Landlord starter pack

Taking your first steps as a landlord can be both exciting and daunting. With over 150 Acts of Parliament to navigate, knowing where to begin can be a real challenge — particularly now the Renters' Rights Act has come into force. This legislation brings significant changes to the legal requirements for landlords, making many older guides and publications out of date.

This page is designed as a primer for landlords taking these first steps in England on or after 1st May 2026. It contains guidance and helpful downloads for members to make letting a property as smooth as possible after the Renters' Rights Act.

Whether you have made a deliberate investment decision or find yourself an accidental landlord, this guide will get you up and running on the path to becoming a responsible landlord in England. We provide clear guidance on your legal obligations, along with downloadable templates and resources to help you meet them.

Get the guidance, templates and support to let with confidence

The Renters' Rights Act changes everything for landlords in England. NRLA members get instant access to the documents, checklists and expert support they need to stay compliant and let with confidence.

Preparation and planning before you advertise the property is key to getting off on the right foot with your tenancy. Properly considering what you need to do before advertising can help you prepare the property properly and secure the right tenants for you. 

Before you can let our your property you will need to consider:

• What type of tenancy will I offer?
• What are my legal obligations?
• Who will manage the property?
• Who will you let to?
• Will you provide furnishings and appliances?
• How much rent will you charge?

What type of tenancy will you offer?

Within the PRS there are a number of different types of tenancy that you can grant. The most common of these, and the one you will probably be offering, is the Assured Periodic Tenancy. This type of agreement will be the default where:

• the rent is more than £250 per annum or less than £100,000 per annum; and
• you don't live in the same building; and
• you are letting to people rather than companies; and
• the tenancy is for 21 years or less; and
• your tenants will use the property as their main home.

If all of the above apply, you will have an Assured Periodic Tenancy. This type of tenancy has no fixed term and continues on indefinitely until the tenant leaves or you obtain a possession order from the courts after serving a Section 8 notice . It has a number of legal obligations you have to ensure you follow. 

Who will you let to?

Along with the type of tenancy, you should also consider what your market is and who you will be letting to.

The PRS is made up of a number of different niche tenant markets providing homes to groups such as students, young professionals and families.

Each group has its own specific needs, and in some cases, additional rules for you to follow. The market you choose will depend on your property's location and whether you provide the services tenants expect. 

What appliances and furnishings will you provide?

Typically, any privately rented property will include curtains, carpets/flooring and cooking facilities. It's rare for any property to be offered without these and you may deter applicants if you don't include them.

For any other furnishings or appliances, what you provide will depend on the market you are choosing to target.

Students and young professionals typically favour properties where they can keep their costs low by sharing with others, have at least some bills included in the rent, and the property is furnished. You will generally find more interest if you provide all of this.

In contrast, families, individuals or couples are much more likely to have their own furnishings/appliances, and will pay their own utility bills as they plan to stay long-term in the property. 

If you are just starting out as a landlord it's generally recommended to let to families first as it reduces the amount of property management you might need to do, making them ideal for a landlord who is just starting out. However, the rent will generally be lower to reflect this.

What are my legal obligations with an assured periodic tenancy?

Assured periodic tenancy agreements place a number of duties on you as a landlord, and as a responsible landlord, it is important that you comply with these requirements. That means making sure you:

• Offer your tenants a rolling, periodic tenancy with no fixed term. 
• Do not ask for more than a month's rent to be paid at any one time or ask for any rent at all before the tenancy is signed.    
• Provide all tenants with a written statement setting out mandatory information about the tenancy. This must be given before the tenancy is agreed. A well-drafted tenancy agreement like the NRLA tenancies will include this mandatory information. 
• Include the rent amount in all adverts. You must not accept offers above this amount.
• Protect any deposit in a government-approved scheme and provide the necessary paperwork to the tenants and anyone who has paid towards the deposit. 
• Provide a privacy notice explaining how you will use, store and dispose of any prospective tenants' data
• Have an energy performance certificate that you can give to your tenants. This must show the property is rated A-E for energy efficiency in most cases.
• Have certificates from a competent person showing your gas and electrical installations are safe to use
• Have a property that is fit for human habitation, free of serious hazards, and in a good state of repair
• Have smoke alarms fitted on every floor of the property 
• Have CO alarms fitted in every room with a fuel-burning appliance (except gas cookers)
• Have applied for a HMO or selective licence if you need one. 

