Glossary
Glossary for letting agents: 15 terms in plain English
Each definition is taken from one of our guides, which gives the rule in full and where it comes from. The terms are in alphabetical order.
Additional licensing
A council scheme that requires a licence for smaller houses in multiple occupation than the national rule covers. In Reading it applies to HMOs of 3 or 4 people, where the licence cost £1,500 on 1 October 2026; mandatory licensing covers 5 or more.
Source: Reading Borough Council, Extension of property licensing in Reading
Assured periodic tenancy
The form almost every private tenancy in England has taken since 1 May 2026: a tenancy that runs from one rent period to the next with no fixed end date. A landlord who wants the property back has to serve a Section 8 notice and rely on a ground.
Source: Renters' Rights Act 2025; GOV.UK guidance
Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR)
The report on the fixed wiring of a let property. Under the 2020 regulations the installation must be inspected and tested at intervals of no more than five years, or sooner if the last report says so.
Source: Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020
Gas safety check
The yearly check of gas appliances and flues in a let property. It can be done in the two months before the 12-month deadline without losing a day of the record's life. Where a tenant refuses access, HSE inspectors look for at least three attempts and a record of the correspondence.
Source: HSE, landlords' gas safety guidance; Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998
Ground 1A
The ground for possession used when a landlord intends to sell. It needs 4 months' notice, and the notice cannot expire within the first 12 months of a new tenancy.
Source: GOV.UK grounds for possession guidance
Ground 8
The serious rent arrears ground for possession. Since 1 May 2026 it needs 3 months' rent owed on a monthly tenancy, or 13 weeks' on a weekly or fortnightly one, both when the notice is served and at the hearing. On £1,250 a month that is £3,750, not the old £2,500.
Free tool: Ground 8 rent arrears checker: is the new 3-month threshold met?
Source: Housing Act 1988, Schedule 2, Ground 8 as amended by the Renters' Rights Act 2025
Holding deposit
Money taken to reserve a property while checks are done. It is capped at one week's rent, which is £288.46 on a £1,250-a-month let. The agreement has to be signed by the 15th day after it is received, and it must be repaid within 7 days unless one of four exceptions applies.
Source: Tenant Fees Act 2019, Schedule 2
Information sheet
The government's 4-page PDF about the Renters' Rights Act that had to reach every named tenant on an existing tenancy by 31 May 2026, printed or attached. A link to it is not valid. The maximum penalty is £7,000, and a managing agent had to give it even if the landlord also did.
Free tool: Renters' Rights Act information sheet: who had to give it, how, and how to prove it
Source: GOV.UK, Renters' Rights Act information sheet guidance
Landlord Ombudsman
The new redress scheme for private landlords set up by the Renters' Rights Act. It follows the PRS Database in the government's roadmap, and membership is not expected to be required until 2028.
Source: GOV.UK, Renters' Rights Act implementation roadmap
PRS Database
The private rented sector database the government says will launch on 15 December 2026, starting in the West Midlands, with every landlord registered by 14 November 2027. Joining will be mandatory for all private landlords, for an annual fee still to be confirmed, and it is expected to ask for gas, electrical and EPC details for every property.
Source: GOV.UK, Renters' Rights Act implementation roadmap
Rent in advance
Rent taken before it falls due. Since 1 May 2026 a landlord or agent can ask for one month at most, and only once the tenancy agreement has been signed. Asking for more, or asking before signing, is now unlawful.
Full guide: Lettings compliance checklist 2026 (England): what changed with the Renters' Rights Act
Source: Renters' Rights Act 2025; GOV.UK guidance
Rental bidding
Asking for, encouraging or accepting an offer of rent above the advertised figure. It has been banned since 1 May 2026 and is one of six items on our compliance checklist that are new or changed since that date.
Full guide: Lettings compliance checklist 2026 (England): what changed with the Renters' Rights Act
Source: Renters' Rights Act 2025; GOV.UK guidance
Section 13 notice (Form 4A)
The only way to raise the rent on a private tenancy in England since 1 May 2026. The form is served at least two months before the new rent starts, and an increase cannot start sooner than 52 weeks after the tenancy began or after the last increase took effect.
Free tool: Section 13 rent increase: how to serve Form 4A and work out the earliest start date
Source: Housing Act 1988, section 13(2)
Section 8 notice
The notice a landlord in England now uses to get a property back. Since 1 May 2026 Section 21 notices cannot be used in the private rented sector, so the landlord has to rely on one or more grounds set out in law. The notice period depends on the ground: 4 weeks for rent arrears, 4 months for selling or moving in.
Source: GOV.UK grounds for possession guidance; Housing Act 1988, Schedule 2
Tenancy deposit cap
The most a tenant can be asked to pay as a deposit: 5 weeks' rent where the annual rent is under £50,000 and 6 weeks' where it is £50,000 or more. A week's rent is the annual rent divided by 52, so on £1,250 a month the cap is £1,442.30.
Free tool: Tenancy deposit cap calculator: 5 or 6 weeks' rent, worked out the way the law does it
Source: Tenant Fees Act 2019, Schedule 1
AEO Lookup editorial team
We write practical guides for people who run small UK firms, and we check every fact against its source on the date shown. Read how we review, or tell us if something has changed.