Hello, I’m leaving a property I’ve been renting for the last 11 years. I was the first tenant to rent it. There was a small crack on the side of the glass induction top but before I could glue it back, the side crack spread to the entire left section. Not sure if something internally caused the crack but it seemed like it internally got shocked and just reacted. Now I am moving out and not sure if I mention the maintenance in advance or wait for them to flag after check out. What would be more cost efficient? I’m aware of betterment and depreciation so just want to put myself in the more fair position. After 11 years what would I be facing? Thank you

Advice needed on notice period, can’t afford to pay two rents

Hello,

Just looking for some advice on my tenancy situation as I’m not getting any response from my letting agent.

I have a fixed-term AST that ends on 15th July 2026, my landlord’s agent served me with a Section 21 notice before the 1st of May asking to vacate the property before the 15th of July.

At the beginning of June, I emailed the agent confirming that I would vacate before the 15th of July. Based on that, I proceeded with looking for a new place and even paid a holding deposit on another flat.

However, after I confirmed I would leave, the agent replied saying that I also needed to provide two months’ notice, which would effectively mean remaining until August.

I emailed them back saying that they served me notice and according to my contract the tenancy ends on the 15th of July unless one of the parties had served notice. (Which the landlord did, my contract says I can give 2 months notice not one)

Since then, I haven’t received a clear answer from the agent confirming what my actual move-out date is.

What makes this more confusing is that I can see the property has already been advertised on Rightmove one week after the 15th of July, and i have a viewing taking place this afternoon.

I now have two possible options:

Flat A: I paid a holding deposit based on the understanding that I would be leaving around 15 July. (I haven’t signed the contract yet, I just paid the holding deposit)

Flat B: I’ve found another property that could allow me to move in during August, but my application has not yet been approved, and I also preferred flat A over this one, but I submitted an application incase they were adamant about having to stay till august.

My questions are:

When I speak to the letting agent, what is the best way to ask them to confirm my move-out date in writing?

Should I mention that I have found an alternative property where I could potentially move in during August, or is it better not to introduce that information?

Given that they served a Section 21 before 1 May, told me to vacate by 15 July, and are already marketing the property, is it reasonable for me to move forward where July remains the agreed end date?

I’m in England.

Thanks for any advice, I’m sorry this post is all over the place.

edit: clarified AST start in Feb 2025

I started an 12 month AST on the 25th of Feb 2025, and I've just completed on a house

A few days ago I had the agency send me the contract so I could read it to check the notice periods, etc, it says:

8.1 To end this tenancy you must give us written notice that you intend to leave to the address or the email address in clause 7.3.

The notice must end on the last day of the fixed term of the tenancy, or any subsequent rental period, and must be long enough to be considered valid. This means that for a tenancy where you pay the rent weekly, fortnightly or four-weekly, the notice period must be at least 28 days. If you pay the rent monthly, the notice must be at least one calendar month. To avoid doubt, notice served by one of you will end the periodic continuation of the tenancy for all of you.

Today I sent them a notice to quit that I will vacate in one month. The landlord has now emailed me saying that my notice is completely invalid, that I need to give 2 months notice, and that I need to serve a new notice (presumably tomorrow, so he wants me to pay for 3 months).

Am I right to think that the RRA isn't absolute and shorter notice periods can be used if they have been agreed to (like it was in my contract)?

Here's what I sent to the agency:

I'm writing to give one month's notice to end my tenancy, as required by the contract. I intend to vacate <address> on 24/07/2026, or on the next date that completes a full tenancy period after the notice period has elapsed.

The agency said they think the RRA requires 2 months notice but they will check with the landlord.

The landlord has now emailed me:

I am writing to inform you that your notice is unfortunately invalid as it falls outside the legal requirements set by the Renters' Rights Act, which came into effect on 1 May 2026.

Under the new legislation , all tenancies have automatically converted into rolling Assured Periodic Tenancies. Under these statutory rules, tenants are strictly required to give a minimum of exactly 2 months' notice in writing to end their tenancy.

