Rent a home

Under the Renters' Rights Act 2025, you have a statutory right to request permission to keep a pet, and your landlord cannot unreasonably refuse. Submit your request in writing to us with details of the pet — type, breed, age, and any other relevant information. Your landlord has 28 days to respond. If they refuse, they must provide a reasonable explanation — for example, the property is genuinely unsuitable or a head lease prohibits pets. Blanket "no pets" clauses in older tenancy agreements are no longer enforceable. If you believe a refusal is unreasonable, you can challenge it through the courts.

Yes — a tenancy deposit is required before you move in, and it cannot exceed five weeks' rent (or six weeks' rent where the annual rent is £50,000 or more). Where Castle Estates holds the deposit on behalf of your landlord, it's registered with the Deposit Protection Scheme at www.depositprotection.com. Some landlords hold deposits themselves and register with their own chosen scheme. We'll confirm which applies and provide the prescribed information within 30 days of receipt.

You may also be asked for a holding deposit of up to one week's rent while we complete referencing. Under the Renters' Rights Act 2025, neither landlords nor letting agents can require more than one month's rent in advance.

Your landlord can only increase the rent once every 12 months, and they must give you at least two months' written notice using the Government's prescribed Form 4A under Section 13 of the Housing Act 1988. Any rent review clauses written into older tenancy agreements no longer have legal effect. If you believe the proposed rent exceeds local market value, you can challenge it at the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) before the start date specified in the notice. The Tribunal can confirm or reduce the proposed rent, but cannot increase it above what your landlord asked for. You cannot be evicted for challenging a rent increase.

We work with Goodlord, an independent third-party referencing company, who handle the financial and reference checks, the tenancy paperwork, and the check-in process. You'll typically need proof of income (recent payslips, or accountant's letter for self-employed applicants), employer details, your previous landlord's contact information, photographic ID, and proof of right to rent in the UK. A full guide setting out exactly what's needed is provided once you apply, and our team are on hand if you have any questions along the way.

You can end your assured periodic tenancy at any time by giving at least two months' written notice. The notice must end on the last day of a rent period — usually the day before rent is due. A shorter notice period can be agreed in writing with all named tenants and the landlord. You don't need to provide a reason for leaving, and there are no early-termination fees for ending your tenancy in line with the Act. If you signed a fixed-term tenancy agreement before 1 May 2026, it automatically converted to an assured periodic tenancy on that date — these notice rules now apply to you too.

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 requires every landlord to provide their assured tenants with the Government's official Information Sheet, which explains how the new rules affect your tenancy. If you were already a tenant before 1 May 2026, we will have issued this between 1 and 31 May 2026. For any new tenancy starting after that date, we'll provide the Information Sheet before you sign — alongside the other prescribed documents (How to Rent guide, EPC, Gas Safety Certificate, and EICR).