Which area would you like to live in and how are you going to look for a rented home? The larger the area you are prepared to look in, the better the chance of finding the right home for you.

Reputable agents are often accredited through a professional body such as the Guild of Property Professionals, Propertymark, Safeagent, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors or the UK Association of Letting Agents.The government’s guidance on the Tenant Fees Act contains information about the fees that letting agents and landlords are prohibited to charge tenants, as well as the fees that are permitted. Landlords must follow strict procedures if they want you to leave your home. They may be guilty of harassing or illegally evicting you if they do not follow the correct procedures. read support for British nationals abroad for guidance on staying safe abroad, and the help the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) can provide Your tenancy agreement should say how much notice you must give the landlord if you want to leave the property. One month’s notice is typical, and you must give it in writing. Make sure you keep a copy of the document and a record of when it was sent. Please see the ‘If things go wrong’ section below if you want to leave sooner than the notice period set out in the tenancy agreement. Rent Look for landlords who belong to an accreditation scheme. Accreditation schemes provide training and support to landlords in fulfilling their legal and ethical responsibilities. Your local council can advise you about accreditation schemes operating in your area.

There are often legal protections in place for the most common problems that you may experience during the tenancy. The following links will tell you what they are or where to look for help. Ensure the property is at a minimum of energy efficiency band E (unless a valid exemption applies). The National Residential Landlords Association and the Guild of Residential Landlords run national schemes.Use a Tab character if you want to format the list item with hanging indentation, like Word applies to bulleted lists. If your landlord lives outside the UK, you may be responsible for paying tax on the rent to HM Revenue and Customs. For advice, call their non-resident landlord scheme helpline on 0300 322 9433. Through a letting agent This list of beautiful climbs is admired even by the very best. Whether gracing old gnarlers' coffee-tables in the form of a mighty tome, lying as ragged paper printouts in young aspirants’ bookshelves, or in this electronic format illuminating your computer screen; this mighty collection cannot fail to inspire. Select Symbol and find a box character. If you don't initially see one, change Font to Wingdings or Segoe UI Symbol. Code of practice. Ask whether your landlord or agent has signed a code of practice, which may give you additional assurance about their conduct and practices.

However, if you seek advice and support as early as possible, it is more likely that you will be able to resolve any issues and remain in your home. Citizens Advice – free, independent, confidential and impartial advice to everyone on their rights and responsibilities. Houses in multiple occupation are usually properties where 3 or more unrelated people share facilities such as a kitchen or bathroom.If the landlord is not the property owner and they claim to be a tenant, a family member or a friend, be very cautious as it could be an unlawful sub-letting. Permitted fees For more information about your rights and responsibilities when your landlord wants you to leave your home, see Understanding the possession action process: A guide for private residential tenants in England and Wales. If you want to end the tenancy Do you need to make changes to the property? If you are disabled or have a long- term condition and think you may need to make changes to the property to allow you to live independently, discuss these with your landlord or agent. Consider requests for reasonable adjustments from tenants who have a disability or long-term condition. Reasonable adjustments could include changes to the terms of your tenancy or allowing adaptations or adjustments to your home or common parts of the building. Landlords (or agents) must respond to your request in a reasonable timeframe. If they refuse a request they must explain why. Foundations can offer advice on getting home adaptations. If you live with your partner and you separate, you may have the right to carry on living in your home.

Look after the property. Get your landlord’s permission before attempting repairs or decorating. It’s worth getting contents insurance to cover your possessions too, because the landlord’s insurance won’t cover your things. Accessibility. If you are disabled or have a long-term condition, you can request reasonable adjustments from your landlord or agent. This could include changes to the terms of your agreement, or home adaptations and adjustments to common parts of a building to make your home accessible to you. Your landlord or agent should respond in a reasonable timeframe and if they refuse a request, they should explain why they do not consider it reasonable. Your landlord can ask you to pay for the changes you asked for. Foundations – a national organisation that can provide advice and help disabled people apply for funding to make adaptations to their home third party fees – any charge for actions done by someone other than the landlord or tenant but that the landlord must pay for Do you have your documents ready? Landlords and agents will want to confirm your identity, immigration status, credit history and possibly employment status.

You may be able to take your landlord to court yourself if you think the property is not fit for habitation, under the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018. The court can make the landlord carry out repairs and pay you compensation. You may also be able to take your landlord to court if they do not carry out some repairs. For more information, please see Shelter’s advice on section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. It is a legal requirement for landlords to give you proper notice if they want you to leave. Normally, the landlord must allow any fixed period of the tenancy to expire and they must give you the correct period of notice, which varies depending on the type of tenancy and the reason they want you to leave.