Tenant
A tenant is the person who has the legal right to occupy your rented property as their home under a tenancy agreement, usually in exchange for rent. From a landlord perspective, the key point is that a tenant is not a “guest”. They gain enforceable rights over the home, including the right to quiet enjoyment, and you must manage the tenancy within a regulated framework.
A tenant’s responsibilities typically include paying rent on time, looking after the property reasonably, reporting a repair promptly, and complying with the terms of the tenancy (for example, rules on pet request, smoking, or subletting). Your responsibilities include keeping the structure and key installations in repairs and maintaining safe living standards. Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 sets out core repairing duties and anticipates at least 24 hours’ written notice for certain access to inspect or carry out repairs, while still respecting quiet enjoyment.
When you take on a tenant, you also take on onboarding and compliance tasks, including taking and protecting a tenancy deposit via deposit protection, confirming right to rent, and providing key safety documents such as a gas safety certificate, EICR and EPC.
In England, the definition of “tenant” and the day-to-day relationship changes materially from 1 May 2026 under the Renters’ Rights Act. The Act ends the Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST) model and abolishes Section 21 notice. Most renters will instead be on an open-ended periodic tenancy as an assured tenancy, and you can only regain possession using Section 8 notice and specific grounds for possession. Rent changes are also standardised, including increases are initiated via Section 13 notice, limited in frequency and with minimum notice periods, and tenants can challenge them.
The Act also affects how you treat prospective tenants. For example it bans rental bidding, limits rent in advance, and makes it unlawful to discriminate against applicants with children or on benefits (DSS). It strengthens the right to make a pet request, and introduces a new Ombudsman and Private Rented Sector Database.
Also see our landlord blog articles.