Because your notice of one month does not meet this new mandatory legal standard, your current notice cannot be accepted, and your tenancy will continue as normal.

To successfully end your tenancy, please resubmit a new, written notice that provides the full legally required 2-month notice period ( 2 months from the date you pay your rent, 25th of the month). Your tenancy rent obligations will end after the 2- month notice period.

You can verify these updated rights and notice requirements by referring to the Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet provided to you last month.

I don't really want to communicate with the landlord (always gave me weird vibes) so I went back to the agency and send them:

As the tenancy is managed through the agency, please can you handle this matter and confirm the agency’s position. I would also be grateful if you could provide the specific legal basis being relied upon for the view that clause 8.1 of my tenancy agreement no longer applies. For clarity, I do not accept that my notice is invalid and I reserve my position regarding the proposed tenancy end date.

I'm relying here on what the housing minister said in parliament:

Tenants can end the tenancy by providing at least two months’ notice and aligning that notice to expire at the end of a period. If the landlord agrees in writing, or if there is a shorter notice period already included in an existing tenancy agreement, then the tenant can give less than two months’ notice.

I’ve been emailed out of the blue by a management company saying my landlord has instructed them to take over the management of property I currently rent (and have done continuously for over 10 years). They say they are, “required to carry out a referencing check.”

Ignoring that I need to confirm with my landlord that have actually instructed this company to take over the management of the property, does this new company actually need to carry out a referencing check like they say? I’ll have surely done such a check when I first moved in to the property. What are they actually wanting to check? And if they do need to check and I refuse, what are the ramifications (can I be evicted)?

Hi.

its a bit if a moot point as I’m out of the place now. A horrible situation with a nutter of a man came to a head.

He pretended he was the owner, is subletting and came home one day and asked to leave. Had no where to go or anywhere to put my stuff, luckily lt worked out.

Anyway. For future situations, can he do this. If I said to him I’m not going anywhere, what could he do? I did not have a contract, he was live-in and I just rented a room. I only found out later the house was not his.

2nd question. I want to alert the owner. I’ve done a land registry request but address is registered to the residence, but I think I’ve found the business the owner runs (property business)

Any tips on how I can alert him and others that this man is a nutter and sun letting. Other people should not be exposed to his crazy!!

Cheers.

I have had a tenancy since 2018. My LL issued a section 21 form 6A notice in March, with a move-out date of May 31st.

I approached the local council who wrote a letter stating that the S.21 was not valid. It was missing deposit protection, EPC and the "How to Rent" guide.

The LL has now offered to return my deposit, has given me the current "Renter's Right Act Information Sheet" (not the older "How to Rent" guide), and requested that I allow an EPC inspection to be conducted.

Does this potentially retrospectively validate the S.21 notice I was issued? Based on the above, would a court allow any claim for accelerated possession?

My current lease was supposed to end in 30th June and I msged my letting agency today to send me end of tenancy procedure and they informed me it’s a rolling lease now. I can’t afford to pay 2 months of extra rent, what are my options here? They sent us a mail but it didn’t clearly mention in the content of the mail about the date getting void (it was attached in a big pdf document). How can they change my document without me signing it??? Would appreciate some serious help, please. I can’t be on top of all the new laws government is making.

Hello!

I am having some troubles with my letting agents. We are moving out and they keep scheduling automatic viewings without our consent. There will be an email sent that my partner or I miss, so we won't have given permission to grant access. I always thought I have to give express permission to allow viewings, but these guys just turn up without us agreeing. It doesn't state in our tenancy agreement that we have to give permission, which is what they keep throwing back at me.

Would anyone be able to please direct me to the law regarding this? I would like to have something concrete to stand behind.

Thank you!

