New How to Rent Guide and Other 'How to' guides Published

The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government has published new ‘how to’ guides, including the How to Rent Guide, which must be provided to all new or renewing tenants in England. Four ‘how to’ guides have been published:

The guides only apply to England.

How to rent

The guide must be provided to all new assured shorthold tenancies and renewals from 26 June 2018. 

This is the second version this year and replaces the one published in January. 

It’s quite a bit different in its style which now matches the other guides also published at the same time. The guide is now in A4 size (before it was A5), so it is now effectively more pages.

After a bit of lobbying, the Guild finally has a mention in the guide! They regularly ask us for feedback on content which we duly reply. They often used our suggestions so it was only fair we are also listed as a landlord association in our view. 

Our Tenancy Builder is always updated with the latest version.

Remember this guide must be provided to all new and renewing tenants. 

A failure to do so means a section 21 notice cannot be served until the guide has been provided. Giving it at the commencement of the tenancy is best because you can get the tenant to sign that it’s been received. 

Download the How to Rent guide here.

How to rent a safe home

This guide does not have to be given to tenants under any legislation. It provides helpful guidance for prospective tenants on what to look for when deciding to take a home, particularly looking out for safety. The guide shows a sample gas safety record and information about electrics, smoke alarms and CO alarms. 

Download the How to rent a safe home guide here.

How to let

The how to let guide is suitable for landlords, particularly prospective landlords intending to rent for the first time. It has an excellent clear outline of core responsibilities and things to do and a handy guide to summarise the landlord's duties quickly. 

Download the how-to let guide here.

How to lease

The how-to lease guide is for current and prospective leaseholders in England. It covers the core basics of leasehold law and is good advice for prospective purchasers and in particular what to look out for. 

Download the how-to-lease guide here  

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Prescribed Information (How to Rent Guide)

Not to be confused with tenancy deposit prescribed information, for all assured shorthold tenancies granted on or after 1 October 2015, including renewals, a landlord or landlord's agent must give the tenant the following information – the version of the document entitled “How to rent: the checklist for renting in England”, as published by the Department for Communities and Local Government, that has effect for the time being.