How to find good tenants: a UK landlord's guide | August

How to find good tenants in the UK

A good tenant pays the rent on time, looks after the property and stays for the long term. The wrong one can cost a landlord thousands in arrears, damage and possession proceedings. Choosing well has always mattered, but it matters more since the Renters' Rights Act 2025 took effect on 1 May 2026, because Section 21 "no fault" evictions have ended and removing a tenant now depends on proving a specific ground under Section 8. Careful selection at the start is the strongest protection a landlord has, and this guide covers how to attract, assess and choose reliable tenants.

What makes a good tenant?

A good tenant is someone who can comfortably afford the rent, has a track record of paying it and treating a property well, and is looking for the kind of tenancy you are offering. Affordability is the foundation: most landlords look for a verified income of around two and a half to three times the annual rent, or a guarantor where that is not met. A history of on-time payment, confirmed by a previous landlord, is the single best predictor of future behaviour. Stability matters too, because a tenant who wants a long-term home in an area they know tends to be more reliable than one who is unsure how long they will stay.

No single factor decides it. A first-time renter with no rental history is not automatically a poor bet, and a strong impression at a viewing is not a substitute for formal checks. The aim is a rounded picture from several sources, weighted towards the evidence rather than the sales pitch.

Prepare and price your property to attract good tenants

Good tenants are drawn to properties that are well presented and realistically priced, so the work of attracting them begins before you advertise. Fix the small faults that signal neglect, such as dripping taps, scuffed paintwork and tired fittings, and make sure the property is clean and the certificates are current. A property that looks cared for tends to attract tenants who will care for it.

Price to the market rather than to your hopes. Research comparable lettings on the major portals to set a realistic figure, because overpricing lengthens void periods while underpricing can attract the wrong applicants. Note that since 1 May 2026 you must advertise at a fixed rent and cannot invite or accept offers above it: the Renters' Rights Act 2025 has banned rental bidding, so the rent you publish is the rent you let at. Our Renters' Rights Act hub sets out how the new rules affect letting.

Where to advertise your rental

Most tenant searches start online, so the major portals reach the largest pool of applicants. The established routes for self-managing landlords are OpenRent, which lists a property and can syndicate it to Rightmove and Zoopla for a fixed fee with no ongoing commission, and SpareRoom for rooms and house shares. Listing where serious renters already look gives you a larger field to assess, which is what makes a careful selection possible in the first place.

Local routes still earn their place alongside the portals. Community boards, local social media groups and word of mouth can surface tenants who already know and want the area, and a recommendation from a current tenant or neighbour carries real weight. If the property sits near a university, hospital or large employer, their accommodation or HR offices can be a direct line to reliable key-worker and corporate tenants.

Write a listing that attracts the right applicants

A precise, honest listing does more than draw interest: it filters it, because applicants self-select against accurate detail. Lead with clear, well-lit daytime photographs of decluttered rooms and the features that matter, such as outdoor space, parking and transport links. In the description, state the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, the property type, the local amenities and transport, the council tax band and EPC rating, the available-from date, and whether the property is furnished. Write plainly and drop the estate-agent clichés: "recently redecorated two-bedroom flat with new kitchen appliances and a ten-minute walk to the station" tells a tenant more than "charming and cosy".

Use viewings to assess applicants

A viewing is a two-way assessment, and how someone behaves during it is useful evidence. Punctuality, courtesy and thoughtful questions about the property and the tenancy tend to signal how a person will be to deal with as a tenant. Listen to what they say about why they are moving and how long they expect to stay, and treat vagueness or a rushed, pressured manner as something to probe rather than ignore.

You can ask anything relevant to the tenancy, such as why they are moving, their employment and who will live in the property, but you must stay within the Equality Act 2010. Questions about race, religion, sexual orientation or family plans are off limits, and since 1 May 2026 you cannot reject an applicant simply because they receive benefits or have children. Our guide to the questions to ask at a viewing sets out a fuller list you can use.

Vet every applicant: referencing and affordability

Referencing is the most reliable tool for telling a genuinely suitable applicant from a convincing one, because it surfaces the missed payments and county court judgements that an initial conversation will not. A thorough reference confirms identity, checks credit history, assesses affordability against the rent, verifies employment, and gathers a reference from the current or most recent landlord. A previous landlord who hesitates or answers vaguely is a signal worth taking seriously.