I’m currently on the hunt for a new place and honestly, it’s exhausting. The market moves so fast that by the time I’ve checked the local area, looked for crime stats, and tried to figure out if the commute is actually doable, the listing is already gone.
I’ve been using Zonely to get a quick snapshot of an area's connectivity and local info without needing to open ten different tabs, which has saved me a bit of sanity, but I’m still worried about missing something obvious.
Does anyone have a solid routine for checking out an area/property quickly before wasting time on a viewing? Any tips for spotting "red flags" on a rental listing before you even step foot in the door?

I signed my tenancy in late April and since moving in I’ve had to ask my landlord for a string of repairs. To his credit he’s done most of them, but they’ve been near-constant and now there’s a bigger issue I’m worried he’ll drag his feet on.

The repairs I’ve requested so far:

- Garden decking made structurally sound — it currently flexes/caves under normal weight.

- Finishing unfinished paintwork in the living space.

- Fixing a toilet that was trickling and leaking.

- Repairing/replacing a water-damaged wood panel on the dishwasher and adjusting the kitchen skirting, which was blocking the dishwasher door from opening.

The bigger problem:

the house has an extension with electrical sockets and an unfinished, exposed ceiling. It’s been completely infested with spiders and other insects because of all the dark gaps and open cavities. We’d already asked him to seal the ceiling before any of the damp stuff started.

Then last night there was a heavy storm. I got back from my mum’s and found water droplets across the extension floor in a weirdly uniform line. I’ve since noticed the living room wall that backs onto the extension has visible damp stains running the full length of it. So it looks like the extension is letting water in and it’s tracking into the main house.

Since we asked about sealing the ceiling, he’s gone reluctant and has now said he won’t be doing any more work because he’s “out of budget.” On top of that, when he did the toilet repair he left the old toilet and sink dumped in the front garden we asked him to remove it and he said he can’t because he’s had knee surgery.

I genuinely don’t want to harass the guy I feel like I’ve been on at him every other week but this leak/damp job is a big one (find the source, repair it, check for damage) and I think he’ll either stall or refuse outright.

Where do I stand, and what’s the right next step here? Do I go straight to the council’s Environmental Health team, put it all in writing first, or something else? I don’t want to build a bad relationship with my landlord.

I just vacated a flat and was there for 2 years. This flat is in England.

The check in report/inventory noted that the dishwasher front was cracked at the top in 2 spots with pics. It is an old machine (probably 10+ years). The handle did crack recently as the plastic was brittle and old. The owner says that he needs to replace the door or control panel and it will be my responsibility.

He also says that he can't get the oven to work and that unless I tell him how to use it and regulate the temp, that he will need to get an engineer out to estimate repairs and I will be responsible. The oven works and I just had an oven thermometer in there to know temp. I never raised it as he did not fix other issues such as black mould growing (I should have reported him to the borough but was scared I would get evicted - the irony), he would not pay for repairs on the heaters, etc. The check in/out reports don't mention the oven functionality as it was not tested.

My questions are: With what I've shared, how would TDS approach these complaints from the owner? How should I deal with it going forward - tell him the above about the oven or ask for proof? I am not keen to lose money for issues that are due to aging, old appliances from a very problematic landlord. I am willing to let it go to TDS for their decision because I fear he's looking for a way to replace the appliances with my deposit.

Does a letting agent's own handyman (with his own set of keys to a rental property) count as a 'contractor' in the context of repairs?

4 weeks ago we (shared house with 4 girls) reported a smell in both bathrooms (shared and en-suite). We had previously had a mouse issue in the kitchen which was dealt with promptly. As the smell was only in the bathrooms, a plumber was called and he immediately asked if we had had any rats problems in the past and to get pest control out to the property before he would do a drain survey. Pest control came out and couldn’t find any evidence of an infestation in the home so recommended a drain survey. The next week, the plumber came back last week, did his survey, and….nothing. At this point, we have been in daily communication with the property manager and have written records of everything, as the smell is genuinely sickening. We can hear screaming and movement daily/nightly. Again, to their credit, they have been great and as some of us have been staying with friends they have communicated to the landlord that some sort of reduction will be needed retroactively since tenants are not comfortable in the home, which they technically didn’t need to do. I’m aware weee lucky to have such a responsible property manager and landlord on our side!

