Starting a tenancy
Pre-tenancy checks are for you to satisfy yourself that your prospective tenant is suitable. This will involve credit checks, obtaining references and agreeing the contract that will be signed between you and your tenant; commonly an assured shorthold tenancy agreement (an AST).
You will also need to check the immigration status of the prospective tenant under Right to Rent rules:
Right to rent immigration checks: landlords' code of practice
To view a tenant's right to rent in England
Protecting your tenant’s deposit
Once these checks have been satisfied if a deposit is being taken then this will have to be protected in one of the three Government deposit schemes.
If you do not protect a deposit you will not be allowed to use the section 21 notice to quit process. Your tenants can claim up to three times the value of the deposit if it is left unprotected.
Documents you need to give your tenants
You will also have to provide other paperwork to your tenant at the beginning of their tenancy, including:
- An Energy Performance Certificate
- Deposit protection information
- A current gas safety certificate
- A copy of the property licence
- How to Rent Guide (External PDF)
Failure to provide the information at the start of the tenancy could make evicting your tenants more difficult later on, as you will not be able to issue a section 21 notice to quit if you haven’t issued these documents.
