Videos Guides for Renting
FUNDED PROJECT
A series of short educational films for tenants to help them understand their rights and responsibilities, produced by Newcastle City Council (Private Rented Service) and funded by the TDS Charitable Foundation.
Watch the guides here.
Advicenow for Tenants
FUNDED PROJECT
Law for Life provides multimedia information and education that explains how to manage legal situations in a straight-forward way. They run the award-winning Advicenow website providing a hand-picked and checked information service that draws together the best up-to-date information about the law and rights available on the internet.
How to deal with a section 21 eviction notice
Has your landlord or their agent sent you an eviction notice telling you to leave your home? If this happens to you and you rent from a private landlord and the property you rent is somewhere in England, then this guide is for you. This guide:
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Explains what the notice really means,
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Explains when and why you may be able to challenge the notice and your landlord’s claim for a possession order, and
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Helps you work out your options and decide what to do next.
First off – you may be feeling stressed or anxious, but try not to panic. Perhaps a friend, neighbour or family member can sit and read this guide with you. You may want to read it through more than once as you think about your options and decide what to do.
Click to download the guide
“I have used your guide to find out if I should appeal (I appreciated your very frank advice). I’ve now used it to ask for an appeal. It was really helpful and I don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t found it.” – Advicenow site user
How to get repairs done at your privately rented home
If you rent a home in England from a private landlord and you need repairs doing, then this guide is for you. If you are living in something called ‘temporary accommodation’ you may think this guide doesn’t apply to you. But your temporary accommodation is probably rented from a private landlord. If so, you are a private tenant and this guide is also for you. This guide explains:
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Who is responsible for repairing your home,
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What you can do to get repairs done, and
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What you can do if your landlord fails to repair something they are responsible for.
It also helps you work out your options and decide what to do next.
Click to download the guide
“Advicenow is the liveliest, least stuffy, most accessible and understandable website on legal matters that I’ve ever come across.” – Marcel Berlins, The Guardian
Is your letting agent a member of a professional or regulatory body?
A number of professional bodies exist to regulate letting agents and encourage best practice. Each body requires a standard of practice and you can find out if your agent is a member by checking their online directories:​
Letting Agents are not required to be a member of a professional or regulatory body but they must have Client Money Protection. If your Letting Agent is not a member of one of the above bodies, they may have direct Client Money Protection via MoneyShield.
Landlord Accreditation Schemes
FUNDED PROJECT
There are accreditation schemes for landlords across the country.
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With funding from the TDS Charitable Foundation, Unipol provided a new website for Accreditation Network UK (ANUK). ANUK promotes landlord accreditation programmes across the UK and the improved website, managed by Unipol, includes a directory of landlord accreditation schemes and downloadable accreditation handbooks.
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Find out about the Landlord accreditation schemes in your area here.
