Renting and leasehold

This content applies to England only.

Housing laws vary between England and Scotland. This page applies to England only. Get advice relating to Scotland

If you rent your home or are a leaseholder, you have a legal agreement with the landlord or freeholder. This gives you rights and responsibilities.

Check any agreement you have carefully and ask questions about anything you're not sure of. But bear in mind that you may have more rights than you think - there are laws to regulate how renting and leasing work. If your agreement doesn't comply, it may not be legally binding. This could make a big difference if the landlord or freeholder is being unreasonable, or wants you to leave.

You also need to remember that the rights you have will depend on the type of tenancy you have. You can check this using our online tool.

Leaseholders' rights

Find out what the law says about service charges, ground rent, repairs, extending a lease, or buying the freehold. Read more 

Renting agreements

Do you have a tenancy or a license? Is it written or verbal? Is it legally binding? What happens when it runs out? Find out what to look out for. Read more 

Rights and responsibilities

If you rent your home, you have certain rights and responsibilities - even if they're not mentioned in your agreement. Read more 

Council tenancies

Councils provide three different types of tenancy, which give you very different rights. They also provide temporary housing for homeless people. Read more 

Housing association tenancies

Not all housing association tenants have the same protection from eviction. The type of tenancy agreement you have will affect many of your rights, Read more 

Private tenancies

There are several different types of private tenancy. Some of them give you more rights than others. Read more 

Mobile home tenancies

This page helps you work out what kind of tenancy you may have if you rent a mobile home from a landlord. Read more 

Sharing and subletting

Sharing a home can be great, but it's important to choose who you live with carefully and to check that you understand your rights. Read more 

Ending a tenancy or licence

You must end your agreement properly if you want to leave. If you don't, you may still be liable to pay the rent – even after you've moved out. Read more