April 13, 2021

If the property is shared by three or more tenants who are not members of the same family, the property may be classified as a multi-occupancy house (HMO). If you are a homeowner, you may need to register and grant this property with the local housing authority. They must also be property compliant with the management of homes of the 1990 multi-occupancy regulation. If you are not registered and have a licence or have doubts, please contact a local lawyer. There are obligations that you and your landlord have that are not stipulated in the contract, but are set by law and are incorporated into all leases. These terms are part of the contract, even if they have not been explicitly agreed between you and your landlord. What an agreement says and what the lease really is may be different. For example, your landlord may say that the contract is not a lease, but an “occupancy license.” It allows you to live in a property as long as you pay rent and follow the rules. It also sets the legal terms of your lease. It can be written or oral (a spoken agreement). Safe shorthold rentals always start with a fixed term.

Hence the “safe” part. The fixed term is clearly described in the lease. Typically, six or twelve months, the fixed term guarantees the lease for both the tenant and the lessor. The end of the lease in its fixed term can only go through two channels: before signing a tenancy agreement, a tenant should read the contract carefully and consider the following: A tenancy agreement exists, even if there is only a verbal agreement between you and your landlord. For example, at the beginning of the lease, you and your landlord agreed on the amount of rent and when it would be payable, whether it contains fuel, or if your landlord can decide who else may reside in the unit. The lease is a contract between you and your landlord. It can be written or oral. The lease gives you and your landlord certain rights.