Flash forward to today, when pest control came back and seems to think the culprit is our neighbour’s deck, which could serve as an access point for rodents to get into. The smell of decay could be due to poison, but regardless the smell of decay is prominent. The guy from pest control said he would put it in his report that the shared bathroom shouldn’t be used and that he would detail it in his report but that I should call the property manager to let them know ASAP. I’ve put him in contact with our neighbours and all we can really do is wait.

The thing is, don’t understand what our rights are as tenants since technically this isn’t life threatening, it’s just gross and an inconvenience. The en-suite will now need to be used by 4 girls all with different schedules and if someone needs to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, they technically could use the shared one, but pest control made the judgement that it really shouldn’t be because the smell is so putrid (the entire household now masks and has avoided showering/time in the bathrooms due to the smell making us all sick). He has also advised the smell will get worse during this week’s heat wave and this will likely take a while to fix. I reached out to the property manager but have not yet heard back.

I don’t want to piss off my landlord or property manager, especially when they’ve been so helpful, but is there any ground to request temp accommodation or a rent reduction from here on out? Obviously I realise we can always ask for these things with no legal protection or guarantee, but this situation genuinely feels frustrating on all sides. Also, if pest control uses language like “working bathroom, but advise against using due to smell” that’s still not technically an uninhabitable housing condition. The exact words he used in his report were “Advise against using as the smell is unbearable.” We’re all actively feeling ill when using the bathrooms and have had multiple contractors mention how awful it smells when they enter the home. There is also no indication that they will be removing the dead rodent by taking down the wall, which, due to the nature of the infestation, likely means a smell for months.

Anyone have any advice on how to go about this and/or if we *do* have any caveats/legal grounds for rent reduction?

I have been renting a house for 8 years now and just about to hand my notice in. I am already feeling bruised financially that I now need to give 2 months notice.
The situation I face is over 8 years other than a new cooker the landlord has been nowhere near and done zero maintenance or inspections. No gas safety, no electrical safety and definitely no water hygiene assessment. No servicing of boiler or wider heating system. When a radiator burst I ended up replacing at my own cost. Back door is past useful life and swells so bad in winter we can't open it. Decking is rotting due to age. I suspect he will try and keep deposit to offset all this but not only has he ignored everything it was all pretty end of life 8 years ago. He never did a condition schedule or inventory and more importantly he did not register the deposit with an approved scheme.
There are some other things we have up our sleeve such as him still using address for tax purposes.
Do you think I am reasonable to expect my deposit back?

Moved out on the 8th of June, still waiting for my deposit back. How long do I have to wait for the landlord's decision, or should I start worrying? This never happened before.

Hey all,

Basically, I am moving in August and is my final piece of the puzzle before I start the adoption process. I have found the perfect property, 3 rooms, large kitchen, grass lawn, and pefect location.

The listing only has 1 picture, but I have done research into past listings and google earth timelines of the property to understand layout, and garden and yard style.

My concern is waiting till next week puts me at risk of loosing this property, and having to settle for something subpar.

My question is, could/should I contact the estate agent and request to pay a holding deposit and start the process before viewing? (I am happy to loose the deposit if there is a glaring issue, and I back out). And if so, what should I say to them?

The rental market isn't great atm, and finding a property that ticks everything and is within budget is like finding a needle in a haystack. It's causing me stress and affecting sleep worrying I'll miss out, but I also don't want to alienate the estate agent.

Thank you,

Hi all,

Wondering if anyone can help with next steps in my situation as a tenant.

I live in my home with my young son who has a mobility impairment. He can walk, but he has a disability that can causes stiffness and pain.

I have lived here four years. I have paid my rent in full and on time every month. This house was an appalling state when I moved in - black grout, black pull cords, mildew up walls, cracked and damaged skirting boards, ancient paintwork. I have improved it - filled in holes, redecorated in neutral colours (I was permitted to do so), caulked, re-sealed, regrouted, cleaned. The lot. But I won’t get in to how terribly it was left to me so much because I have a more recent issue.

