The Assured Shorthold Tenancy Checklist

Why do I need a checklist for starting a tenancy?

There are a number of documents that a landlord is expected to serve prior to the tenant occupying a property. Some of these are legal requirements protecting the tenant such as a gas safety certificate. Others, like the inventory are documents that protect you when the tenancy ends. 

If you need to rely on these documents later on, it's important you can show the tenant has received them. To aid with this the NRLA has produced a checklist that your tenants can sign to confirm you have either served these documents, or performed any necessary checks on the property before they occupy it.

What am I legally obliged to provide at the outset of a tenancy?

Landlords now need to provide the following at the outset of an assured shorthold tenancy:

• A valid Gas Safety Certificate
• The current Energy Performance Certificate
• A smoke alarm fitted on every floor used as living space. These alarms must have been checked to show they are in working order at the outset of the tenancy
• Confirmation that carbon monoxide alarms should be fitted in every room with a solid fuel burning source. They must also be checked to show they are in working order at the outset of the tenancy
• Confirmation that the deposit has been protected if already paid
• Confirmation that the prescribed information for the deposit scheme has been provided to the tenant and anyone who has paid towards the deposit
• A privacy notice outlining how the tenant's data will be used