UK Landlord Forum / Life

Hi.
My mother has just transferred a rental property of hers to me. The same tennants remain in the house. I understand that the tenants need to receive a rent authority letter - can someone explain what this is and point me to the correct wording for this document. Is there anything else I need to be aware of?

The assured shorthold tenancy agreement that the tenants signed with my mother expires in a couple of months, the tenants will want to renwew for another 12 months. Do I need to generate a new agreement or is there a addendum which i can add to the exisiting agreement. Do I need to do that now or can i wait untill the current agreement ends?

Many Thanks

You'll need to send the tenants:

- Section 3 Notice
- Section 48 Notice
- Bank account details for payment of rent

I have attached the templates I used.

It's up to you whether you include your email address/phone number. I did because the tenant's were OK and I wanted them to have an easy means of contacting me if there was a problem. Other people might advise you to give your address only.



You will need to inform the DPS, TDS, MyDeposits (whichever holds the deposit) of the change of landlord. This may involve you creating a new account and having the deposit transferred to your account. Phone the company to ask about the procedure.

Remember to send the updated deposit Prescribed Information to the tenants.


You do not need to issue a new AST tenancy agreement for another 12 months. I would urge you to just let it become a Statutory Periodic Tenancy (SPT), which just rolls on from month to month. The change from AST to SPT is automatic if you simply do nothing and the tenants stay beyond the 12 months of the initial AST.


Make sure your Landlord's Gas Safety Record is up to date. Likewise the EICR.

Make sure there is a smoke alarm on each floor of the property and that there is a CO alarm in any room where there is a fire or combustion appliance, eg. gas boiler (but not required for a gas cooker).

Ask if there is anything you are unsure of.