Understanding Your Rights and Responsibilities as a Tenant

Even before you start searching for a property to rent, it's important to understand the legal aspects of being a tenant.

When you become a tenant, you take on certain responsibilities in exchange for certain rights. Your tenancy agreement will typically be 4-5 pages long and very detailed. It lists your responsibilities so read it carefully. As a minimum, it will show:

• The names of the landlord and tenant.
• How much the rent and deposit is.
• When the rent will be reviewed.
• The address for the landlord or agent who will be looking after the property.

The main things you must do are as follows:

• Pay rent on time - normally one month in advance.
• Pay other bills. In most long-term lets, you'll be paying council tax, utilities (including water), TV licence and telephone charges.
• Respect neighbours - so no making noise, putting rubbish in the wrong place or obstructing common areas.
• Look after the property.

The agent's job might be to market the property, arrange signing of agreements and payment of the first month's rent and deposit.

After that, you may find you are dealing directly with a landlord who will look after the management. However, most landlords tend to leave the management up to the letting agent.

The good news is that you are not expected to maintain the building - that's the landlord's job. But you should behave in such a way that the building is properly cared for.