specialist landlord insurance covering buildings, contents if furnished, and public liability.

Failure to tell your insurer you are letting the property can invalidate your cover entirely, including for claims unrelated to the tenancy.

Before committing to let your property, budget properly. The headline rental figure is not your net income.

• Mortgage payments, remembering buy-to-let rates may differ from residential.
• Any works needed to bring the property up to standard before letting.
• Letting agent and management fees.
• Landlord insurance.
• A contingency fund for ad-hoc maintenance and repairs, as a boiler can go at any time.
• Void periods between tenancies, when the property is empty but the mortgage still needs paying.

Rental income must be declared to HMRC. You are responsible for informing Revenue and Customs and paying any tax due, as it is not deducted at source.

We strongly recommend speaking to an accountant who specialises in property income. Mortgage interest relief, allowable expenses and property-income allowances have all changed significantly in recent years and the rules can be subtle.

If you previously lived at the property, arrange a Royal Mail redirection to your new address before the tenancy starts. It avoids tenants having to handle, and possibly lose, your post, and it keeps sensitive documents out of someone else's hands.

All gas appliances, pipework and flues must be checked annually by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Gas Safe replaced CORGI in 2009.

You must provide the tenant with a copy of the Gas Safety Certificate (CP12) before they move in, and keep records for at least two years.

Since July 2020, landlords in England must have the electrical installation inspected and tested by a qualified electrician at least every five years.

An Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) must be provided to tenants before they move in. Any C1 or C2 coded defects must be remedied before the property is let. All appliances supplied must also be safe and in good working order.

Any upholstered furniture, mattresses, pillows, cushions or sofa-beds supplied must comply with the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire Safety) Regulations.

• Look for the permanent compliance label attached to the item.
• Items without labels that cannot be verified as compliant must be removed before letting.
• Antique furniture made before 1950 is exempt, but use common sense, as very old upholstery may still need to go.

As of October 2022, the rules apply to all tenancies, not just new ones, and alarms must be in working order at the start of each tenancy.

• Smoke alarms: at least one on every storey of the property.
• Carbon monoxide alarms: one in any room containing a fixed combustion appliance such as a gas boiler, wood burner or open fire.
• Testing: all alarms must be tested and confirmed working at the start of every new tenancy.

A valid EPC must be available to prospective tenants at the point of marketing. EPCs are valid for 10 years and rate the property from A, most efficient, to G, least efficient.

Since April 2020 it has been unlawful to let any property, new or existing tenancy, with an EPC rating below E, unless a valid exemption is registered. Minimum standards are expected to tighten further under the 2025 Act.

Any deposit taken must be protected in a government-approved tenancy deposit scheme within 30 days of receipt, and the tenant must be given the scheme's prescribed information.

Failure to comply can result in penalties of up to three times the deposit amount, on top of repaying the deposit itself.

The three approved schemes are the Deposit Protection Service (DPS), MyDeposits, and the Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS).

Under the Immigration Act 2014, you must verify that all tenants aged 18 and over have a legal right to rent in England before the tenancy begins.

• UK or Irish passport.
• Settled or pre-settled status share code.
• Biometric residence permit, visa, or certificate of registration.

Records must be kept for the duration of the tenancy and for one year after it ends. Digital checks via the government's online service are acceptable for most documents.

Landlords must assess the risk of Legionella bacteria exposure in their rental properties. In most domestic properties the risk is low, but a simple risk assessment should be carried out, documented and reviewed periodically.

Pay extra attention if the property has been empty for any length of time, or if it has an unusual water system such as a loft tank, thermal store or large unused pipe run.

If your property is let to three or more tenants forming two or more households who share facilities such as a kitchen or bathroom, it is an HMO.

• Mandatory HMO licence: required for larger HMOs of five or more tenants from two or more households.
• Additional licensing: many councils operate extra licensing schemes for smaller HMOs, so check your local council's website.
• Selective licensing: some councils require a licence for all private rentals in designated areas, HMO or not.

Fines for operating an HMO without a required licence can be up to £30,000 and can also expose you to a rent repayment order.

The Equality Act replaced the former Disability Discrimination Act. Landlords must not discriminate against tenants or prospective tenants on the basis of disability, race, sex, religion or other protected characteristics.

A disabled tenant may request reasonable adjustments to the property, which the landlord must consider. You cannot unreasonably refuse, and in some cases may need to cover part of the cost.

Local authorities use the HHSRS to assess potential hazards in residential properties across 29 categories, from damp and mould to excess cold, fire and electrical risk.

If a serious Category 1 hazard is found, the council can require improvements, issue an enforcement notice, or in extreme cases prohibit occupation.

The best defence is proactive: assess the property for obvious hazards before letting, keep on top of repairs during the tenancy, and respond promptly to any tenant-reported damp, mould or safety issue.

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 is the biggest change to the private rented sector in a generation. Most provisions take effect from May 2026.

• Section 21 no-fault evictions abolished.
• All tenancies convert to periodic, so fixed-term ASTs become a thing of the past.
• Rent increases limited to once a year, with the right to challenge at tribunal.
• Rental bidding banned.
• National landlord database and an ombudsman scheme introduced.

We have a dedicated Renters' Rights Act page with the full detail for landlords and tenants.