Landlord Tenant Category

The Tenant Fees Act came into force in June. It is designed to prevent landlords and letting agents from overcharging tenants. But one unexpected consequence of the legislation is that landlords must now refund any part of a tenant’s deposit that exceeds the statutory five-week cap.

Illegal sub-letting affects both landlords and tenants. Desperate tenants end up paying over the odds to rent poorly managed, sub-standard accommodation whilst landlords lose out on rent and face expensive court cases to evict illegal tenants. Unfortunately, it’s depressingly common.

A deposit is there to protect landlords from the horrors of property damage, so you’d need to be a trusting sort to blithely offer a tenancy without asking for any security deposit.

Tenants come in all shapes and sizes. Most tenants are lovely and soon make it on to your Christmas list. But some are best shoved into a dark recess of your mind where even your therapist doesn’t venture. But how do you spot the bad tenants before they become a real problem?

Rent is a contentious subject. Tenant groups say landlords often charge too much rent whereas landlords would probably argue they don’t charge enough given the way tax breaks have been eroded in recent years.