What documents should I get when renting in England?
Before or at the start of a tenancy in England, you should receive a core bundle: the government's "How to Rent" guide, the gas safety record if the property has gas, the electrical safety report, deposit protection paperwork, and your written tenancy agreement. The "How to Rent" guide itself is government guidance summarising both sides' rights and duties, and asking for the current version is a quick test of whether you're dealing with a professional landlord.
The legal duties behind that bundle are specific:
- Gas: under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, every gas appliance and flue the landlord supplies must be checked annually by a Gas Safe registered engineer, with the record given to new tenants before they move in and to existing tenants within 28 days of each check.
- Electrics: under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, the fixed installation must be inspected at least every 5 years by a qualified person, with the report supplied to new tenants before occupation and remedial work done within 28 days or sooner if the report says so.
- Alarms: a smoke alarm is required on every storey with living accommodation, working at the start of the tenancy, and since 1 October 2022 a carbon monoxide alarm is required in any room with a fixed combustion appliance other than a gas cooker. Reported faults must be fixed as soon as reasonably practicable.
How much money can I be asked for up front?
Less than many agents imply. The Tenant Fees Act 2019 bans landlords and letting agents in England from charging anything beyond rent and a short list of permitted payments, so admin fees, referencing fees and check-in fees are all prohibited. The numbers that are allowed:
- Holding deposit: capped at one week's rent, with a 15-day deadline for agreement (unless you agree another date in writing) and strict repayment rules; see our holding deposits guide.
- Tenancy deposit: capped at five weeks' rent where the annual rent is under £50,000, six weeks' at £50,000 or more.
- Rent in advance: since 1 May 2026, terms requiring rent in advance are of no effect beyond the permitted initial payment, and official guidance confirms a landlord can only require up to one month's rent (or 28 days' for shorter rent periods) once the agreement is signed, before the tenancy starts. Asking for rent before an agreement is even signed is now a prohibited payment.
- Bidding: landlords and agents can't invite, encourage or accept offers above the advertised rent, with council fines of up to £7,000 for breaches.
Breaches of the fee ban carry penalties of up to £5,000, rising to £30,000 as an alternative to prosecution for repeat breaches within 5 years, and you can recover prohibited payments through the First-tier Tribunal.
What happens to my deposit once I've paid it?
Within 30 days of receiving it, your landlord must place the deposit under one of the three authorised schemes, the Tenancy Deposit Scheme, the Deposit Protection Service or mydeposits, and give you the prescribed information about where it's held. Miss either duty and a county court can order the landlord to pay you between one and three times the deposit; since 1 May 2026 an unprotected deposit can also prevent the landlord getting a possession order on most grounds.
Keep the protection certificate and prescribed information with your tenancy agreement, and check the scheme's records yourself rather than taking anyone's word for it.
What kind of tenancy will I get in 2026?
A periodic one. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 abolished fixed-term assured tenancies and assured shorthold tenancies; from 1 May 2026 all assured tenancies in England roll from rent period to rent period. Two consequences matter for anyone signing now:
- You can leave with 2 months' notice in writing, ending at the end of a rent period, with no fixed term holding you.
- Your landlord can't evict you without a reason. Section 21 no-fault notices are gone. Possession needs a statutory ground served through a Section 8 notice, and the sale and moving-in grounds carry 4 months' notice and can't be used in the first 12 months of your tenancy.
Landlords will also need to register on the private rented sector database as the requirement rolls out, and a landlord who hasn't complied with deposit or database duties faces restrictions on gaining possession.
What checks should I make before signing?
A short list that catches most problems:
- The landlord or agent: letting agents in England must belong to a government-approved redress scheme, so check membership. If the property is a shared house with five or more occupants from two or more households, it needs an HMO licence; councils keep public registers.
- The paperwork: read the agreement, query anything odd, and don't sign under time pressure. Right to rent checks on your immigration status are a legal requirement, so expect them.
- The property: view in person, run taps, test the heating, look for damp, and photograph everything at check-in against the inventory. Move-in evidence is what wins deposit disputes two years later.
- The maths: budget for rent, bills and council tax, and remember anything beyond the permitted payments above is banned, however it's labelled.
Where do I stand once I've moved in?
Your landlord must keep the structure, exterior and the water, gas, electricity, sanitation and heating installations in repair under section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, and your home must be fit for human habitation throughout the tenancy. Rent can only rise once per 52 weeks by a Section 13 notice with 2 months' warning, and you can challenge the figure at the First-tier Tribunal. Report repairs in writing, keep copies of everything, and use our repairs overview if problems drag on.
Renting in England in 2026 comes with more paperwork on the landlord's side and more security on yours than at any point in decades. The tenants who benefit are the ones who know what they're entitled to receive, and ask for it.
One last check worth making early: whether your deposit actually made it into a protection scheme. Our free deposit checker may help you find out.