r/TenantsInTheUK

Hi all,

I was under the impression that landlords and agents couldn't charge extra fees for pets.

I emailed the agency requesting 2 cats, explained they would be neutered or spayed and adult, not kittens.

The agent is saying that if my request is approved, I will have to pay a £50 charge to add the pet to the tenancy. Unsure if she meant per pet or all together.

The contract doesn't mention fees either:

'10.1. Not to keep any animals or birds or reptiles (whether domestic or otherwise) in or on the Property without the prior written consent of the Landlord or the Agent which will not be unreasonably withheld but may be withdrawn upon giving reasonable notice. '

Am I correct in thinking this fee is unjustified? How would you approach this?

Moved into new flat this week. Noise is more than I realised when viewing and don’t think I’ll be able to relax here. Lots of cars and music from cars. I’m panicking a bit as I’ve moved in by myself for the first time and feel a bit of a muppet. Can I give in my notice after 1 month? So I’d only need to be here 3 months? Any tips on dealing with noise during the daytime (not just with sleeping).

Also has anyone else had trouble finding a good rental particularly in London. Can’t tell if I’m useless or it’s just tough.

So our building won’t let us have two fobs for reasons I wouldn’t bore you with.

I’ve cut another key for the door, no issues there. Just have one fob.

We both work at different times, go abd come back at different times.

What’s the best solution to ensure we have the fob to get into the building? We can then let the other person in once one of us is in the flat ofc.

Might be strange but what’s the best guide here, please no “talk to your building manager and get them to copy the fob” etc we’ve tried that

Moved in 18th Dec 2015, date on "received" and "registered" on TDS is 25th Feb 2016. I thought they were meant to protect it within 30 days?

We've been living in our rented house for 10 years. Landlord is a "bad guy" - no swearing - (goes through an agency). Landlord wants to sell when we move out and is being a "bad guy" about leaving dates etc so we are not feeling benevolent towards them.

Now we've said we're moving out they want to sell. They want to send someone round to value the property. Do we have to agree to this or tell them they can wait until we've moved out?

I’ve been keeping my two cats on the low prior to the change in laws and would place them at my neighbours the night before an inspection.

I can’t be bothered doing this every 3 months now and might just come clean to request keeping them. What did you email your letting agency/landlord?

I can only think of the fact they aren’t kittens so are potty trained etc. The only thing they could damage are the carpets, but they don’t do that.

Every piece of furnish is my own, not the landlords.

I’m tempted to lie and say we have pet insurance lol just to keep the landlord at ease.

My landlord is trying to do some major, and unnecessary(not repairs), renovations to my home. I am concerned he will serve me a Section 8 Ground 6 as it may be hard to do said construction with me living here. Can my Landlord evict me for this using this ground even though I had a tenancy here before he bought it and became the new Landlord?

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I’ve been renting the same flat in England for 4 years, keep it in excellent condition, and work remotely.

The letting agent still does inspections every 6 months and takes photos of the whole flat each time. What annoys me most is they never give a proper time slot only just “between 9am and 5pm” and say they can let themselves in with keys if I’m not home (they don't even ask me when I am available to come!).

I always have to chase them for an estimated time so I can organise my work meetings.

Also, my tenancy agreement doesn’t specifically say the landlord requires inspections every 6 months, so I think this is just the agency’s own policy.

Are agents actually allowed to enter for routine inspections even if the tenant isn’t there?

Thank you 🙏

I don’t even know where to start with this. I’m feeling so shattered and depleted. I originally signed a tenancy with a housemate around 4 years ago. After around 9 months of living there he vacated the property and left me with double the rent. (Privately rent in England as an fyi)

The landlord was aware of this and was happy to allow me to continue living there given I was paying rent with no issues.

They have stated previous housemate is now wanting his name removed from the tenancy and the landlord is refusing to take me as a solo tenant. I don’t have the funds to move right now - I live pay check to pay check and will end up on the street with my elderly cat. I’m also due several surgeries this year so it’s awful timing for a move.

Myself and the previous housemate have asked the landlord multiple times to change the tenancy details. Each time we’ve been rejected for a different reason. First the landlord claimed he did not want to pay the fee to change the contract, then he stated I didn’t earn enough and needed a guarantor. I explained my wage and the fact the letting agent told me I meet the affordability check to rent as a solo tenant. After that he just ignored the request and now we are having to submit the request again.

