Agreements and Letters for Residential Tenants
This Dealings with the Landlord and Other Occupiers subfolder contains letters and documents for a tenant to use in connection with his tenancy. They cover subletting a room and approaching the landlord for consent or to complain about an issue.
There is also some guidance on the Tenancy Deposit legislation. Tenants can refer to this guidance to ensure their landlords are acting in accordance with the legislation.
- Guidance Notes: Tenancy Deposit Protection Guidance for Landlords
- Agreement Between House Sharers
- Licence for Lodger to Occupy a Room in Tenant’s Property
- Licence for Lodger to Occupy a Room in Tenant’s Property (Part Time)
- Sublease of Room in Tenant’s Property
- Decoration Request
- Residential Tenant’s Request for Consent to Make Alterations
- First Letter of Complaint to Landlord
- Second Letter of Complaint to Landlord
Agreements and Letters for Residential Tenants is part of Property. Just £42.50 + VAT provides unlimited downloads from Property for 1 year.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I ask my landlord for permission to keep a pet or make an alteration?
Put the request in writing and keep a copy. Since the Renters' Rights Act, a tenant in England with an assured tenancy (other than a social housing tenancy) can ask to keep a pet and the landlord cannot unreasonably refuse, and must normally respond within 28 days. Alterations usually need consent under your tenancy, and the landlord should not withhold it unreasonably where the agreement says so. The request letters set out your ask clearly and create a record.
My landlord is holding my deposit, what are my rights?
Your deposit must be protected. If you paid a deposit for an assured tenancy the landlord must protect it in an authorised scheme, the Deposit Protection Service, MyDeposits or the Tenancy Deposit Scheme, and give you the prescribed information within 30 days. If they do not, you can claim a penalty of between one and three times the deposit, and it can block their possession routes. Ask which scheme protects your deposit if you have not been told.
When can I enter the property during a tenancy?
Your tenant has exclusive possession, so you may enter only as the tenancy agreement or the law allows. For most residential tenancies in England, you or someone you authorise in writing may enter at reasonable times of the day, on 24 hours' written notice to the occupier, to view the condition and state of repair. An assured tenant must also give you access and reasonable facilities to carry out repairs you are entitled to do. Your tenancy agreement may give further rights of entry. Except in a genuine emergency, do not enter without notice or against the tenant's wishes. Doing so can breach the tenant's right to quiet enjoyment, and visits likely to pressure the tenant into leaving or giving up their rights can be harassment, a criminal offence under the Protection from Eviction Act 1977. If access is refused, keep a written record of each request.