Support for landlords in the Ryedale area

We offer lots of support, advice and guidance to landlords.

Find out about your legal requirements, how to protect your home, health and safety, different rental options, and how to deal with tenants.

The repairs a landlord is responsible for

You are responsible for:

  • the structure and exterior of the property
  • bath, sinks, basins and other sanitary installations
  • heating and hot water installations
  • water, gas and electricity supply and meters
  • common parts
  • other repairs as agreed by you and your tenant

You also need to make sure there are no hazards or health and safety issues in the property.

Property inspections

Arrange an inspection a couple of months after your tenant has moved in to make sure they are looking after your property correctly. You should contact your tenant in advance and arrange a convenient time with them. You are legally allowed to enter your property to inspect it or carry out repairs but you must give your tenant at least 24 hours’ notice.

Make an inventory

It is a good idea to make an inventory for your property. Take photographs of your property and write an inventory before your tenant moves in. Go through it with your tenant and make sure you both sign it.

Health and safety considerations

How can I make sure my property is gas safe?

You can:

  • make sure that gas fittings and flues are kept in a safe condition 
  • you must get an installer to check each gas appliance/flue every year. The installer must be registered with the Gas Safe Register
  • give your tenant a copy of the safety check record within 28 days, or to any new tenant before they move in
  • keep a record of each safety check for two years
  • safety checks also apply to portable appliances such as LPG, or Calor gas, heaters

If an appliance fails a safety check, you must replace it, or get it fixed by a Gas Safe registered engineer before it can be used again.

It is against the law to allow unsafe gas appliances to be used. 

What do I do if my tenant has to move out because of a gas fault?

Contact us.

You may be able to get a loan to help pay for any repair work. Landlord loans are discretionary forms of assistance.



You must give your tenant a gas safety certificate at the start of their tenancy.

Where can I get advice about fire safety and how it affects me as a landlord?

Fire safety and furnishings

All upholstered furniture, including fabric covers and furniture filling, included in the property must be fire and flame retardant. This applies to any of the following that contain upholstery:

  • beds, headboards, mattresses, sofa beds, futons
  • garden furniture that is suitable for indoor use
  • scatter cushions and pillows
  • loose and stretch covers for furniture

All new furniture, except mattresses, bed bases, loose and stretch covers, that were made after 1988 are required to carry a permanent label to show they are fire retardant.

 

Houses in multiple occupation

Please see our houses in multiple occupation page.

The Rent a Room scheme

If you have a lodger, or are thinking about renting out a furnished room in your main home, you can get up to £4,250 of tax-free rent each year. 

How Rent a Room works:

  1. You rent out a furnished room in your family home to a lodger.
  2. Your lodger can occupy a single room or an entire floor of your home.
  3. Your lodger will pay to live with you.
  4. Lodgers often share family rooms and may eat with you at mealtimes.

You can take advantage of the scheme if you own or rent your home.

If you are renting, you should check whether your lease allows you to take in a lodger.

This scheme does not apply if your home is converted into separate flats that you rent out.

If you are a mortgage payer, check your terms and conditions with your mortgage lender and insurer first.

You can find more information about the Rent a Room scheme on the Government website.

You must carry out Right to Rent checks if you take in a lodger. Find out about Right to Rent checks on the Government website.

For help finding a lodger, contact us.

Financial and legal considerations

Do I need to protect my tenant's deposit?

If you take a deposit from your tenant, it is protected by tenancy deposit protection laws. If you do not protect your tenant’s deposit you cannot legally evict them. The law applies to:

  • any assured shorthold tenancy (that started after April 2007) 
  • any tenancy that started before 6 April 2007 where you have renewed the tenancy or continued it as a statutory period tenancy

For more information about tenancy deposit protection, visit the Government website.

What is the bond guarantee scheme?

You can choose to agree to a paper bond instead of a cash deposit. It is a written guarantee to you that means the scheme will cover any repairs if your tenant damages your property. The money will then be claimed back from your tenant.

What records do I need to keep?