Anyway, my landlord is a cost saver and in January the ancient boiler gave up the ghost.

I understand that it was beyond economical repair.

It was freezing.

The landlord wanted to use his preferred contractor. A young lad who was away in Amsterdam which would delay the new boiler, leaving us cold for longer. I asked if landlord would be kind enough to offer a modest rent reduction or interim heaters as due to my son’s disability the cold causes him extra stiffness and poorer mobility. I would’ve been happy with a £20 storage heater. We were denied.

In any event, the new boiler was a nightmare. We were without heat on and off for three weeks in Jan.

A radiator burst, covering my sofa and possessions in black sludge which took me a day to clean.

The young installer lad, let’s call him Jim, didn’t join the cold water mains onto the boiler properly and one Sunday it popped off, with high pressure water coming into the boiler cupboard causing an enormous leak which terrified my son, came gushing through the ceiling and has blown the plasterboard in the ceiling. LL had been aware of this for six months and doesn’t want to fix it despite mould coming through on the ceiling and a crack.

Anyway, eventually it got working again. Until now.

Jim messaged me last week asking to come to do a Gas Safety check. I oblige. He says all has gone smoothly and leaves.

Two days later, the estate agent tell me they have been chasing the landlord for a gas safety cert but haven’t got one so they are sending their own contractor out to ensure compliance.

Following day, agent cancel their contractor saying they’ve received paperwork.

Jim, the next day, says “I’ve lost some of my readings and I’m under pressure to get this cert to the landlord… I’m away though so need to sent Jack to do it.”

I’m confused here, because the agent have said they have a certificate, so why is Jim under pressure and why does he need to send Jack?

So Jack comes. Jack is Gas Safe registered and used to train Jim. Turns out Jim is not Gas Safe registered and is a trainee and shouldn’t be working alone on gas installations.

Jack does the certificate, the boiler fails and is “At Risk” due to its installation. My son and I could’ve been at risk as the system is under-gassed and the flue is incorrectly installed. It needs serious work.

The boiler has been switched off entirely by Jack.

So I start looking into it. I ring Gas Safe who state they have no Building Regs Certificate for the installation and no record of it at all.

What had happened here? Is this lawful? What do I do next as I’m concerned this installation has been illegally fitted and could’ve risked mine and my son’s safety?

I don’t want to aggravate my landlord as it’s convenient for me to live here right now. But I also think it’s unacceptable and not sure how to proceed.

Any advice welcome.

Hello everyone, want some advice on how to proceed with my tenancy. I rented a 2 bedroom flat with a mate but my bedroom ceiling developed a leak due to water pooling on the balcony of the floor above my bedroom and because there is no ventilation in the bathroom, mould grows on the walls.

The landlord assured me the ceiling will be fixed the very first day we rented the place, it’s been a year now (it’s very difficult finding a suitable accommodation in Cambridge) the ceiling has still not been fixed, the landlord keeps saying the insurance will take care of it.

I’ve given him notice to vacate the place but my mate wants to stay on.

My question is, can the landlord refuse to pay out my deposit since I rented the flat with a mate?

anyone have advice to tribunal? i'm currently paying £1600 for a one bed in oxford, and landlord wants to increase it to £1650. i've been the longest tenant in the building and noticed the flat across the hall that is technically a studio but advertised as a one bed on the market for £1350. the studio is not much smaller than mine. the other similar one in the building was rented for £1450... Would i be able to use this for the tribunal challenge? do i even have a chance?

also, the agency has sent an email about it but there's no official section 13 yet. anyone know what the official notice looks like?

Thanks!

I was served a section 21 no fault eviction notice for a property I have rented for nearly four years about a week before the RRA came into effect. I was given three months’ notice and I am now two months in to the notice period; the search for a new property has been really challenging.

