Regulated Tenancies
Estimated reading time 5 minutes
In This Article
- What is a Regulated Tenancy?
- Fair Rents
- Help To Pay The Rent
- Repairs
- Eviction Of Regulated Tenants
- In Case Of Your Death
- Sole Tenancies
- If You Don’t Live With A Partner
- When A Second Succession Is Allowed
- Ending Your Tenancy
If you’re here, you are probably wondering what a Regulated Tenancy is, and whether you have one. Indeed, you could have a Regulated Tenancy if your private tenancy began before 15th January 1989. We are going to tell you all you need to know about these distinctive tenancies, from fair rents to what happens to the tenancy should you die.
What Is A Regulated Tenancy?
You probably have a Regulated Tenancy if you pay rent to a private landlord and your tenancy started before 15th January 1989. Likewise, if you later signed a new tenancy agreement after that date with the same landlord, even if it’s at a different address. They are sometimes called Protected Tenancies or Rent Act tenancies. If you are a regulated tenant, you have strong tenancy rights.
Need Help Selling Your Home Fast?
Fair Rents
Regulated tenants pay a fair rent which is lower than a market rent. A fair rent is set by a rent officer at the Valuation Office Agency. This is the maximum rent your landlord can charge you under the tenancy.
Help To Pay The Rent
If you need help to pay your rent, you can usually claim Housing Benefit, if you (and your partner if you live together) are both pension age, or Universal Credit, if you (or your partner if you live together) are working age.
Repairs
Under a Regulated Tenancy, your landlord is responsible for most repairs in your home. They must keep the structure and exterior of your home in good repair, they must also keep any gas, electricity, heating, water and sanitation equipment in good repair. They must arrange yearly gas safety checks if there’s a gas supply. You should report problems promptly and allow access to your home for repairs and safety inspections.
Eviction Of Regulated Tenants
You can only be evicted from a Regulated Tenancy if your landlord gets a court order. They must prove a legal reason for eviction, such as rent arrears. The court must consider if it’s reasonable to evict you.
Eviction of a regulated tenant without a court order is illegal. You are entitled to get help from the council if you’re illegally evicted or harassed by your landlord. You may also be able to get legal help from a solicitor to get back into your home or claim compensation.
In Case Of Your Death
In case of your death, what happens to your tenancy depends on whether it’s a joint tenancy, who else lives there with you, how long they’ve lived there, and if you inherited the tenancy from someone else.
Inheriting a tenancy from someone you live with is known as succession. In many cases, the tenancy can only be passed on once, when the original regulated tenant dies, but there are exceptions to this rule. The type of tenancy will change if it passes to a family member who is not your partner. It will then become an Assured Tenancy.
Sole Tenancies
Your tenancy can usually pass to a partner who is living in your home immediately before you die. Where this happens, the tenancy will continue as a Regulated Tenancy. The exception to this is where you inherited the tenancy from someone else. In this situation, the tenancy will end if you die, unless a second succession is allowed.
If You Don’t Live With Your Partner
Your tenancy can sometimes pass to another family member if you don’t have a partner. Your family member must have lived with you at the property for at least two years immediately before you die. If more than one family member meets this condition, they can decide between them who succeeds to the tenancy. A court can decide if they can’t agree.
When A Second Succession Is Allowed
Your tenancy can sometimes pass to another family member if you were the partner of the original tenant or succeeded to a Regulated Tenancy when they died. This can only happen if your family member lived with you for at least two years immediately before your death and was also a family member of the original tenant. A second succession will always be to an Assured Tenancy.
Ending Your Tenancy
Most regulated tenants don’t want to end their tenancies because they have stronger rights than other private renters.
Some landlords will try and negotiate an end to the regulated tenancy. They may offer you a cash incentive to leave so they can rent the property out at a higher rent. Get legal advice if your landlord offers you money or asks you to give up your tenancy. It can be very difficult to find suitable, affordable and permanent housing where you have the same rights.
* With Gaffsy you can get your house valuation quickly, and complete on your house sale fast with no fees.
* Gaffsy is the cheapest way to sell your property, avoiding costs such as agents’ fees, estate agents’ charges, solicitors’ fees, clearance costs, utility charges, mortgage payments and cosmetic repair costs.
* Selling to Gaffsy means a fast house sale. We won’t keep you waiting to get you moving.
Sell Your House Fast With Gaffsy
