Renting safely in the UK

What the scam looks like

"Don't worry that you're abroad and can't view it", "Pay a deposit now and I'll hold it for you", "It's really popular, it'll be gone if you don't commit today" – hear all three and you can be pretty sure it's a scam. Scammers are betting that you're overseas, in a hurry, and don't know how renting here works.

Three checks – miss one, don't pay

1. A live video viewing. Not a video they send you, but a live call where they walk over to the window and turn on the tap when you ask. A recorded video can be lifted from any listings site.
2. Check the landlord is who they say. Ask for proof they own the property, or the letting agent's credentials. A real landlord doesn't mind being checked; anyone who does is a red flag.
3. A proper contract plus a protected deposit. Sign a formal tenancy agreement (AST), and the deposit goes into a government-approved protection scheme, as it should (see "Deposits: 5 weeks max, protected within 30 days"). Scammers can't give you either of these – and that's exactly why the proper process protects you from fraud.

Since 1 May 2026, tenancy types have changed: the APT (assured periodic tenancy) has replaced the AST. The AST mentioned above is the pre-change name. The rule itself hasn't changed, only the name – if your contract isn't called an AST, that doesn't mean there's something wrong with it. To work out which type you're on (especially the extra layer for student accommodation), see "What kind of tenancy have you actually signed?". Source: https://www.gov.uk/private-renting(2026-09-05, checked first-hand)

If you can't view it

If you really can't get there in time: go for uni halls or listings approved by your uni's housing office, or book direct on a big student accommodation chain's own website. They cost a bit more, but the risk of "the flat doesn't exist" is zero. Even a two-week short let when you land, while you look properly, beats wiring thousands of pounds from the other side of the world.

Already paid?

Ring your bank straight away and tell them it was a fraudulent payment (the sooner you do, the better the chance they can stop it), then report it to Action Fraud and get a reference number. Don't keep quiet because you're embarrassed – your bank and insurer need that reference number before they can try to get your money back.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Why bother

London has a lot of old housing, and a badly insulated place can cost far more to heat in winter than an energy-efficient one. A flat that's two hundred less in rent but three hundred more in bills loses you money overall – the EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) is the official tool that shows you that sum before you commit.

How to check

Go to Find an energy certificate on GOV.UK and enter the postcode. It's free and you don't need to register. Properties properly listed for rent usually have an EPC you can look up; if you can't find one, ask why at the viewing.

Step by step, with screenshots

Screenshots taken on 5 September 2026. This is a rare official service where you never have to sign in or enter any personal details – so we can show you every screen, from the start page to the certificate itself.

Step 1 · Check it covers the place you're viewing

The service covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland has a separate service – if you're viewing in Edinburgh or Glasgow, don't waste your time searching here.

Step 2 · First question: domestic or non-domestic

For renting, choose A domestic property.

Step 3 · Just the postcode

All you need is the postcode – no house number, no account, no fee. The agent's listing usually includes the postcode; if it doesn't, there are two other routes further down the page: search by street and town, or by certificate number.

Step 4 · The results: every flat in a building is different

You get a table: address / energy rating / valid until. Two things to notice:

1. Flats in the same building can be several bands apart – top floor or ground floor, which way it faces, whether the windows have been replaced: that's where the differences come from. So what you want is the exact flat you're renting, not "roughly what the building's like".
2. Some rows say Expired – that certificate has run out. An expired certificate doesn't mean the place can't be let, but it does mean the figures on it are old and less reliable; you can ask the landlord for a new one.

The page says so itself: it only lists properties that have an EPC, and if yours isn't there, or its certificate has expired, you can ask for a new one.

Step 5 · Open the certificate: two numbers that matter to you

The first is the legal minimum. The certificate has a section called Rules on letting this property, which says:

Properties can only be let if they have an energy rating from A to E. (There are exemptions; the page links to guidance for landlords.)

In other words, if you see F or G, ask how it's allowed to be let at all – that's not being fussy, it's what the rules say.

The second is money. The certificate estimates roughly how much this home costs a year in heating, hot water and lighting, and how much you'd save after the recommended improvements. This is where the "cheap rent vs big bills" sum is laid out for you in advance – add it to the monthly rent when you compare places.

The certificate also gives the property type and total floor area (in square metres). So you can see exactly how "spacious" the agent's "spacious" really is.

Things to check at the viewing

• Are the windows double-glazed? Look for mould in the window corners, behind the bed and behind wardrobes;
• Turn on a tap to test the water pressure, and if you're viewing in the afternoon, feel whether the radiators are warm;
• Ask exactly which bills are included (electricity, gas, water, internet); if they're not, use the EPC rating to get a feel for your winter bills.

A handy rule of thumb

At the same rent, one band higher on energy rating makes a real difference to your monthly bills in winter. Treat the EPC rating as part of the rent when you compare places, not just the monthly figure.

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What's an HMO?

When several tenants who aren't one family share a home with a shared kitchen or bathroom, it's officially a house in multiple occupation (HMO). Once it reaches a certain size (typically 5 or more people), it needs a licence, and a licence means the council sets hard requirements on fire safety, space per person and facilities.

Why it's your business

Student house-shares very often fit this exactly. In a licensed HMO, things like smoke alarms, escape routes and space per person have been inspected. If it's let without a licence it should have, you've got far less to go on when you need to complain.

