Know your rights and responsibilities as a tenant

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This page outlines your rights and responsibilities as a tenant of a privately rented home.

Your rights

• Know the terms of your tenancy agreement
• Know your landlord’s name and address
• Live in a property that’s safe and in a good state of repair
• 24 hours’ notice if the landlord wants to visit your property
• Notice if your landlord wants you to leave the property altogether; your landlord may be acting illegally if they try to evict you

Your responsibilities

• Pay your bills and rent on time
• Report repairs to your landlord as soon as possible
• Don’t deliberately or negligently cause damage to the property
• Ensure you are heating and ventilating the property effectively
• Don’t make any changes to the property without your landlord’s permission
• Take care of the garden if the tenancy agreement says it’s your responsibility
• Make sure your guests do not break your tenancy agreement
• Don’t allow illegal activity to take place in the property
• Don’t make a lot of noise

Please see the below guides for further information on renting privately, tenancy deposits and utility charges:

RBC Guide to Renting Privately

RBC Guidance for Tenants_Deposit Protection and Disputes

RBC Guidance for Tenants on Utility Charges

For more information on private renting please refer to the government guide on How to Rent- the checklist for renting in England.