Work through the national guidance for the actual arrangement. A lender’s consent, a lease restriction, building approval and a housing licence answer different questions. Use the specialist route for lodgers, holiday accommodation, supported housing or a commercial letting.
Confirm that this home can be let
Begin with the property, owner and intended household. The answer depends on more than whether the home is empty and presentable.
- Check ownership authority, mortgage and insurance conditions, any lease restrictions, local permissions and the country's registration or licensing rules.
- Identify the intended occupancy and any HMO implications. Confirm the rooms and facilities can be used as proposed.
- Assess the condition and required safety evidence, including defects or remedial work in reports. Resolve safety issues before handing over.
Prepare the agreement and money
Use the contract and payment rules for the property's country.
- Check the current template, parties, address, rent, occupation date and required information. Have unusual terms reviewed.
- Calculate permitted deposits and advance rent, arrange protection and record the correct deadlines.
- Conduct consistent applicant checks, including right to rent only where the English scheme applies. Keep decision evidence proportionate and secure.
Make handover a recorded event
Prepare a pack that the occupant can actually use.
- Provide the agreement, required information, safety documents, inventory, keys, meter readings and repair contacts as applicable.
- Demonstrate essential controls and alarms and record any agreed inventory corrections.
- Save proof of provision and open follow-up tasks for non-safety snagging. Do not mark a property ready merely because the documents have been uploaded.
Example: the EICR is current but unsatisfactory
A fictional property's electrical report is only a month old but identifies unresolved dangerous defects. The move-in checklist should remain incomplete until the necessary work and evidence are obtained. A recent date is not a satisfactory outcome.
What to do
- Identify the owner, landlord, manager, country and intended occupiers.
- Check permissions, licensing, safety, energy information and insurance cover for the use.
- Prepare the right agreement, deposit process, inventory and information pack.
- Record handover, keys, meter readings and any unresolved work.
Evidence to keep
- Permissions and safety pack
- Agreement, inventory, information and delivery evidence
Sources and guidance
- Renting Homes: checklist for landlords and tenantsWelsh Government · checked 20 October 2026
- Assured periodic tenancies: landlord guideUK Government · checked 20 October 2026
- Being a private landlordScottish Government · checked 20 October 2026