Useful links

This page provides some common web links that you may find useful during your stay in the private sector.

General information

• Advice and Counselling Budgeting Form - assistance to help you budget
• Council Tax - guidance regarding council tax
• Council Tax Exemption - guidance regarding council tax exemption 
• Guarantors and Rent Guarantor Scheme
• How to Rent - The Checklist for Renting in England [PDF 556KB]
• Land Registry Online - find out who owns a property
• Landlord Immigration Checks (Right to Rent) and further information for International Students
• London Rents Map -  rent guidance for different postal districts
• Model Agreement for a Shorthold Assured Tenancy – designed by the UK Government
• NUS Ready to Rent
• Section 21 Notice
• Tenant Fees Act 2019 – Guidance for Tenants
• Tower Hamlets Private Renter Charter
• Tower Hamlets resources - useful information for new residents
• TV Licences - information on how to apply and the cost 
• Your Right to Know Who Your Landlord Is [PDF 417KB]

Private Accommodation Web Searches

• OnTheMarket
• OpenRent
• Rightmove
• Student Spareroom
• Zoopla

Health and Safety issues

• Damp, Mould and Condensation [PDF 8,456KB]
• Fire Safety in Shared Accommodation and how to Book a Fire Safety Home Visit
• Gas Safe Register
• Gas Safety Video
• Health and Safety Executive - Gas
• Health and Safety Executive - Electricity 
• Health and Safety Rating Guide - used by Environmental Health to assess property disrepair etc
• Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018
• Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015 [PDF 623KB]

Deposit protection

• It is a key consumer-protection measure, to prevent landlords wrongly withholding part or all of a tenant’s deposit. It also offers simple dispute resolution and helps to raise standards in the private rented housing sector. The Deposit Protection Service, Tenancy Deposit Solutions Ltd or The Tenancy Deposit Scheme, administer both custodial and insurance schemes.

Legal advice

• Small Claims Against your Landlord - information on how to take your landlord to court for compensation 
• Shelter  - can advise on all aspects of housing and homelessness
• Law Centres - provide free legal and write legal letters on your behalf
• Queen Mary Legal Advice Centre - The Legal Advice Centre provides preliminary advice on the strength of a client's case, the processes that need to be followed and an explanation of complex legal issues.