The Complete Landlord's Guide

Before marketing a property, check whether it needs a licence. Selective licensing schemes operate in specific council areas even for single-let properties, and any House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) with 5 or more unrelated occupants needs a mandatory HMO licence regardless of location. Your local council's website will confirm what applies to your address.

You'll also need the essentials in place: a valid Gas Safety Certificate, an EICR no older than 5 years, and an EPC rated E or above (properties below this generally can't be legally let without an exemption).

Good photography, an accurate floorplan and honest copy attract the right tenants faster than an inflated asking rent ever will. Once you have an applicant, proper referencing (income verification, credit checks, a previous landlord reference and a right to rent check) is your single best protection against a problem tenancy.

Where an applicant doesn't meet standard affordability criteria on their own, a guarantor or guarantor insurance can bridge the gap. See our dedicated guide to rent guarantors for more detail.

The deposit must be protected in a government-approved scheme within 30 days of receipt, with the scheme's prescribed information served to the tenant in the same window. Missing this deadline can seriously weaken your position later if you need to serve notice.

You're legally required to give tenants the current government 'How to Rent' guide at the start of the tenancy. A detailed, photographic inventory taken (and ideally agreed with the tenant) before move-in is the single most useful document you'll have if there's a dispute over damage at the end.

As landlord, you're responsible for keeping the structure, exterior, and key installations (heating, hot water, gas, electrics) in good repair under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. This can't be passed to the tenant by contract. Under Awaab's Law, serious hazards like damp, mould or heating failures now come with strict legal timescales for investigation and repair once reported.

Routine inspections every few months, with photographic reports, help catch small issues before they become expensive ones, and give you an evidenced record if a dispute ever arises.

Under the Renters' Rights Act, rent can only be increased once every 12 months, via a formal Section 13 notice with at least two months' notice. If a tenant disputes the increase as above market rate, they can challenge it at the First-tier Tribunal free of charge, but the Tribunal can't set a rent higher than what you originally proposed, so pricing fairly and with evidence from the outset is the safest approach.

Section 21 'no-fault' eviction has been abolished. To end a tenancy, you now need a valid ground under Section 8 (for example, selling the property, moving in yourself or a family member, or rent arrears) and, in most cases, a court order if the tenant doesn't leave voluntarily.

At the end of a tenancy, compare the check-out report against the original inventory before making any deposit deductions, and only claim for genuine damage beyond fair wear and tear. This is by far the most common source of deposit disputes.

Rental income is taxable and must be declared to HMRC, typically via Self Assessment. Mortgage interest relief for individual landlords is given as a basic-rate tax credit rather than a full deduction against income, which changes the maths on profitability for higher-rate taxpayers, and some landlords choose to hold property through a limited company as a result.

Because tax rules and thresholds change frequently and depend heavily on your personal circumstances, this is an area where a proper conversation with an accountant pays for itself many times over. Treat this section as a prompt to ask the right questions, not a substitute for that advice.

You don't have to manage every part of this alone. Our fully managed service handles referencing, compliance tracking, rent collection, inspections and repairs coordination, so nothing falls through the cracks between Budgets and legislative changes.