Check your housing status if you rent from a private landlord

If you rent from a private landlord, your rights depend on the type of rental agreement you have. This includes things like your right to get repairs done, stay in your home and get your deposit back.

‘Occupation contracts’ and tenancies are both types of rental agreement.

Check what type of rental agreement you have

The type of rental agreement you have usually depends on when it started. 

If you don’t know when your rental agreement started, check any written documents you have about the home you’re renting.

You’ll probably have either:

• a ‘written statement’ - this sets out the rights and responsibilities of you and your landlord, and will say when your agreement started

• a tenancy agreement

If you can’t find the date written down, your agreement started when you agreed it with your landlord. This could be earlier than the day you agreed to move in.

Even if you have a written statement or agreement that says you have a certain type of rental agreement, you should still check what type of agreement you have. It might be different to what your written statement or agreement says - this means you might have more rights.

If your tenancy started before 1 December 2022, it was probably replaced with an occupation contract. This means your rights might have changed too.