Failing to follow these rules can lead to serious financial penalties so take the time to get everything in order before you advertise the property. This helps you avoid legal problems but also improves the potential rent that you can charge and helps make your property more attractive to a wider range of tenants. 

Who will manage/market the property?

Self-management is appropriate for landlords who live close to the property and have the time and knowledge to meet their obligations. Since most landlords have alternative employment and may not live locally, the use of agents is commonplace. 

If you do choose to use an agent they can offer services ranging from marketing the property on online portals like Rightmove or Zoopla, to fully managing the property for you. 

Make sure to read the agency contract thoroughly before signing so that you know the limits of what they will do for you, and any additional charges you may have to pay.

You need to be aware that you are ultimately responsible for your agent's actions, so it's important you choose a responsible one for your property. You should also be clear about what they are allowed to do. For example, making it clear if you want to meet any prospective tenants before a tenancy agreement is signed. 

How much rent will you charge?

From 1st May 2026, you or your agent must list a rental amount for the property in their adverts. You are then banned from encouraging, demanding, or accepting offers above the listed rental price. The aim of this legislation is to prevent tenants from bidding against each other to secure a property.

With this in mind, it's important that you understand what the market rate is for your property as if you do undervalue it, you won't be able to increase the amount you charge later on.

You can gather evidence on local market rates through:

• Checking the ONS datasets for similarly sized properties;
• Comparing similar properties on portals such as Rightmove or Zoopla; or
• Speak to local letting agents to find out the market rate for your property.

Try to compare like-for-like where possible. If you are letting an unfurnished property with no bills included, compare it to other similar properties without bills and furnishings.

Once you have got everything in order the next step is to market your property for let so you can find a suitable tenant. 

Most of the time, you will advertise be via an online portal such as Rightmove or Zoopla, which usually requires you to employ an agent to list the property for you on a 'tenant find' agreement.

However, landlords can self-manage the advertising process via online portals, giving them greater control over tenant selection and helping them build a relationship with the tenant from the outset. 

What needs to go in the advert

Your advert should include all the relevant information that a tenant might need to make an informed decision and must include the amount of rent listed on the advert. You must not accept any bids above this listed rent, so it is important you correctly identify your market rent before advertising. 

Arranging viewings

Once you start advertising, you should start to receive enquiries from prospective tenants. You need to give them a privacy notice to let them know how their data will be used. NRLA members can access an example privacy notice on this page.  

As demand is usually quite high, it's a good idea to have some initial questions to screen out unsuitable tenants before arranging viewings. Ideally, these questions should focus on finding people who:

• want to stay long term,
• are confident about paying the rent in full, and
• have a good relationship with their current landlord.

However, you must be careful not to discriminate against prospective tenants, particularly if they have children, receive benefits or have a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010. 

Before advertising it is good to make sure you have all your property paperwork in order, and that your property is safe and compliant with all your legal obligations. It is also a good idea to collect all the key material information that should go into your adverts. 

The NRLA has produced a checklist to help our members keep track of all the information and documents they need before they let the property.

As you are holding someone's personal information you will need to follow the rules around protecting their data. At a minimum this means -

• registering with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO);
• Giving any applicants, tenants or guarantors a privacy notice that states how you will use and store their personal information.

The data protection requirements can be complex and more guidance is available here. This page includes an example privacy notice exclusively for members.

Referencing resources

NRLA members have access to a range of forms and agreements that they can use to reference prospective tenants. 

