Everything a UK landlord must have in place before, during and after a tenancy: the Renters' Rights Act, certificates, deposits, Right to Rent, rent rises, possession after section 21 and tax. 13 chapters, checked September 2026, free.
Letting a home has always come with a list. On 1 May 2026 the Renters' Rights Act made the list longer and made the paperwork on it a legal duty rather than good practice. This guide is the whole list, in order, for a small private landlord in England, with a chapter for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
It runs to 13 chapters and about 9,500 words, with every date, threshold and penalty checked in September 2026.
Who it is for
Anyone letting one home or a handful without an agent or an office: the accidental landlord, the couple who kept the first flat, the person letting a parent's house. It assumes no knowledge and translates every term as it goes.
What is inside
- Letting in 2026. The Renters' Rights Act in one page: what is in force, what is scheduled and the three duties that never change.
- Is the home ready? Gas safety, the EICR, the EPC and the path to band C, alarms, damp and mould, the small duties people miss.
- Are you ready? Consent to let, insurance, freeholder consent, licensing, the new national database and the ombudsman.
- Finding a tenant. The bidding ban, the ban on blanket refusals, the Tenant Fees Act and Right to Rent checks.
- Move-in day. The written statement, the deposit rules, rent in advance, the certificates to hand over and the inventory that wins disputes.
- During the tenancy. Repairs, access, section 13 rent rises and the dates that recur.
- Ending a tenancy after section 21. Every ground a small landlord uses, the notice periods, the court route and the line you never cross.
- Tax. Income tax, Making Tax Digital, allowances and capital gains when you sell.
- Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, where the rules differ in ways that matter.
- When things go wrong, your letting file, six checklists and a jargon translator.
Why it is free
We build homehogs, a home logbook that keeps certificates, tenancies, notices and documents in one organised place and reminds you before a date runs out. Chapter 11 is the argument for that habit made honestly. You are welcome to take the guide and never think about us again.
