The responsibilities of landlords and tenants

Once you have signed a tenancy agreement and moved in, you and your landlord have several legal responsibilities which you must comply with. 

Once you have moved in, you must: 

• pay your rent on time, otherwise your landlord may be able to threaten to evict you; 
• pay your bills on time, like water, electricity and gas; 
• allow your landlord to access your property, when necessary, for example to carry out an inspection or complete repairs; 
• look after your property, for example make sure that it is well ventilated and dispose of your rubbish correctly; 
• not cause damage to your home or your neighbours’ homes; 
• report any maintenance problems to your landlord as soon as possible; 
• carry out any small items of maintenance yourself, such as checking that smoke alarms are working; 
• seek permission from your landlord before you make any improvements or alterations to your property; 
• live at the property yourself and not sub-let it or run a business from it without permission; 
• check the rules of your tenancy agreement and follow them, for example as to whether you can have pets or smoke in the property; 
• not cause a nuisance to your neighbours or allow your visitors to do so; and 
• tell your landlord if you want to leave. 

You will need to give the landlord written notice, and you should check your tenancy agreement to see when and how you should do this. 

Your landlord must provide you with a tenancy agreement which you will sign, and which sets out: 

• how long your tenancy is for; 
• how much you must pay per week or month; 
• how to report repairs; 
• what rules you must follow while you live there; and 
• how to extend or end the tenancy. 

You landlord must also: 

• provide you with an inventory which lists all of the furniture (if any) and fittings in the property and records what condition they are in. You will be asked to sign this; 
• provide you with contact details; 
• protect your cash deposit through one of the tenancy deposit government authorised schemes available; 
• provide you with an up-to-date gas safety certificate signed by a gas safe register listed engineer for any gas appliances in the property; 
• provide you with an Energy Performance Certificate; 
• give you at least 24 hours' notice before entering your property; 
• carry out all reasonable repairs within a reasonable period of time; 
• ensure the property is fitted with smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors (if there are gas appliances); 
• not discriminate against you at any time based on your race, religion, gender or sexual orientation.