I’ve written him a later detailing that I will be severely destabilised by moving out now. I’ve also provided in writing that I have never missed rent and I’ve always paid on time. Property inspections have gone well and I’ve never been made aware of any issues. I’ve never asked for repairs minus a massive leak in the roof that was caused by an upstairs neighbour.

If the tenancy change request is rejected again and I’m given two months to move i do not want to be on this planet anymore to be honest. I know that may sound dramatic. Everything is too hard. This is too much of a fight when it shouldn’t be. It feels cruel to kick a tenant out when they have proven for the last four years they can be trusted. (Edit: I am actively engaging with mental health teams throughout this and I know time may change the way I feel - I just feel awful right now.)

I feel so powerless. I’m stuck between the landlord and my old housemate. It feels like there’s literally nothing I can do to protect myself or make my case stronger. I’m devastated and don’t really know when I’m even making this post. I think I’m doomed in this situation.

I handed in my notice to my landlord which my other joint tenants did not agree.

I gave advance notice to everybody involved of my intentions as I understand the law now means that this is possible as an individual within a joint tenancy, as of 1st May 2026.

Am I understanding this right? We have moved over to a rolling tenancy, in line with the law.

If so, what are my options now?

Before the new law changes on May 1st, my partner and I received a Section 21 notice for the flat we rent.

Even though we are very quiet and respectful tenants. Never missed a payment. No parties, no trouble. We even tried fixing small issues ourselves instead of bothering the management team every time. One of the most heartbreaking parts is that we built a really good relationship with our neighbours here.

For context: we’re foreign tenants. No guarantor in the UK, no family support system here.

We’re also dealing with visa deadlines, which makes the whole thing even more stressful. Every rental application somehow turns into a full immigration documentary. The moment a letting agent notices your visa has less than one year left, the attitude changes immediately.

I know Section 21 is technically a “no fault” eviction, but after I basically begged for an explanation, the agent told us the landlord wanted to “end cooperation” with them, so the tenancy would not continue.

So we started preparing to move.

- Update 05.21.2026 -

Saying goodbye to the area, the stores I always went to, even stupid little things in the flat that became part of daily life. Now all our free time is spent searching for flats, calling agents, arranging viewings, refreshing Rightmove like it’s a full-time job. Moving home is exhausting already. Packing everything. Finding a moving company. Calculating costs. Cleaning. Paperwork.

Then things started getting weird. A few days later, I found the SAME property relisted online. Same flat. Same photos. Same agency. Wait, so was the landlord actually ending cooperation with them? Or was that just something they told us to make the Section 21 sound less aggressive?

The strangest part is that the landlord has basically disappeared from the entire process. We tried contacting them directly because we genuinely wanted clarity. No response.

Everything goes through the agent. The agent says one thing, the property listing says another, and meanwhile we’re the ones trying to figure out whether we’re about to become homeless in one of the most expensive cities on earth.

And because the UK rental laws are changing right now, nobody seems to know anything for sure. Honestly, the whole experience has been surreal.

The funniest part? The agency suddenly became EXTREMELY friendly after we refused unrestricted viewings. Before that, everything felt cold and procedural: “Confirm access” or “Cooperate” !

The moment we started asking legal questions and asserting our quiet enjoyment rights, the tone completely changed. I guess maybe we didn’t do anything wrong. The agent is just using whatever laws still work before they disappear. And eventually they can probably make more money from a new tenancy turnover anyway. As a foreign renter, this whole process feels strangely psychological. You constantly feel like you’re one misunderstanding away from losing housing stability. And maybe the most exhausting part is this: you’re never fully sure whether people are actually following the law, or just relying on the fact that tenants don’t understand the system well enough to push back.

Anyway. I’ll keep updating this post to see what happens next.

We moved out on the 21st April and our agency only told us on 7th May that they want to deduct more than £1000 from our deposit because there was mould. We reported the mould multiple times and when the mould inspector came they said just cleaning and treating the mould is not enough the landlord will need to do some construction work. Obviously the landlord didn’t want to do that and just gave us a dehumidifier which we used everyday along with trying to treat the mould every time it came back. I have quoted both the inspectors report and our contract where it says the agency must let us know within 10 days of moving out that they need to return our deposit. However despite doing this they won’t budge and we can’t request the deposit back because the agency has their own scheme. I’ve repeated the same points to them again and again what else can I do?

My landlord's agency sent me the re renters rights act information sheet but in the email it clarified:

"The Information Sheet is provided for information purposes only and does not replace, vary, or amend the terms of your tenancy agreement. Your tenancy agreement remains the primary document governing the terms of your occupation of the property.".

