Tenant guidance

Rent is usually due to be paid monthly or monthly in advance. Your tenancy agreement should state which day of the week/month your rent is due. If this is not written in your agreement, ask your landlord for written confirmation of your rent due date.

To make sure your rent is always paid on time, it is highly advisable that you set up a standing order from your bank account directly to the landlord or managing agent of the property. You should include a clear reference on the payment, such as "[property address] rent".

It is not recommended to pay rent in cash. However, if you do, make sure to get a clearly written receipt for the payment and keep this somewhere safe.

If you don't pay your rent or continue to not pay your rent on time, your landlord can take steps to evict you from the property and pursue you for any unpaid rent.

Before leaving a property, it is vital to make sure you have ended your tenancy property. Failing to do so will make you liable for any rent due.

Check what your tenancy agreement states about notice periods and make sure you follow these guidelines. Make sure that notice is given in writing.

If you are in a fixed-term contract that is due to end, you can give written notice of your intention to terminate the tenancy at the end of the initial notice period of your tenancy agreement.

If you are in a fixed term contract with a break clause, you can give the required notice to end your tenancy early once the time has elapsed to initiate the break clause.

If you wish to end a tenancy early and there is not a break clause in the contract, you need to ask your landlord for permission to do so. Your landlord might ask you to meet certain conditions before they will agree to an early end for your fixed term tenancy. For example, they might ask you to:

• Pay a fee.
• Surrender your deposit.
• Find a replacement tenant.
• Pay the rent until new tenants move in.

For contracts signed on or after 1 June 2019, your landlord can only ask for fees to cover reasonable costs. If a fee seems high, ask for a breakdown of what it covers.