Important News – New version of How to Rent Guide published today 24th March 2023

Today, the government has released an updated version of its  How to rent guide. The new edition of the guide is live in our platform, so for all of our existing clients we will send this to any new tenants if we are dealing with their application for you – effective immediately – ensuring you stay compliant,

We’ll also send the new version of the document to any of your tenants that are currently working through the application journey but have not yet started their tenancy and any tenants currently going through a renewal signing process with us.

The new version includes small revisions:

• Approved Identity Service Providers for UK/Irish citizens under Right to Rent
• Mandatory to have a Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms in a property where there is a combustible gas appliance (excluding a gas cooker)
• Changes to the Code of Practice on Right to Rent to Rent Civil Penalty Scheme for agents and their landlords

It is vital that agents & landlords issue the correct and current version of the How to Rent Guide before the start of any new tenancy or renewal, as a failure to do so can invalidate a Section 21 notice used to regain possession. If you currently deal with your tenancy paperwork yourself and you are in any doubt as to whether to sent a new version to your existing tenants, we would always advice send it now, send it at any renewal and anytime someone makes an application to rent your property, no one has ever been penalised for issuing tenants too much information

A copy of the guide must be issued by letting agents and landlords as a printed copy, or IF the tenant agrees, via email as a PDF attachment, keeping evidence that it’s been issued (preferably using a system that also shows that it’s been delivered and opened).

Any questions about this update, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the team.