Once you have settled on a suitable tenant there are a few things you will still need to do before entering into the agreement.

Before you enter into the agreement

There are a number of things you must do before agreeing the tenancy. You must:

• Check that everyone over the age of 18 has a 'right to rent' in the UK. 
• Provide a written statement of terms to each tenant before entering into a tenancy. This will usually be contained in the draft assured periodic tenancy agreement you give your tenants to read and sign. 
• If you are taking a guarantor, ensure they have been given a copy of the draft tenancy and signed the guarantor agreement beforehand.

You are also strongly recommended to take a security deposit before entering into the tenancy. Under the Renters' Rights Act, you must not accept payments of rent before a tenancy is agreed, but you can protect yourself before signing by requiring payment of:

• A security deposit equivalent to 5 weeks' rent (unless your annual rent is more than £50,000); and
• A holding deposit equivalent to one weeks' rent.

Once a security deposit is paid to you, even a partial one, you need to protect that deposit in a Government-approved scheme within 30 days of receiving the payment. Once the deposit is protected, you will also need to provide the prescribed information and any other information required by the scheme's rules to all tenants and anyone who has paid towards the deposit. This also needs to be done within 30 days of receiving payment.

The holding deposit does not need to be protected in a scheme but will be used as part payment of the initial rent once the tenancy is agreed. 

Tenancy and guarantor forms

The NRLA has tenancy agreement templates and a guarantor form. They are available exclusively to members and have been designed with the Renters' Rights Act in mind. 

Before the tenants move in

Before your tenant moves into the property, you will need to collect the first payment of rent. You cannot accept or ask for this payment until everyone signs and agrees to enter into the tenancy, but you can require it to be paid at any point thereafter. The first payment of rent cannot exceed a month's rent.

You must also ensure they have been given all the relevant certificates -

• The current gas safety certificate no later than the date on which they occupy the property
• The current electrical safety certificate
• A valid EPC showing the property has an energy efficiency rating of A-E

It's also a good idea to give tenants a welcome letter covering any information they need to know about the property such as the location of the boiler.

Immediately prior to their occupation, you or an inventory clerk should also perform an inspection to compile an inventory. This record of the property condition protects you by showing the tenant and the deposit schemes what condition the property should be returned in.

At the same time you should check the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are still working and that nothing needs repairing before the tenants move in. 

You should keep a record of all this as evidence. The NRLA has produced a document that your tenants can sign to confirm receipt of this.

Once your tenants move in you should continue to keep in touch with them to arrange regular inspections, replace gas safety certificates and generally keep an eye out for any potential repair issues that may crop up during the course of the tenancy.

When you request access to the property you should always ensure you are giving at least 24 hours notice in writing. The tenant is still free to refuse you access however.

Requests for pets

Under the Renters' Rights Act, tenants may request a pet while they live in the property. These requests must be writing, must describe the pet and you must consider these requests and respond within 28 days. You may ask for further information if needed.

You should seriously consider these requests. Not just because it's the law, but because tenants who are responsible pet owners are likely to stay longer term, look after the property, and be happier tenants. 

Increasing the rent

If a tenant is happy living in the property, and stays for a year or more, you may increase the rent. For assured periodic tenancies, you have to serve a Section 13 notice (Form 4a) to increase the rent. This requires you give two months' notice before the rent increase takes effect and the tenant may challenge this increase if they think it's unfair. 

Breaches of the tenancy

In almost all cases, the tenancy will continue to run smoothly and you can build a good relationship with your tenant. However, sometimes a tenant may engage in anti-social behaviour or may fall behind with their rent. In these cases you should not delay in getting in contact to investigate and address the issue as it arises. 
Usually, a simple letter reminding them of their obligations or asking them to contact you will be sufficient to resolve the situation promptly. However, if it isn't, then you should evidence the steps you take to try resolve the issue before applying to court. NRLA members have access to a number of letter templates, forms and guidance to help manage these issues, and hopefully resolve them before possession is needed.