Re-letting
Re-letting is the process of granting a new private tenancy over a property once the previous one has come to an end of tenancy and you have regaining possession with lawful vacant possession. It is closely related to re-renting, but usually emphasises the handover from one specific tenant to the next.
From a landlord’s perspective, re-letting should only start once the old tenancy agreement has ended, through a tenant’s notice to quit, a deed of surrender, or a court possession order based on valid possession grounds. You then advertise, take a holding deposit, if used, carry out tenant vetting and reference checks, agree terms and grant a new assured residential tenancy.
Re-letting is also when many compliance duties “reset”. Before marketing you should check the home is fit for human habitation, meets rental standards, energy efficiency rules such as Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) or Higher rate efficiency standards (HRAD), and, where relevant, any HMO licence conditions. For the new tenancy you must stick to permitted payments, cap and protect the tenancy deposit, and update entries on the PRS Database.
If the outgoing tenant left early, any “re-letting costs” you seek from them must reflect actual, evidenced loss and not stray into prohibited payments or double-charging once the new tenant is paying rent.
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