1. Am I right to say that it's not true? I have a fixed term contract with a rent increase clause. Both things should automatically not be true anymore?

2. Is there any risk in not pointing out it? E.g. in the future they could say I did not contest their text

I think they probably do it for people that don't know their rights, but just wanted to be safe.

Thanks!

Hello all. I’m set to move into a rental property on June 1st. On May 13th I signed the tenancy contract and paid the first months rent + security deposit.

I have just been reading back through the contract and on page 2, clause 1.8, it states: ‘Term of tenancy: 12 months’. Additionally, the contract is titled as an ‘Assured Shorthold Tenancy Agreement’. This is in large, bold text at the very top of page 1. From my vague understanding of the new Renters Rights Act, fixed term contracts have been abolished and the tenancy agreement I should have signed is an Assured Periodic Tenancy, not an AST.

I have concerns about the fixed 12 months period as from my understanding this was abolished under the RRA. I’m aware I should have raised these concerns several days ago, prior to signing it. I know this is going to sound bad but as I’m relocating to the other side of the country, I have never seen the property in person besides a virtual viewing (video recording) and to be honest I am now having doubts about the property.

Please can anybody clarify whether this contract is legally binding? Thank you all and apologies if I have got this wrong.

So the lease was supposed to end in september as per the original contract but it is my understanding that as per the new renters rights, it should roll on month to month. However, the leasing company that manages this property has been coordinating with me to show other potential tenants the property already. I have been cooperating when I’m available (2 viewings so far) but it has been awkward especially since I’m not sure if I want to continue staying here or not. Also, they had sent a section 21 a few months ago. This is the clause regarding viewing in the original contract:

“1.33. Permit Viewing
1.33.1. Permit the Landlord or anyone with the authority of the Landlord by reasonable prior appointment to show
the Property:
a. To potential tenants or purchasers during the last two months of the Tenancy or other period of notice; or
b. To potential purchasers in the event of the Landlord wishing to sell or otherwise deal with the reversion of the
Property with the benefit of the Tenancy at any time during the Tenancy.”

Need advice on how to handle it. Ideally I’d like the viewings to stop and avoid the whole mess of them finding a different tenant and get in a legal battle with the agency.

Hi, I am a student who has signed a contract saying i am moving into a shared student accomodation in September. I am currently trying to drop out of this contract, but the letting agency has told me that ih order to terminate the contract under the new renters rights, i would have to wait until september (moving in) to then hand in 2 months notice, as the contract would then "convert" into a tenancy agreement.

Is this true? Is there no way in which i can terminate my contract to avoid moving in in september and avoid paying rent for any time at all in the property? i have paid a holding deposit and another deposit; would i be getting those back?

the letting agency has offered to remove me from the contract for money, either to swap someone i know in or advertise the spot themselves.

New to London and moved into a new building with my partner. Within the tenancy agreement we were being provided free internet by the building's provider Glide with an option for paid upgrades for faster speeds. The free version was sufficient for us and helped with our bills since the rent is costly but we've just received an email saying that as part of an "upgrade" Glide won't be providing this free package anymore. To make it worse, it appears they're severely hiking their prices where before the cheapest package was £15/m for 300Mbps, now their cheapest option is £28/m for 150 Mbps, our previous plan was for 40Mbps and we never had any issues.

Would love some advice if there is any recourse available, it also seems that my building doesn't have any other internet providers so I can't even change to a better provider.

So I’m living in a flat that is on a rent to buy scheme, and it says on the tenancy that no one must live in the property beside myself.

I have a partner who occasionally stays over, their main residence is with their parents and comes over 3/4 times a day and stays over.

Are the letting agent can they really tell me who can or can’t stay with me or however long?

It says on the tenancy that no one besides me can live with me for more than four weeks, which is crazy

Many thanks

Has anyone actually managed to rent with pets recently in the UK?

Genuine question because it feels nearly impossible lately.

One thing I noticed while applying is landlords basically have no consistent way to assess pets. You end up sending random photos, references, insurance docs, messages etc across different apps and emails and it all feels messy.

I started putting together a single structured pet profile for applications with things like:

* pet photo + bio

* temperament

* previous landlord reference

* insurance

* microchip details

* supporting documents

Mainly just to make applications look more organised and trustworthy.

Do you think something like that would actually help renters at all, or do landlords simply not care once pets are involved?