Blog
Expert guides on tenant rights, rent increases, and the Section 13 process in England.
Resale of utilities and Ofgem's Maximum Resale Price: the tenant reclaim walkthrough (2026)
If your rent includes energy, or your landlord sub-meters electricity, gas or water and bills you on top, there is a legal cap on what they can charge. The Maximum Resale Price under the Electricity and Gas Acts is one of the most quietly powerful tenant rights — and one of the least known. Here is the plain-English walkthrough.
Pre-action protocol for possession (RRA-tightened): the tenant defence walkthrough (2026)
Before a landlord can issue a possession claim for rent arrears, the Civil Procedure Rules require a structured set of pre-action steps. The Renters' Rights Act has tightened the expectations further. A tenant who knows the protocol has a powerful procedural and costs lever before the claim is even filed.
Section 8 Ground 12 (breach of tenancy): the tenant defence walkthrough under the RRA (2026)
A Ground 12 notice can read like a list of grievances dressed up as a legal case. Under the Renters' Rights Act, the discretionary breach-of-tenancy ground is harder to land than it looks. Here is the plain-English walkthrough — what counts as a breach, how reasonableness is decided, and how to take the procedure apart line by line.
Bailiff possession warrant and the N244 stay application: the tenant final-stage walkthrough (2026)
A Form N54 from the bailiffs is the last formal step before an eviction date. It is also the last moment the court can step in. An N244 application to stay or suspend the warrant is a real route, with real grounds, real timelines, and real outcomes — and most tenants who try it have at least one workable argument.
Tenant Fees Act prohibited payments: the tenant reclaim and enforcement walkthrough (2026)
Most renters in England have paid a fee at some point that became unlawful under the Tenant Fees Act 2019 — and a surprising number are still being charged them in 2026. The reclaim route is straightforward, the enforcement teeth are sharper than people realise, and the Renters' Rights Act has made the regime tougher still.
Section 8 Ground 8 (rent arrears): the tenant defence walkthrough under the RRA (2026)
A Ground 8 notice can feel like the end of the road, but it is the most defeatable mandatory ground in housing law. The threshold tightened on 1 May 2026, the arithmetic is unforgiving for landlords who get it wrong, and a tenant who pays down before the hearing changes the case entirely. Here is the walkthrough, in plain English.
Living in an EPC F or G property: the tenant enforcement walkthrough (MEES + RRA, 2026)
An EPC of F or G has been an unlawful let since 2020. Maximum penalty is now GBP 30,000 per breach. The tenant walkthrough - EPC register check, landlord letter, and the council enforcement route.
RRO for an unlicensed HMO under the new 24-month window: the tenant walkthrough (RRA, 2026)
The Renters' Rights Act 2025 doubled the rent repayment order maximum from 12 to 24 months. The tenant walkthrough on how to claim, with the evidence pack and the Form RRO1 process.
Your guarantor was released on 1 May 2026: the tenant walkthrough (RRA, 2026)
Most tenancy guarantors signed before 1 May 2026 were quietly released on that date. Most renters and most guarantors do not know. The tenant walkthrough that puts a stop to chasing letters.