You should keep a record of rent received, certificates and letters or copies. You need to do this to:

  • make letting your property more professional 
  • make it easier for accurate advice to be given, if there are any problems
  • make sure you can prove you are following all legal requirements
  • make sure all new tenancy agreements include your contact details so that tenants can contact you if they need any repairs 

My tenant cannot pay their rent due to a change in financial circumstances. What do I do?

Your tenant may be able to get Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit. They can visit our housing benefit page for more details or contact us for advice. 

Universal Credit is claimed through the Department for Works and Pensions. You can find information about Universal Credit and landlords on the Government website or you can call 0345 6000 723.

How do I ask a tenant to leave?

First, contact us. Do this before taking any action to make sure you are doing things legally. 

For all assured shorthold tenancies that started after 1 October 2015, you cannot give a notice seeking possession or a section 21 notice to quit if:

  • it is the first four months of a tenancy
  • you, as the landlord, are prevented from retaliatory eviction by law
  • you have not given your tenant an energy performance certificate, gas safety certificate or the booklet How to Rent
  • you have not followed the tenancy deposit protection legislation
  • your property needs a homes in multiple occupation licence, but you have not got one



Landlords who are unsure should seek specialist advice.

How do I give a notice to quit?

Protecting tenants against unfair eviction

The law protects tenants against unfair eviction if they have raised a legitimate complaint about the condition of their home.

You must give your tenants information about their rights and responsibilities.
 
You cannot serve an eviction notice, also called a section 21 notice, unless you have followed your legal responsibilities.

What is a retaliatory eviction?

  • This is where you evict a tenant for:
  • complaining about the condition of the property
  • asking for repairs or maintenance

As a landlord, you must have a legitimate, legal reason to evict your tenant.

The right to evict tenants

You cannot evict a tenant if:

  • they made a written complaint to you about the condition of your property before you issued a section 21 eviction notice, or if they tried to contact you about a complaint but did not have your postal address or email 
  • you not respond to your tenant’s complaint within 14 days 
  • you have not told your tenant what you will do to deal with complaint or given a reasonable timescale for dealing with it
  • you give them a section 21 notice to quit after they have made a complaint
  • your tenant has contacted their local housing authority about the same complaint
  • the local housing authority served a relevant notice about the complaint

What are relevant notices?

Relevant notices can be served to landlords by the local housing authority. 

They are:

  • notices that ask you to make improvements due to hazards at your property
  • notices asking you to make emergency remedial action

If a relevant notice has been served, you cannot give your tenant an eviction notice for six months. 

Possession orders

If you try to evict your tenant illegally, you will not be able to repossess your property through the courts.



For more information, contact us

Do I need special landlord's insurance?

We cannot recommend specific insurance companies but we do advise you to consider specialist insurance. This is because normal insurance policies may not provide the right cover.

What is the Right to Rent?

This states:

  • landlords must make simple checks on all tenants and lodgers to make sure they have the right to rent. Sometimes they get an estate agent to do this for them  
  • all adults using the property as their main home must be checked
  • as a landlord, you should check original ID documents in front of your tenant and then scan or photocopy them to prove you have completed the checks 

You can find out more about checking your tenant's right to rent on the Government website.

There is also a helpline for landlords to check the immigration status of a particular person. Call 0300 0699799.

This Home Office guide on Youtube also gives more advice.

 

If you rent your property to an illegal migrant and have not carried out a Right to Rent check, you may face a fine:

Penalty  Level one (first breach - minimum) Level two (second breach - maximum)
Category A (lodgers in a private household) £80 £500
Category B (tenants in rented accommodation) £1,000 £3,000

How we can help

Our housing services team can give you lots of advice and help if you are a landlord with private rented properties. They can help you to:  

  • find out about landlord improvement loans and grants
  • find tenants 
  • review a tenant’s suitability (reference)
  • explore financial incentives if you are looking to create a house in multiple occupation
  • understand your legal requirements

And our housing options team can offer further advice and support. Contact us



We recommend that you join a landlord organisation. There are several national organisations that can give you regular newsletters, advice, training and support.

Further information

Visit the following websites for more information:

We organise landlord forum events every six months. If you want to be involved, contact us.  

You can also find information about the following topics on the Government website: