Letting terms explained: a glossary for room landlords

By Rentap editorial team Published Updated 11 min read

This glossary explains, in plain English, the terms you'll meet when you let a house room by room in England. Each entry is a one or two sentence summary with a link to the official source or to our longer guide. Definitions are simplified: the law has exceptions that a summary can't cover, so follow the links before you rely on any of them. Terms are grouped by topic: tenancies and ending them, rent, deposits, safety, shared houses and licensing, tenants' status, money and tax, and the new registration rules.

Tenancies

Assured periodic tenancy

The standard private tenancy in England since 1 May 2026. It has no fixed end date and rolls on from one rent period to the next, usually weekly or monthly, until the tenant gives notice or the landlord ends it on a legal ground. Existing assured shorthold tenancies became assured periodic tenancies on that date under the Renters' Rights Act 2025. See periodic tenancies: what changed.

Assured shorthold tenancy

The tenancy most private lets used before 1 May 2026, often with a fixed term and ended with a Section 21 notice. For private lets in England it no longer exists for new tenancies; see assured periodic tenancy.

Joint tenancy

One tenancy granted to two or more people together, for example a whole house let to a group of friends on one agreement. GOV.UK says all tenants on the agreement are responsible for the rent (often called "joint and several liability"), and that one joint tenant can usually end the joint tenancy without the others agreeing. Most houses let room by room use a separate tenancy for each room instead; see tenancy agreement for a room.

Tenancy agreement

The terms of a tenancy: who the parties are, what is let, the rent, the rent period and the rules of the house. It can be written or oral, but for new tenancies since 1 May 2026 the landlord must give the tenant certain information in writing before the tenancy is agreed, or risk a fine of up to £7,000. GOV.UK has a guide to assured periodic tenancies for landlords. See tenancy agreement for a room.

Information sheet

A government document that landlords had to give to tenants of tenancies that already existed on 1 May 2026, by 31 May 2026. It doesn't apply to lodgers.

Ending a tenancy

Section 21

The old "no-fault" notice that let a landlord end an assured shorthold tenancy without giving a reason. It was abolished for private assured tenancies in England from 1 May 2026, as the guide to the Renters' Rights Act explains.

Section 8

The section of the Housing Act 1988 under which a landlord gives notice that they will ask the court for possession on one or more of the legal grounds in Schedule 2. Private landlords use Form 3A. See ending a tenancy after Section 21.

Grounds for possession

The legal reasons a landlord can rely on to end an assured tenancy, such as wanting to sell, moving in, or serious rent arrears. Some are mandatory (the court must make an order if the ground is proved) and some discretionary. The government's grounds for possession guidance lists each one with its notice period.

Notice to quit

A tenant's written notice that they're ending their tenancy. For an assured periodic tenancy, the tenant normally gives two months' notice. Lodgers and landlords of lodgers use different notice rules; see lodger below.

Rent

Section 13

The section of the Housing Act 1988 that sets the process for a landlord to increase the rent of an assured periodic tenancy. Under the reformed rules, rent can go up once a year, with at least two months' notice, and not in the first year of the tenancy. See rent increases after the Renters' Rights Act.

Form 4A

The government form a private landlord uses to propose a new rent under Section 13. It's published with the other assured tenancy forms. The tenant can ask the First-tier Tribunal to decide the market rent. Our free rent increase date calculator helps with the dates.

First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber)

The tribunal that decides rent disputes, including challenges to a rent increase, and some other housing cases in England.

Bills-included rent

A rent that includes some or all of the household bills, such as energy, water, broadband and council tax. It's common in houses let by the room. If you resell gas or electricity separately, Ofgem's maximum resale price rules apply. See bills in a shared house.

Rent in advance

Rent paid before the rent period it covers. Under the reformed rules, a landlord can ask for no more than one month's rent (or 28 days' rent) in advance, and only after the tenancy agreement has been signed and before the tenancy starts.

Deposits

Deposit protection scheme

One of the three government-approved schemes that protect a tenancy deposit: the Deposit Protection Service, mydeposits and the Tenancy Deposit Scheme. A landlord must protect the deposit within 30 days of receiving it. See tenancy deposit protection: the 30-day rule.

Prescribed information

The set of details about the deposit and the scheme that a landlord must give the tenant in writing within the same 30 days, set out in the Prescribed Information Order and summarised on GOV.UK.

Deposit cap

The most a landlord can take as a tenancy deposit: five weeks' rent where the annual rent is under £50,000, or six weeks' rent where it's £50,000 or more. See deposit deductions and disputes.

Safety

CP12 / gas safety record

The record a Gas Safe registered engineer gives after the yearly gas safety check. "CP12" is the name of the form many engineers use. Landlords must have gas appliances, fittings and flues they provide checked at least every 12 months and give tenants a copy. See landlord safety certificates.

EICR

Electrical installation condition report: a report on the fixed electrical installation by a qualified person, needed for private lets at least every five years or sooner if the report says so.

EPC

Energy performance certificate: rates a home's energy efficiency from A to G and is valid for ten years. Most private lets must meet a minimum standard, currently an E rating, unless an exemption is registered.

Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms

Private landlords must have a smoke alarm on every storey with living accommodation and a carbon monoxide alarm in rooms with a fixed combustion appliance (other than a gas cooker), checked on the day each new tenancy begins. If your house is licensed, check the licence conditions too. See fire safety in a shared house.

Fire risk assessment

A written assessment of fire risks and precautions. In a shared house, fire safety law applies to the common areas, and the landlord is usually the responsible person.

Shared houses and licensing

A house in multiple occupation: a property let to at least three people who aren't from one household and who share facilities such as a kitchen or bathroom. A house let room by room to unrelated people is usually one. The full definition is in section 254 of the Housing Act 2004. On this site we say "shared house" or "house let by the room".

Household

A family living together: a single person, a couple, or relatives. Three unrelated friends are three households. The statutory meaning covers couples and a wide range of relatives, such as parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces and cousins.

Mandatory licensing

A licence from the council is required for a shared house let to five or more people forming more than one household who share facilities. Licences last up to five years. See shared house licensing.

Additional licensing

A council scheme that requires licences for shared houses that mandatory licensing doesn't cover, such as houses with three or four sharers, in all or part of the council's area, under section 56 of the Housing Act 2004.

Selective licensing

A council scheme that requires a licence for privately rented homes in a designated area, whether or not they're shared, under Part 3 of the Housing Act 2004. The government publishes a guide to selective licensing.

Minimum room sizes

In a licensed shared house, a room used for sleeping by one person over 10 must be at least 6.51 square metres, by two people over 10 at least 10.22 square metres, and by one child under 10 at least 4.64 square metres. A room under 4.64 square metres can't be used for sleeping. See minimum room sizes.

Article 4 direction

A planning direction a council can make to remove permitted development rights in an area. Many councils use one so that turning a family house into a small shared house needs planning permission. Check with your council's planning team before you change how a house is used.

Rent repayment order

An order a tribunal can make requiring a landlord to repay rent, for example where a house that needed a licence wasn't licensed, under the Housing and Planning Act 2016.

Who lives there

Lodger

Someone who lives in the landlord's own home and usually shares a kitchen, bathroom or living room with the landlord or their family. A lodger is normally an excluded occupier with fewer protections than a tenant, and isn't covered by the assured tenancy rules. See lodger or tenant.

Licensee

Someone who has permission to live in a place but doesn't have a tenancy, such as most lodgers. A licence to occupy can usually be ended with less notice than a tenancy. Some licensees are "excluded" under section 3A of the Protection from Eviction Act 1977.

Right to Rent

The legal duty to check, before a new tenancy starts, that every tenant or lodger aged 18 or over has the right to rent in England, even if they aren't named on the tenancy agreement, under the Immigration Act 2014. See Right to Rent checks.

Money and tax

Council tax

The local tax on homes. In a shared house let room by room, the owner is usually the one who pays, under the Council Tax (Liability for Owners) Regulations 1992. Where a whole house is let on one joint tenancy, the tenants may pay instead, depending on the house and how the council classes it. GOV.UK explains who has to pay. See bills in a shared house.

Rent a Room

An HMRC scheme that lets you earn up to £7,500 a year tax-free from letting furnished accommodation in your own home, halved to £3,750 if you share the income with someone else. It doesn't apply to houses you don't live in.

Making Tax Digital for Income Tax

HMRC's rules requiring landlords and sole traders above an income threshold to keep digital records and send updates through compatible software. It started on 6 April 2026 for qualifying income over £50,000, with lower thresholds following. See Making Tax Digital for landlords.

Registration and complaints

PRS database

The private rented sector database created by the Renters' Rights Act 2025, on which landlords will have to register themselves and their properties. Registration opens region by region, starting in the West Midlands on 15 December 2026, with a three-month window in each region and a final deadline of 14 November 2027. The fee is £65 per property per year. See the PRS landlord database.

Landlord ombudsman

A complaints service that private landlords will have to join once it's set up, so tenants can escalate complaints. The government hasn't announced a joining date; the guide to the Act sets out the plans.

How Rentap helps

Rentap is room-letting software for houses let room by room in England. Each room has its own tenancy, rent and rent period, and every payment, credit and charge goes on the tenant's account. You can record a rent change and the date you gave notice, keep each deposit and its return, and keep start and end of tenancy inventories with photos. The compliance calendar reminds you before gas, electrical, EPC, alarm and licence dates. Rentap doesn't give legal advice; the guides linked above explain the rules. See rent tracking, room by room.

Sources

Last checked: 10 October 2026. This glossary is general information, not legal advice.

Questions

What is the difference between a lodger and a tenant?

A lodger lives in the landlord's own home, usually sharing a kitchen or bathroom with them, and is normally a licensee rather than a tenant. A tenant of a room in a house the landlord doesn't live in normally has an assured periodic tenancy.

Is a shared house the same as a house let by the room?

Usually. A house where three or more people from more than one household share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet is a shared house in housing law. A house let room by room to unrelated people normally meets that test.

What replaced Section 21?

For private assured tenancies, Section 21 ended on 1 May 2026. Landlords now end a tenancy using a ground for possession under Section 8, with the notice form the government publishes.

What is Form 4A?

Form 4A is the government form a private landlord uses to propose a new rent for an assured periodic tenancy under Section 13 of the Housing Act 1988.

This page is general information about England, not legal advice. Rules change and every tenancy is different; if your situation is unusual, speak to a solicitor.

Start letting your rooms the easy way

Set up in an evening. 1 month free, no card needed.

Get started free