Landlord legal obligations

Rents and deposits

Various rules apply to the charging and handling of rents and deposits@

  • no charge must be made for a person to have their name put on a list for accommodation
  • no charge must be made for drawing up or copying the tenancy agreement
  • if a deposit is required, it must be no more that the equivalent of two months’ rent. Deposits must be lodged with one of the three Tenancy Deposit schemes
  • if rent is paid weekly, the landlord must issue a rent book and enter a receipt for each weekly payment
  • the tenant cannot be required to pay rent before the start of the rental period to which it relates
  • proper procedures must be followed before changing the amount of rent to be charged
  • under a private residential tenancy, if a tenant pays in cash they must be issued with a receipt stating the amount paid and whether the account is up to date or there is still an amount outstanding

Find out more information on rents and deposits.