Rent Me

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WELCOME TO RentMe.co.uk

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Renting a property is a common way of finding a place to live. Not everyone is able to get a mortgage or you may be between properties and need to rent for a short while. Renting is the perfect way to fill that stop-gap. However if you are entering the rental market and looking for a house to rent, you need to inform yourself on the law surrounding renting and what is expected from your landlord and yourself.

One of the more complicated areas is the tenancy agreement. Knowing what should be included in the tenancy agreement and what you are signing up to will mean that you will not be exposed to problems further down the line.

• A tenancy agreement is a contract between the landlord and the tenant which can be either written down or oral. It sets out the rights of both the tenant and the landlord and cannot give less than the statutory rights as they are written in law.

• A tenancy agreement can include express terms such as those written in the agreement and implied terms such as those set out by law.

• A written tenancy agreement must include the following express terms: Both party's names and the address of the house for rent, the the tenancy began, who else is allowed to use the property, how long the tenancy will run, how much rent is due and when, what services will be provided by the landlord and how much notice is required to end the tenancy.

• An oral agreement can be more difficult to enforce and if something goes wrong a professional may be required to settle a dispute. Getting something in writing is always a better idea.

• Implied terms may be: the obligation of the landlord to carry out repairs, the landlords obligation to keep the utilities in working order, not having nuisance from your landlord and the obligation of you as the tenant to look after the property.

You can only change a tenancy agreement if both the landlord and the tenant agree. It should then be recorded in writing and a new copy of the agreement given to both parties.

A tenancy agreement is considered to be unfair if you have worse terms than other tenants, you are treated differently to other tenants or are not allowed to use certain facilities, you are harassed because of discrimination or or they refuse to make reasonable changes required due to a disability.