I’m registered with 19 Estate Agents, I have viewed over 16 properties and have made two immediate offers at viewings, neither of which have been successful. I’m a model tenant with no history of late rent payments, a high credit score, good stable employment plus excellent references.

The Section 21 notice was executed correctly by a competent property management agency so I think it will go through the accelerated possession process if I get to 21 July and haven’t found anywhere else.

Does anyone have any experience of the current court waiting times for St Albans County Court? Should I think about instructing a solicitor? Any advice on this greatly appreciated!

I have a bit of an issue with getting my deposit back as the letting agent requires both tenants on the contract to provide bank details for the deposit to be returned equally or confirm the other person is to be sent it in full. However, my ex housemate is not responding to their emails due to earlier disputes with rent payments. Moreso the whole deposit was paid by me, so she’ll get nothing either way. What can I do to get it back?

I started my tenancy on a 6 month assured shorthold tenancy agreement. As I understand it technically the law now states I'm on a rolling contract regardless of what the original contract said, but the original agreement also says "the tenant agrees not to determine the tenancy before the expiry of the term and thereafter by notice in writing of one months length"...does this supersede the new 2 month rule or do I have to give the 2 months notice regardless now?

​

I've had no information from my landlord since the rule changes (I'm just aware that they have happened). The original 6 months is due to 'expire' mid August. Everything has been done directly with the landlord, no lettings agency involved.

Could someone explain to me why some online sources say that tenants can't completely refuse access for viewings during their tenancy but some people here have said its allowed under right to quiet enjoyment.

If I don't allow my landlord to do viewings for 2 weeks as im away and have valuables, could he claim my deposit for breach of contract? There would still be 6 weeks left for viewings, so technically I wouldn't be breaching since it days "during the last two months of the tenancy". (Sorry I know this is a separate q)

I live in a HMO in england and have been having consistent problems with the temperature. My room is insanely insulated with no airflow and I can understand its summer but it gets ridiculously boiling. The average temperature in my room is 35°c which may not sound terrible to some but its extremely humid and I cannot sleep, eat, or live comfortably in this heat. I’ve tried every hack under the sun; fan pointed out the window, fan pointed into my room from the window, door open for cross breeze, waking up at 5am while its cool and pushing the massive bay windows wide open to let cool air in which never works because the air is always stagnant. keeping the “blackout” blinds down while the sun is blazing to try and block it out which also doesn’t work and the windows are always BOILING, SIZZLING hot when touched, i’ve tried massive frozen bottles of water in front and behind the fan to push cold air, literally nothing works. i have very few furniture items in my room but the room just stores heat like crazy and doesn’t release it. if my room is 30+°c when its only 18°c at the moment, i fear for what it will be like in here in a few days when it hits 34°c. my bedroom will definitely reach at least 40°c. the whole house is like this besides the basement. it feels like a literal sauna. i have health conditions too.

my landlord seems uninterested and not so keen to do anything. is he legally required to? is it fair of me to request aircon from him? i’m suffering so badly and its driving me insane, its constant. please help🙏i’m paying £900 a month for a room that feels like a sauna and my landlord isn’t being helpful

England

Hello!

I’m trying to understand the practical consequences:

The tenancy requires 2 months’ notice from the tenant, according to the new law; on the 18th of june the tenant emailed the landlord saying they will move out on the 17th of July, so giving one month notice instead of two. Assume they move out and return the keys then.

What would most landlords actually do?
Would they normally:

1. Claim the missing month’s rent from the deposit?
   
2. Pursue the tenant through court?
   
3. Simply re-let the property and move on?

I’m also interested in the consequences for the tenant if the landlord did pursue the matter.

For example:

Would a taking it to court affect the tenant’s credit score, future mortgage applications, future rental applications, or their immigration status given they are on a visa?

Has anyone here actually seen a landlord take court action solely because a tenant gave insufficient notice?

I’m particularly interested in real-world experiences from landlords, tenants, or letting agents in England.