Advice for landlords

The tenancy agreement between landlord and tenant is a definitive document, though it does not exclude the Landlord from certain statutory responsibilities.

You can find out what is expected of a landlord during a tenancy from our Good Practice Guide.

You can download a sample of the Landlords Forum approved Inventory Form and a Notice of Seeking Possession from this page.

Advice for landlords

• Finding a tenant
• Setting up a tenancy
• Good practice guide
• Ending a tenancy
• Tenancy deposit schemes
• Landlord's responsibilities
• Tenant's responsibilities
• Housing benefit
• Smoke and Carbon Monoxide alarms
• Health and Safety Rating System

In privately rented homes (let by private landlords)

We can help tenants by making sure that the landlord carries out his/her obligations with regard to Housing defects which may affect the health and safety of the occupants including:

• Damp or mould growth from excess cold or housing defects 
• Inadequate heating, ventilation, lighting or security 
• Overcrowding 
• Inappropriate kitchen or bathroom facilities 
• Unsafe gas and electrical installations or fixed appliances 
• Structural instability and defects 
• Hazards associated with falls, burns & scalds

(We don't deal with Tenancy Issues such as reclaiming bonds etc, for this contact The Key House Project or if rents are thought to be too high, The Rent Service can help.)

In all private properties (rented or owner-occupied)

Investigation of overcrowding or nuisance (from the property, not the occupants) e.g. leaking gutters and filthy or infested properties.

Empty properties

We can help with empty private houses by making sure that they are secure and don’t cause unnecessary nuisance to adjacent occupiers. Work is also being done to reduce the number of empty private homes within the district.

Disabled Facilities and Adaptations

Alterations to homes, through a Disabled Facilities Grant, which can help a disabled person to be independent or a carer to manage more easily.

Housing Renewal

The Home Appreciation Loan (for owner/occupiers only) is a secured loan that allows owners to make repairs, or in some cases improvements, to make a home warm, safe or dry with decent modern facilities through Assistance with Health and Safety Works / Additional Health. There are no monthly repayments and the loan does not become repayable until ownership of the house is transferred or the owner dies.

HMOs

Extra standards apply for tenanted “bedsits” or shared houses as the risk of death or injury, particularly from fire, is about six times greater. These cover:

• fire precautions 
• kitchen and bathroom facilities 
• minimum room sizes 
• extra management responsibilities.

Properties which are 3 storeys or more and have 5 or more people living there forming 2 or more households must be licensed by the Local Authority.

• Houses in Multiple Occupation

Please note: The information contained on the Council's webpages is to provide general guidance only, it does not provide an authoritative interpretation of the law; only the courts can do that. Nor does it cover every case. If you are in doubt about your legal rights or obligations you would be well advised to seek information from a Solicitor or from a national landlords association.