Blog
Expert guides on tenant rights, rent increases, and the Section 13 process in England.
Successor tenancy after the death of a joint tenant under the Renters' Rights Act 2025: the surviving tenant's walkthrough (May 2026)
When a joint tenant dies, the law of survivorship takes over - the surviving joint tenant becomes the sole tenant automatically. No new tenancy, no Form 6A, no eviction. But landlords and letting agents routinely test this rule, asking the surviving tenant to "sign a new agreement" or hinting that they might need to leave. This walkthrough covers the survivorship rule, the four common landlord-dispute scenarios under the new Renters' Rights Act regime, and the two short letters that close those scenarios down.
Asking your landlord to take in a lodger or sub-let under the Renters' Rights Act: the tenant consent request walkthrough (RRA Day 9, May 2026)
A spare room earns nothing while it sits empty. A friend needs somewhere for three months. A second income would take pressure off a tight budget. Each of these is a reason a tenant might want to take in a lodger or arrange a short sub-let - and each requires, in most cases, the landlord's consent. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 has tightened the consent regime in some places (pets, most visibly) and left the lodger / sub-let rules broadly unchanged - but the escalation routes if a landlord behaves unreasonably are now significantly stronger. This walkthrough covers the two scenarios precisely, the clean consent-request letters (lodger and sub-let), what counts as reasonable refusal under the established framework, and the four-step escalation path to the Property Redress Scheme.
Joint tenancy break clause walkthrough under the Renters' Rights Act periodic-by-default regime: the tenant playbook (RRA Day 9, May 2026)
Joint tenancies are the trickiest corner of the new Renters' Rights Act regime. One housemate can serve a notice to quit and end the tenancy for everyone under the long-standing Hammersmith and Fulham LBC v Monk rule. Break clauses still appear in pre-1-May-2026 agreements but landlords can no longer use them. This walkthrough is the tenant playbook: the headline rules from 1 May 2026, the four common scenarios (all leaving together, one leaving with the rest staying, all leaving with shorter notice, pre-RRA tenant break clause cases), and the four templates - one per scenario - that handle each properly.
Disrepair to rent reduction: the tenant maths walkthrough under the Renters' Rights Act + Decent Homes Standard (RRA Day 9, May 2026)
Damp in the bedroom, heating off through January, mould the landlord keeps promising to look at - documented disrepair has a price tag, and under the Renters' Rights Act 2025 with the Decent Homes Standard now extended to the private rented sector, the maths are tidier than they have ever been. This walkthrough covers the two parallel routes (tribunal market-rent reduction under section 14 and a civil abatement claim under section 11), the percentage-band methodology used in practice (5-15% minor, 15-30% material, 30-50% major, 50-100% uninhabitable), three worked examples with real numbers, and the section 11 notice template that starts the clock.
Selective licensing breach as tenant leverage: the council enforcement walkthrough (RRA Day 8, May 2026)
Selective licensing is one of the quietest superpowers a private renter has, and most tenants do not know it exists. In dozens of council areas across England, every privately let property has to be licensed by the council. A landlord letting an unlicensed property faces a fine of up to GBP 30,000, a criminal offence, and now a rent repayment order of up to twelve months' rent under the expanded Renters' Rights Act regime. This walkthrough is the tenant-side playbook: confirming the scheme, checking the public register, an FOI template, the council enforcement route, and the parallel RRO claim - all from paperwork failure.
Harassment and quiet enjoyment: the tenant remedy walkthrough under the Renters' Rights Act (RRA Day 8, May 2026)
Changing locks. Withholding services. Late-night doorstep visits. Removing belongings. Each is a possible breach of the Protection from Eviction Act 1977 and the common-law covenant of quiet enjoyment, and the Renters' Rights Act 2025 has sharpened the financial consequences for landlords. This walkthrough is the tenant-side escalation ladder: contemporaneous diary, written cease-and-desist letter, council Tenancy Relations Officer, county court injunction, police complaint, and how to evidence each step. Includes a cease-and-desist letter template and a one-page evidence-gathering checklist.
Tenant counter-evidence pack for tribunal rent challenges under the Renters' Rights Act: the build-it-yourself walkthrough (RRA Day 8, May 2026)
A Form 4A has landed on the doormat and the rent your landlord is proposing feels steep. The First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) is free to apply to, the comparable data is online, and the Renters' Rights Act 2025 has tipped the playing field your way in two important respects - the tribunal can no longer set the rent higher than the landlord proposed, and decisions no longer backdate to the notice. This walkthrough is the tenant-side build-it-yourself counter-evidence pack: the four-section structure (comparables, condition, market context, narrative), where to find Rightmove and Zoopla evidence, the Decent Homes / EPC / damp leverage layer, the deadline calendar, and a clean cover-note template for the bundle.
Awaab's Law for private renters under the Renters' Rights Act: the tenant 14-day mould and damp escalation walkthrough (RRA Day 7, May 2026)
Awaab's Law extends from social housing into the private rented sector under the Renters' Rights Act 2025. When a tenant reports damp or mould the landlord now has strict statutory timescales - emergency hazards within 24 hours, significant hazards investigated within 14 calendar days, written response within 14 days of investigation. This walkthrough is the tenant-side escalation timeline: how to start the clock properly, what evidence to gather, the hazard severity tiers, and what to do when the landlord misses the deadline.
The Decent Homes Standard for private renters under the Renters' Rights Act: the tenant enforcement walkthrough (RRA Day 7, May 2026)
The Renters' Rights Act 2025 extended the Decent Homes Standard from social housing into the private rented sector. Tenants now have a four-prong test (statutory minimum, reasonable repair, modern facilities, thermal comfort) plus a council enforcement ladder running from improvement notice through to civil penalty and Rent Repayment Order. This walkthrough is the tenant-side enforcement guide: what counts as a breach, how to evidence it, when to escalate to environmental health, and what to do if the council drags its feet.
Tenant deposit return after the Renters' Rights Act: the post-tenancy timeline walkthrough (RRA Day 7, May 2026)
When should your deposit hit your account after move-out, what counts as a lawful deduction, and how do you dispute it without going to court? This walkthrough is the tenant-side post-tenancy timeline under the Renters' Rights Act 2025: Day 0 (move-out) through Day 10 (no-dispute return), Day 14 (chase), Day 30 (scheme dispute), the three-scheme adjudication route (DPS, TDS, MyDeposits), and the small claims fallback for unprotected deposits with the 1x-3x penalty.