Check your housing status if you rent from a private landlord

Summary

Some types of rental agreement will mean you’re not a private tenant and your rights will be more complicated. If you have one of these agreements, you should get help from your nearest Citizens Advice. For example, you won’t be a private tenant if your home is: * arranged by your local council because you’re homeless * let to you by an agricultural landlord - for example, if you rent a farm The type of rental agreement you have depends on when it started. You don’t have to have a written contract to have a valid agreement - you might have agreed it verbally with your landlord. The date your agreement started might be in your written contract if you have one. If not, it will be the date you agreed the rental agreement - this could be earlier than the day you agreed to move in. Even if you have a written contract that says you have a certain type of agreement, you should still check what type of agreement you have. It might be different to what your written contract says - this means you might have more rights. Most rental agreements are 'assured tenancies'. If your agreement started on or after 1 May 2026, you have an assured tenancy if all the following apply: * you pay rent to a.

Key information

• arranged by your local council because you’re homeless
• let to you as part of your job
• let to you by an agricultural landlord - for example, if you rent a farm
• you pay rent to a private landlord - and it’s more than £250 a year, or more than £1,000 in Greater London
• you don’t live in the same building as your landlord - and they don’t need to enter your room to provide services, like cleaning
• you have at least 1 room that only you and your family can use - and you don’t have to share with anyone else
• you have the right to rent in the UK
• you don’t have a lease with a fixed term of 21 years or more
• you aren’t a student living in halls of residence who pays rent to a university
• you aren’t a student paying rent to a private landlord who signed up to the ‘ANUK Unipol National Code of Standards’ - check if your landlord signed up to ANUK Unipol Code on the National Code website
• you paid rent to a private landlord and it was more than £250 a year, or more than £1,000 in Greater London
• you didn’t live in the same building as your landlord - and they didn’t need to enter your room to provide services, like cleaning

Practical guidance

• Source: Check your housing status if you rent from a private landlord

Related topics