The landlord A–Z
A plain-English glossary of the UK private rental terms that matter — tenancy law, deposits, safety, licensing, notices, repairs and tax — updated for the Renters' Rights Act 2025 (main provisions commence 2026).
A
- AbandonmentWhen a tenant appears to have left before the tenancy has legally ended.Tenancy law
- Accelerated possession procedureThe accelerated possession procedure, as it was known, no longer exists in its previous form. Landlords now seek possession of a property based on statutory grounds, which are decided at a court hearing.Notices & possession
- Anti-social behaviour groundPossession ground for nuisance, annoyance or criminal behaviour.Notices & possession
- ArrearsUnpaid rent that has fallen due under the tenancy.Rent, deposits & fees
- Assignment of tenancyTransferring a tenancy from one tenant to another.Tenancy law
- Assured tenancyThe security-of-tenure status that protects private tenants from eviction without grounds.Tenancy law
- Allowable expensesRunning costs you can deduct from rental income.Tax & expenses
- Assured periodic tenancyThe Renters Rights Act 2025 converts assured tenancies to a single open-ended periodic form. There is no fixed term, tenants give two months notice, and landlords must use a statutory ground.Tenancy law
- Additional licensingCouncil licensing of smaller HMOs in designated areas.Licensing
- AST (assured shorthold tenancy)The Renters' Rights Act 2025 significantly reformed private residential tenancies in England, abolishing the assured shorthold tenancy (AST) and replacing it with a new periodic assured tenancy regime. Landlords must undTenancy law
- Awaab's LawAwaab's Law sets strict statutory timescales for landlords to investigate and fix damp, mould and other serious hazards, extended to the private rented sector under the Renters' Rights Act 2025.Wiki
B
- Bailiff (warrant of possession)The court officer who lawfully evicts after a possession order.Notices & possession
- Bedroom standardThe statutory measure of overcrowding based on rooms and occupants.Safety & standards
- Break clauseA contractual right to end a fixed term early — largely redundant post-reform.Tenancy law
- Buy-to-let mortgageA mortgage designed for property let to tenants rather than owner-occupied.Tax & expenses
C
- Capital gains tax on rental propertySelling a let property triggers capital gains tax at residential rates, and the gain must be reported and paid within 60 days of completion — not at the next self assessment.Tax & expenses
- Carbon monoxide alarmRequired in rooms with a fixed combustion appliance.Safety & standards
- Check-in and check-out reportDated condition records at the start and end of a tenancy.Repairs & responsibilities
- Client money protectionInsurance that protects rent and deposits held by an agent.Rent, deposits & fees
- Company letA tenancy granted to a business rather than an individual.Tenancy law
- Consent to letLender permission to rent out a residentially mortgaged home.Tax & expenses
- Council tax liability (rented property)Who pays council tax during and between tenancies.Tax & expenses
D
- Damp and mouldA hazard landlords must investigate and fix within legal timescales.Repairs & responsibilities
- Deed of surrenderA written agreement ending a tenancy by mutual consent.Tenancy law
- Deposit capThe legal maximum deposit a landlord can take.Rent, deposits & fees
- Deposit protection schemeEvery deposit taken on an assured tenancy must be protected in an approved scheme within 30 days, with prescribed information served on the tenant. The penalty for missing it is one to three times the deposit.Rent, deposits & fees
- Discrimination in lettingsBlanket bans on benefits claimants and families are unlawful.Tenancy law
- Decent Homes StandardThe Decent Homes Standard sets out minimum criteria a home must meet to be considered fit for habitation, including safety, state of repair, facilities and thermal comfort.Wiki
- Deposit adjudicationDeposit adjudication is the free dispute resolution service run by tenancy deposit schemes to resolve disagreements over deposit deductions at the end of a tenancy.Wiki
E
- Emergency repairsRepairs where delay would put health or safety at risk.Repairs & responsibilities
- Excluded occupierA lodger or similar occupier with minimal eviction protection.Tenancy law
- Extractor ventilationExtractor ventilation is crucial in rental properties to prevent damp and mould, meet legal requirements, and ensure tenant health and safety. Landlords must ensure adequate ventilation in kitchens and bathrooms.Safety & standards
- Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)You cannot legally let most properties in England and Wales with an EPC below band E. The certificate lasts ten years and must be available free to prospective tenants.Safety & standards
- Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR)A five-yearly electrical safety report, mandatory in England.Safety & standards
F
- Fire doorsSelf-closing fire-resisting doors required in many HMOs.Safety & standards
