Your rights and responsibilities

What your landlord has to do

If you rent a house or flat from someone, there are certain things that the law says your landlord must do. These include:

• Provide you with a Gas Safety Certificate and Energy Performance Certificate (EPC).
• Give you a copy of How to rent: a checklist for renting in England. This is guide produced by the Government.
• Make sure that there are enough smoke and Carbon Monoxide alarms and repair or replace these if they are not working.
• Make sure that the house of flat is safe and free from hazards.
• Carry out repairs promptly and act immediately on urgent repairs.
• Arrange for all gas appliances and pipework to be checked annually by a gas engineer.
• Make sure that electrical installations are safe and meet national standards and arrange for these to be inspected and tested at least every 5 years by a qualified and competent person
• Put any deposit that they have asked you for in a government backed tenancy deposit scheme.

If your landlord does not comply with their legal responsibilities, you may be able to get some of your rent repaid – for further information go to the Rent Repayment Order page.

If you live in a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) which often include bedsits, hostels and shared houses, your landlord will have additional duties.

If you live in Bradford District, the Council’s Housing Standards Team may be able to help you if your landlord does not carry out these legal requirements.

Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES)

The Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) mean that, normally, a landlord must ensure that the properties that they are letting have an Energy Performance Certificate rating of at least E. This is intended to ensure that tenants are able to enjoy a better home environment and have lower energy bills.

Your landlord may be exempt from the MEES which would let them continue to let out a property with a rating of F or G, for instance because they have paid for energy efficiency improvements but this has not lifted the rating enough. However, your landlord will need to apply for an exemption and this will included on a register of exemptions. Most exemptions will also only last for 5 years.

Your responsibilities

You also have responsibilities as a tenant. Here is a list of some of your responsibilities, although this does not include everything:

• You must take care of the house or flat that you are renting and repair or pay for any damage which you have caused, which is more than normal wear and tear.
• You must pay the agreed rent and any other charges or bills that you have agreed with your landlord that you will pay.
• You must let your landlord come in to your home to inspect it or carry out repairs, as long as your landlord has given you at least 24 hours’ notice and is visiting at a reasonable time of day. Your landlord will not have to give this notice if it is an emergency.

You can find more information about your rights and responsibilities on Gov.uk. There is also information on how your tenancy can end.