If you're renting and are unsure of your rights as a tenant, watch this video from Phil Spencer to understand your rights as a tenant in a rented property.

Tenants are protected by plenty of rules and regulations. Your landlord is obliged to act in accordance with all relevant government legislation.

WHAT RIGHTS DO TENANTS HAVE?
You have certain rights as a tenant which you should be aware of.

You can expect your landlord or letting agent to act in a professional and timely manner in regards returning your calls/emails, particularly if they concern repairs.

One of your basic rights as a tenant is to feel safe in your rented property.

Your landlord or letting agent’s responsibilities include:

- attending to any repairs in the property within a timely manner of your report
- dealing with emergency repairs as soon as possible
- issuing you with a signed tenancy agreement
- going through the inventory with you
- providing a copy of the Energy Performance Certificate(EPC) for you to view, as well as certificates showing recently completed gas and electric safety checks
- acting as a buffer between yourself and the landlord in the event of a dispute concerning the property, ie the landlord is taking too long to give the go-ahead for a particular repair, etc
- issuing a receipt or invoice for every payment received (for rent, a deposit, refund, etc)
- your deposit should also be lodged with one of the tenancy deposit schemes. You should be given proof of this within 30 days of (failure to do so could result in the letting agent or landlord being taken to court)

HELPFUL GUIDELINES FOR TENANTS
You’ll find the legal obligations of landlords and letting agencies on the UK government’s website under Private Renting. Here you’ll find out what you can expect as a tenant, what responsibilities your landlord has and who to appeal to if you believe your rent has been increased too much.

If you live in England or Wales, your landlord should present you with a copy of the government’s helpful Tenants How To Rent Guide, and in Scotland, you should be given a Tenant Information Pack at the start of your tenancy.

This will show your landlord's awareness of current government legislation regarding renting and inform you of the law around short-assured tenancies, deposit schemes and giving notice in the event you want to move out prior to the tenancy ending.

LANDLORD ACCREDITATION
All landlords are required to uphold tenants’ rights.

You should check if your landlord belongs to an industry body. If they do, they’re obliged to adhere to a code of practice which outlines standards of behaviour.

Such schemes also usually offer an independent arbitration should something go wrong.

Although there’s no compulsory registration scheme for landlords, the vast majority of private landlords have to be registered with their local authority. There are also voluntary membership schemes like the National Landlords Association.

LETTING AGENT ACCREDITATION
There are no compulsory registration stipulations for letting agents. But, professional letting agents should all be registered with either the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) or the National Approved Lettings Scheme (NALS), as well as the Property Ombudsman Scheme (TPOS) or Property Redress Scheme (PRS).

All of the schemes are self-regulating but do provide an independent means of redress for disputes between tenants and letting agents.

There may also be local accreditation schemes specific to the area in which you plan to rent and a list of these can be obtained from the relevant local authority.

FIND OUT MORE
Learn more about your rights as a tenant: [ Ссылка ]
Learn more about tenancy applications and your rights: [ Ссылка ]

RENTING IN A NEW AREA?
Phil Spencer's Property Report contains information on everything from local planning applications and local amenities to school ratings. Find out more and get your full report: [ Ссылка ]

THE MOVE IQ PODCAST - SEASON 2 - RENTING
For the best tips and advice when it comes to renting, make sure you listen to Move iQ's podcast on renting, full of Phil Spencer's practical advice for all renters. Listen below:
► [ Ссылка ]

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