- Fire risk assessmentA written assessment of fire risk required for shared premises.Safety & standards
- Fit for human habitationThe statutory standard every rented home must meet.Repairs & responsibilities
- Fixed term tenancyThe traditional 6 or 12 month term, abolished for new England tenancies.Tenancy law
- Furnished holiday lettingsA former tax regime for short-term holiday lets, now abolished.Tax & expenses
- Fair wear and tearNormal deterioration a landlord must accept.Repairs & responsibilities
- First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber)The tribunal that decides rent and deposit disputes.Rent, deposits & fees
G
- Gas Safe registerThe official register of gas engineers legally allowed to work on gas.Safety & standards
- Ground rentA periodic payment by a leaseholder to the freeholder.Tenancy law
- GuarantorA third party who agrees to cover the tenant's obligations.Rent, deposits & fees
- Gas safety record (CP12)The annual gas safety check record landlords must obtain and serve.Safety & standards
- Ground for possessionThe legal reason a landlord must prove to evict a tenant.Notices & possession
H
- Harassment and illegal evictionCriminal offences under the Protection from Eviction Act 1977.Tenancy law
- Housing Act 1988The Housing Act 1988 underpins most private residential tenancies in England and Wales, establishing the framework for tenancy agreements, rent, and possession. It has been significantly amended, notably by the Renters' Tenancy law
- Housing Ombudsman vs PRS Landlord OmbudsmanTwo different redress schemes for two different sectors.Tenancy law
- HMO (House in Multiple Occupation)A shared rental occupied by three or more people from two or more households.Licensing
- Holding depositA refundable payment to reserve a property while checks are done.Rent, deposits & fees
- HMO amenity standardsHMO amenity standards are the minimum numbers of kitchens, bathrooms and toilets a council requires relative to the number of occupiers in a licensed HMO.Wiki
- Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS)HHSRS is the risk-based assessment method councils use to evaluate hazards in residential property, scoring them by likelihood and severity of harm.Wiki
I
- Illegal eviction damagesWhat courts award when an occupier is unlawfully removed.Tenancy law
- Inspection (routine)Periodic visits to check condition and spot problems early.Repairs & responsibilities
- Insurance (landlord)Cover designed for property that is let rather than owner-occupied.Tax & expenses
- InventoryThe itemised record of condition and contents.Repairs & responsibilities
- Improvement noticeAn improvement notice is a formal notice served by a local council under the Housing Act 2004 requiring a landlord to remedy a hazard identified under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System.Wiki
J
K
L
- Landlord redress schemeMandatory membership of an ombudsman for private landlords.Tenancy law
- Legionella risk assessmentA written assessment of water-system risk in a let property.Safety & standards
- Licence to occupyPermission to occupy that falls short of a tenancy.Tenancy law
- Local housing allowanceThe benefit rate that caps housing support in the private sector.Rent, deposits & fees
- Landlord repairing obligationsThe legal duty to keep the property and services in repair.Repairs & responsibilities
- Licence conditionsLicence conditions are the specific requirements attached to an HMO or selective licence by the issuing council, covering safety, management and property standards.Wiki
M
- Managing agentA firm that runs the tenancy day to day for the landlord.Tenancy law
- Mandatory HMO licensingNational licensing for HMOs with five or more occupiers.Licensing
- Money laundering checksLetting agents and, in specific high-value scenarios, landlords, must comply with UK money laundering regulations. This involves identity verification and record-keeping to prevent financial crime.Licensing
- MEES (Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard)The rule that bars letting sub-band E properties.Safety & standards
N
- Non-resident landlord schemeHow tax is collected from landlords living abroad.Tax & expenses
- Notice periodLandlords must provide specific notice periods when seeking possession of a property, which vary significantly depending on the grounds for possession under the Renters' Rights Act 2025. Incorrect notice can invalidate aNotices & possession
- NuisanceBehaviour causing annoyance to neighbours or the landlord.Notices & possession
- Notice to quit / tenant's noticeA tenant's notice is formal communication from a tenant to end their periodic tenancy. This guide explains the legal requirements across the UK, including changes under the Renters' Rights Act 2025.Notices & possession
O
P
- PAT testingPortable appliance testing for landlord-supplied electricals.Safety & standards
- Pets in rented homesTenants can request a pet and landlords cannot unreasonably refuse.Tenancy law
- Possession orderThe court order requiring a tenant to give up the property.Notices & possession
