What are your rights as a tenant when renting?

With the cost of living crisis seeing no signs of abating, rents are rising and people are struggling to keep up with their bills.

If you are in this kind of situation, it is useful to know what your rights are, and how secure you are in your property.

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So from eviction rules to whether you can have pets in rental properties, here is everything you need to know about renting in England.

Can your landlord put your rent up?

Most tenants have a rental agreement called an assured shorthold tenancy.

Some of these are rolling, when tenants pay rent weekly or monthly, with no fixed end date.

In these cases, the landlord can usually only put up the rent once a year and must give at least one month's notice before doing so.

Other renters have a fixed agreement, for around six or 12 months.

In these cases, landlords normally can't put the rent up until the fixed term ends, unless the contract has a rent review clause, and also must give at least one month's notice.

Can your landlord evict you?

In England the landlord has to give written notice to evict a tenant which could be a "section 8" notice if they have a reason for wanting you to leave, such as late rent payments, or a "section 21" notice without providing a reason - although the government has tabled a law that would ban no-fault evictions

Once the notice period ends, the landlord can start eviction proceedings through court.

Landlords can apply for a "possession order" to get their property back. If that is granted and you don't leave, landlords can apply for a "warrant for possession".

But an Ombudsman will be set up to protect the rights of tenants. Landlords will be forced to sign up to the new legal body, which in circumstances will force them to issue an apology and pay compensation of up to £30,000.

Can you have pets in a rental property?

Many dog owners think taking care of their pets is more important ... ZMG - Buzz60

Thanks to a new law tabled in Parliament, tenants will be given a legal right to request to keep a pet, which the landlord can't unreasonably refuse.

The law is also set to make it illegal for a landlord to refuse tenancies to families with children, or those on benefits

But landlords can charge higher rents to cover the risk of pet damage.

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