How to Rent Booklet Updated 31st May 2019

How to Rent Booklet Updated 31st May 2019

8:52 AM, 3rd June 2019, About 5 years ago 21

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Just to add to the introduction of the Tenant Fees act on the 1st of June the government has updated the ‘How to Rent’ booklet the day before.

This updated version must now be given to tenants at the start of all new tenancies from the date it was changed – 31/05/2019.

Click Here to download the new booklet.

Landlords must serve an updated version of the ‘How to Rent’ booklet when a new tenancy starts and the booklet has been updated since the last one was granted. A statutory periodic tenancy is considered a new tenancy so an updated copy must be served before you can issue a Section 21.

“This guide is for tenants and landlords in the private rented sector to help them understand their rights and responsibilities. It provides a checklist and more detailed information on each stage of the process, including:

  • what to look out for before renting
  • living in a rented home
  • what happens at the end of a tenancy
  • what to do if things go wrong”

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Comments

Mark Alexander - Founder of Property118

13:37 PM, 3rd June 2019, About 5 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Dylan Morris at 03/06/2019 - 13:33
email is fine, better still if they acknowledge it. Your email browser might also have a setting to confirm delivery and opening of the email.

Dylan Morris

13:43 PM, 3rd June 2019, About 5 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Mark Alexander at 03/06/2019 - 13:37
That’s great many thanks Mark.

Whiteskifreak Surrey

13:45 PM, 3rd June 2019, About 5 years ago

We are just in the middle of signing a new tenancy and I have already printed that booklet.
We will also be handing over copies to all our tenants, regardless the contract they are on. Just in case.

Kate Mellor

14:24 PM, 3rd June 2019, About 5 years ago

Annoyingly I was expecting an update and checked the Gov.uk website late Friday afternoon (31st) as I was signing up a new tenant in the morning and the update wasn’t there then. July 18 was the most up to date version so I’ve blooming well issued the wrong version now! That’s infuriating. I bind all the tenant’s documents together for them and my signed acknowledgment of receipt states the version served. Talk about messing with my system. Fuming 😤

Jim Fox

7:58 AM, 17th June 2019, About 5 years ago

I have a number of existing AST's which became periodic prior to the 31st May 2019.
I also have 3 AST's which will go periodic after the 31st May 2019.
My understanding of the legislation is that as these are all existing tenancies, which are merely rolling forward as periodic tenancies, then I'm not required to reissue the latest How to Rent guide for any of these?
Am I wrong?
Jim

Mark Alexander - Founder of Property118

8:32 AM, 17th June 2019, About 5 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Jim Fox at 17/06/2019 - 07:58
It depends who you ask.

In my opinion, it has been established that a Statutory Periodic has been deemed by the Courts to be a new tenancy.

Many organizations will tell you that you do not to reissue, but I choose to take an ultra conservative approach so that even if I am wrong there has been no harm done. They are sent electronically with an automatic notification on receipt, so no paper is necessary.

Jim Fox

8:51 AM, 17th June 2019, About 5 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Mark Alexander at 17/06/2019 - 08:32
Thanks Mark, I see what youre saying.
The excerpt below was taken from a Helix Law update email sent by one of their partners, Lara Albon, so its even seems to be confusing for solicitors to interpret?

A new How to Rent booklet is now in force – This version of the booklet should be served on all new assured shorthold tenants before they occupy the rented property or for ‘replacement tenancies’ where the original tenancy started before 31 May 2019. You do not need to provide the new booklet to those tenants that have already received a booklet previously.

Mark Alexander - Founder of Property118

9:02 AM, 17th June 2019, About 5 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Jim Fox at 17/06/2019 - 08:51
LOL, yes that advice is definitely one of the most self-contradictory pieces of advice a lawyer has ever provided.

JB

17:39 PM, 18th June 2019, About 5 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Mark Alexander at 03/06/2019 - 11:16
I have a tenancy which has just become a contractual periodic after finishing the fixed period. I was going to refund some deposit to reduce it to 5 weeks and called Mydeposits to enquire how to do it without cancelling the current one and paying again. They told me categorically that I did NOT need to refund any deposit.

Clint

17:50 PM, 18th June 2019, About 5 years ago

Reply to the comment left by JB at 18/06/2019 - 17:39
Having read a lot about this, as far as I am aware, it is only after 31st May 2020 that you have to return the excess of the deposit. Further to this if you are working on the basis that you have a new tenancy and require to return the excess deposit, the fact that you state that you have a contractual periodic tenancy and not a statutory periodic tenancy possibly means that you have a single tenancy with a fixed term followed by a periodic tenancy which is still part of the same single tenancy so you should not have to return any of the excess deposit at the moment.
I am no expert on this so these are all just my views

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