- Private Rented Sector DatabaseThe national landlord and property register for England.Licensing
- Property Redress SchemeProperty Redress Schemes provide a free and impartial service for resolving complaints between consumers (landlords and tenants) and property agents. Membership is a legal requirement for all letting and property managemTenancy law
- Periodic tenancyA rolling tenancy with no fixed end date that continues until ended by notice.Tenancy law
- Permitted fees (Tenant Fees Act)The only charges a landlord can lawfully make to a tenant.Rent, deposits & fees
- Prescribed informationThe deposit details that must be served on the tenant.Rent, deposits & fees
- Prohibited paymentA prohibited payment is any charge to a tenant or guarantor that is banned under the Tenant Fees Act 2019, other than the limited permitted payments set out in the Act.Wiki
Q
R
- Rent arrears ground (Ground 8A)The mandatory possession ground for repeated serious arrears.Notices & possession
- Rent bookA record of rent paid, required for weekly tenancies.Rent, deposits & fees
- Rent Smart WalesThe registration and licensing scheme for Welsh landlords.Licensing
- Rent-to-rentAn arrangement where a company rents a property and sublets it.Tenancy law
- Renters' Rights Act 2025The Renters' Rights Act 2025 fundamentally reforms private renting in England, abolishing Section 21 and fixed-term assured tenancies, and introducing new landlord obligations. Landlords must adapt to ensure compliance wTenancy law
- Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016The statute that governs Welsh occupation contracts.Tenancy law
- Repairing standard (Scotland)The statutory condition standard for Scottish private lets.Repairs & responsibilities
- Retaliatory evictionEviction in response to a tenant's complaint about disrepair.Notices & possession
- Right to RentThe immigration status check landlords must carry out in England.Tenancy law
- Rent increaseA landlord's right to raise the rent, limited by the new reforms.Rent, deposits & fees
- Rent repayment orderA rent repayment order (RRO) is an order made by the First-tier Tribunal requiring a landlord to repay rent to a tenant or council, usually following an offence such as operating an unlicensed HMO or Wiki
S
- Section 13 noticeA Section 13 notice is the statutory method landlords must use to propose a rent increase for an assured periodic tenancy in England. It mandates a prescribed form, specific notice periods, and provides tenants with the Rent, deposits & fees
- Service chargeService charges are payments towards the cost of running a building. Who pays depends on whether you are a leaseholder, a freeholder or a tenant on a rental agreement.Rent, deposits & fees
- Smoke alarmsRequired on every storey of a rented home.Safety & standards
- SquattingOccupying a property without any right to do so.Tenancy law
- SublettingA tenant letting all or part of the property to someone else.Tenancy law
- SurrenderEnding a tenancy by agreement rather than by notice.Tenancy law
- Selective licensingCouncil-run licensing of all rentals in a designated area.Licensing
- Stamp duty surcharge (additional property)The extra SDLT on buying an additional home.Tax & expenses
- Section 24 (mortgage interest relief)Section 24 stops individual landlords deducting finance costs from rental income. Instead you get a basic-rate tax credit — which can push you into a higher tax band on profit you never made.Tax & expenses
- Section 8 noticeA Section 8 notice is the primary legal tool for landlords in England and Wales to seek possession of a rented property based on a tenant's breach of their tenancy agreement. It is used when a tenant has failed to upholdNotices & possession
- Section 21 (no-fault eviction)From 2026, Section 21 'no-fault' evictions are abolished in England. Landlords must now rely on specific, legally defined grounds for possession, as outlined in the Renters' Rights Act 2025.Tenancy law
T
- Tenancy agreementThe written contract setting out the terms of the let.Tenancy law
- Tenant Fees Act 2019The law banning most letting fees to tenants.Rent, deposits & fees
- Tenant referencingChecks on an applicant's identity, income and history.Rent, deposits & fees
- TrespassTrespass occurs when a landlord enters a tenanted property without the tenant's express permission or a legal right to do so. This violates the tenant's fundamental right to exclusive possession and quiet enjoyment.Tenancy law
- Tenancy depositMoney a landlord holds as security against rent arrears or damage.Rent, deposits & fees
U
- Unfair contract termsTerms that create a significant imbalance are unenforceable.Tenancy law
- Universal Credit direct paymentsLandlords can receive the housing element of Universal Credit directly from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) through an Alternative Payment Arrangement (APA) in specific circumstances, primarily where the tenanRent, deposits & fees
- Unoccupied propertyEmpty periods create insurance, safety and tax exposure.Safety & standards