A new ‘How to Rent’ guide has been released by the Government this week – This must be served to the tenants at the start of any new tenancy or renewal and it also must be the newest version.
This must be served by either the landlord or managing agent before the tenancy commences.
The rules around ‘How to Rent’ guides were first brought in five years ago, which is when it became mandatory for landlords and agents to provide the latest version of ‘How to rent: a checklist for renting in England’ to their new tenants – and on renewal if there has been an update during the time of the initial tenancy agreement.
If this document is not provided the landlord or agent will lose the right to repossess using Section 21 should the need arise.
The Government is also updating it’s ‘How to Rent a Safe Home’ and ‘How to Let’ guides and has said that the updates will reflect legislation changes made since the booklets were last updated in June 2019, these include new laws which have come into force because of the Tenant Fees Act 2019 and the Electrical Safety Act 2020.
The guides were put together to help tenants and landlords in the rental sector to understand their rights and responsibilities but will also give readers additional COVID-19 guidance, which is updated regularly. This highlights details of the extra measures the Government has put in place to help renters, including emergency legislation increasing notice periods.
For more information, or to read more, the complete guides can be found by following the links below:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-rent
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-rent-a-safe-home
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-let
Please do not hesitate to contact us on hello@horizonlets.com if you have any further queries – we are always here to help you.
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