Affordability is the part most worth getting right, and our tenant rent-to-income calculator shows quickly whether a stated income supports the rent. Where an applicant falls short, or has thin credit history, a guarantor who is a UK homeowner and is referenced in their own right can bridge the gap. For how the checks work in practice and how to run them compliantly, see our guide to tenant referencing for landlords.

Right to rent checks

Every private landlord in England must check that all adult occupiers have the right to rent before the tenancy begins, and must keep dated evidence of the check. You verify identity and immigration status using acceptable documents or the applicant's share code through the Home Office right to rent online service, and you repeat the check for anyone with time-limited permission. The penalties are now substantial: as of June 2026 a first breach can cost up to £5,000 per lodger and £10,000 per occupier, rising to £10,000 and £20,000 for repeat breaches, so a compliant check before occupation is not optional. If a tenant loses the right to rent during the tenancy and the Home Office issues a notice, that triggers a mandatory possession ground under Section 8, so the obligation does not end once the tenancy is signed.

Keeping the check, the documents and the expiry dates in one place is what turns this from a risk into a routine. August's compliance checklist tracks right to rent alongside your safety certificates and flags what is due.

Red flags when choosing a tenant

The strongest applications are consistent and verifiable, so the warning signs are usually the opposite. Treat the following as reasons to slow down and check further rather than to refuse outright: a previous landlord who is hard to reach or noncommittal, a story about income or employment that does not match the paperwork, reluctance to be referenced or to provide identity documents, pressure to skip checks or to move in immediately, and an offer of a large sum of rent up front in place of referencing. None of these is conclusive on its own, but more than one together is a pattern, and the time to act on a pattern is before the tenancy starts, not after.

What you can no longer do when selecting tenants

Several long-standing practices are now unlawful, and a selection process that still relies on them will expose you to penalties. You cannot operate a blanket ban on tenants who receive benefits or who have children, you cannot apply a blanket "no pets" policy or refuse a pet request unreasonably, and you cannot run a bidding war or accept rent offered above your advertised figure. You also cannot demand large amounts of rent in advance as a screening device, as the Act restricts this. The deposit you can take is still capped at five weeks' rent where the annual rent is under £50,000, and six weeks' rent at or above it. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 sits behind all of these changes, and our Renters' Rights Act hub explains each in full.

After you have chosen your tenant: paperwork and deposit

Once you have selected a tenant and completed your checks, the paperwork is what makes the tenancy enforceable. For new tenancies from 1 May 2026 you must give the tenant a written statement of terms before the tenancy begins, and our guide to what a good tenancy agreement should include covers the terms that belong in it. You must also provide the current gov.uk "How to Rent" guide, a valid EPC, a gas safety certificate where there are gas appliances, and an EICR.

Protect the deposit in a government-approved scheme within 30 days of receiving it, and serve the prescribed information on the tenant, because failure to do so carries a penalty of up to three times the deposit. Confirm too that you hold landlord insurance and that the property is licensed if your council requires it. Keeping every certificate, reference and signed document in one place, with reminders before anything expires, removes most of the risk from this stage: August's document storage is built for exactly that.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to find a good tenant? 

In a normal market a well-presented, realistically priced property usually lets within one to three weeks, though demand varies by area and time of year. Rushing the decision to fill a void is the most common way landlords end up with the wrong tenant, so it is worth holding out for an applicant who references well.

Should I use a letting agent or find tenants myself? 

Both work. An agent saves time and handles referencing and compliance for a fee, which suits landlords who are time-poor or letting at a distance. Self-managing through an online portal costs far less and keeps you in control of the selection, provided you reference thoroughly and keep your compliance in order.

Can I refuse a tenant because they receive benefits or have children? 

No. Since 1 May 2026 it is unlawful to operate a blanket policy against tenants on benefits or with children. You can still assess every applicant on affordability and references, applied consistently to everyone.

What is the single most important check? 

Affordability backed by a previous landlord reference. Confirming that the tenant can comfortably afford the rent and has paid it reliably before tells you more than any other single piece of evidence. You can start managing references, compliance and rent in one place with August.

Disclaimer: This article is a guide and not intended to be relied upon as legal or professional advice, or as a substitute for it. August does not accept any liability for any errors, omissions or misstatements contained in this article. Always speak to a suitably qualified professional if you require specific advice or information.