Tenants guide

Contents

• Overview
• Concerns before your tenancy starts
• Fees and upfront costs
• Help with your rent
• Tenant responsibilities
• Landlord responsibilities
• Difficulties with your landlord
• Rent arrears
• Housing standards
  
• Ending your tenancy
• Eviction
• Reporting concerns about a previous landlord

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Ending your tenancy

You will need to let your landlord know in advance if you want to end your tenancy - this is called giving notice.

You have to give notice in the correct way - if you don’t, you might have to pay rent even after you’ve moved out. You might also have to pay other bills - for example, council tax.

When and how much notice you give will depend on the type of tenancy you have and what your tenancy agreement says. On or after 1 May 2026, if you are renting a private rent property, your tenancy will probably be an assured periodic tenancy. If you had a fixed term tenancy before the 1 May 2026, this will have automatically changed to an assured periodic tenancy.

If you can't give the right amount of notice, you might be able to agree with your landlord to end your tenancy early. This is called 'surrendering your tenancy'.

If you’re thinking about ending your tenancy because of your landlord

Don’t end your tenancy because your landlord isn’t doing what they should - for example, if they’re not doing repairs.

You have the right to rent a safe home and to be treated fairly. The law is there to protect your rights - you can take action to get your landlord to do what they should.

Check what type of tenancy you have

From 1 May 2026 you are likely to have an ‘assured periodic tenancy’. There are a few exceptions, such as if you live in purpose-built student accommodation. An assured periodic tenancy continues monthly or weekly until it is legally ended by either you or the landlord. An assured periodic tenancy is also known as a ‘rolling tenancy’.

If you have a joint tenancy you need to understand that by serving notice you end that tenancy for everyone on the tenancy, not just you.

Giving notice

To end an assured periodic tenancy, you must give your landlord two months’ notice to end your tenancy. You can do this at any time during your tenancy, but you must:

• give your notice so the tenancy ends on a day when the rent is due or the day before the rent is due, and
• end it in writing, for example, by letter, or email

It’s a good idea to ask your landlord to confirm in writing that they have received your notice. You could ask them to sign a note or letter that says they have received it.

You should find your landlord's address on your tenancy agreement or your rent book. Ask your landlord for their details if you can’t find them - they must give you the information. If you rent from a letting agent, ask them to give you your landlord details if you can't find them.

Council tax

You will be responsible for paying the Council Tax until the end of your notice period. If you move out of your property before the notice period ends, you will still have to pay Council Tax and may not be entitled to claim any reduction from the date you leave. See Council tax for empty properties and second homes for more information.

If you do not provide your landlord with two months written notice of your intention to end your tenancy, the Council Tax bill will remain in your name indefinitely. See the about Council Tax page for more information about who pays Council Tax.

What to write to end your tenancy

Make sure your notice clearly states; your name, your address, and the date you'll be moving out.

Keep a copy of your notice and if you are sending a letter, get a proof of posting certificate from the post office in case you need to prove when you posted it.