Two things to do

1. Before you sign, ask the letting agent or landlord: is this an HMO, does it need a licence, and what's the licence number?
2. Check it yourself: every borough council website has an HMO licence register you can search by address - their word isn't enough; it only counts once you've found it.

One thing to watch

Councils can also run their own additional licensing schemes, so the same set-up might need a licence in one borough and not the next - go by what your own council's website says. Don't rely on a rule of thumb for the numbers; the official page spells them out.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

If you're in private student halls and the landlord hasn't signed up to the National Code, this probably applies to you too - check your tenancy type in "What kind of tenancy have you actually signed?".

Rechecked on 2026-09-05: this booklet has been withdrawn. The gov.uk page says it in black and white: "This publication was withdrawn on 1 May 2026" - the very same day the new type of tenancy took over. The current guide is Assured periodic tenancies: a guide for tenants. Most How to Rent PDFs still doing the rounds online are the old one. The first screenshot in the walkthrough below is that withdrawal notice. (The parts of this guide based on the old booklet haven't been updated yet.)

Follow along with the screenshots

Taken on 2026-09-05, all on public gov.uk pages – no sign-in needed.

Step 1: Check whether your copy is the old one

The banner at the top of the page settles it: this publication was withdrawn on 1 May 2026 and is no longer up to date. It's only still useful in one case: an older tenancy where the landlord had already served a section 21 notice before 2026-05-01.

Step 2: What to read instead

It's been replaced by Assured periodic tenancies: a guide for tenants. Its contents include several sections the old booklet didn't have: Rental bidding, Rent in advance and deposits, Rent increases and If you want a pet to live with you.

The same page also lists what doesn't count as an APT, and private student halls signed up to the National Code are named there. To work out which one you're in, see "What kind of tenancy have you actually signed?".

Step 3: Rent in advance and deposits

This section is new. International students are often asked to "pay a few months upfront", or "find a guarantor or pay six months in advance" - read what this section says before you sign.

Step 4: If your landlord wants you out

Since the switch, the route a landlord has to take to end a tenancy has changed. The section 21 process described in older guides no longer applies to new tenancies.

What this document is

How to Rent is the UK government's official guide for tenants, covering your rights and responsibilities from start to finish: what to check before you sign, how your deposit is protected, who fixes what while you live there, and how moving out works. It's not a blog post, it's the official line – if it clashes with what an agent tells you, the guide wins.

Check these against it before you sign

• The deposit cap and how it's protected (see "Deposits: 5 weeks max, protected within 30 days");
• The type and length of the tenancy, whether there's a break clause and what it says;
• The list of fees landlords and agents are banned from charging – "admin fees" and "contract fees" are usually not allowed;
• How the inventory and check-in condition record are done (see "Move-in day: film the whole place").

One handy habit

Save the guide on your phone. When an agent at a viewing or signing tells you "oh, that's just how it works", find the relevant section and ask, "This seems to say something different?" – most unreasonable terms get dropped right there.

Heads-up

The guide is for England; Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own renting rules, so don't mix them up.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

First, work out what kind of place you live in

Don't start with "have I signed an AST?" – that question is out of date. Start with "what kind of place do I live in?" The rules follow from that.

From 1 May 2026, the assured periodic tenancy (APT) replaced the assured shorthold tenancy (AST) in England. GOV.UK now says the most common type of tenancy is the APT.

So if your contract doesn't say AST, that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with it – more likely, the guides online haven't caught up.

Two layers, one at a time

Layer one: where you live

Layer two (student accommodation only): has the landlord signed up to the National Code?

Lots of people don't know about this one, and the answer is the opposite of what you'd expect:

• If your private student accommodation's landlord has signed up to the National Code of practice, you have a common law tenancy or licence;
• If they haven't, you're most likely still on an APT – which means more protection, not less.

The National Code also makes landlords follow an extra set of rules (complaints procedures, how the building's managed and so on). Can you check? Yes. Look your building up on the National Code's official website.

That's why it isn't as simple as "student accommodation vs renting privately": two people in the same kind of student accommodation can be on different tenancy types, depending on whether their landlord has signed the Code.

If you can't tell

GOV.UK itself points you to the answer: use Shelter's tenancy checker. If you're not sure, don't guess – your tenancy type decides every rule after it (how your deposit's protected, how your rent can go up, what your landlord has to do to make you leave). Get one layer wrong and everything after it is wrong too.

Two more things if you're in halls

Both straight from GOV.UK:

1. Halls tenancies usually run to the end of the academic year, and you're liable for the rent for the whole period. Moving out doesn't mean you stop paying – to leave early, check the notice terms in your contract or talk to your landlord.
2. But your landlord still has to go to court to get you out. If you haven't left when the fixed term ends, they can't remove you themselves – they have to apply to the court. That holds for people in halls too.

While we're at it

The rule that your deposit must go into a government-approved scheme doesn't change with what your contract is called – the landlord has to protect it within 30 days of receiving it. But halls and private student accommodation are a separate case, so don't just apply the private-renting rules to them (see "Deposits: 5 weeks max, protected within 30 days").

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

The short version

Can't face a dozen-plus pages of tenancy agreement? Get someone to look it over for free before you sign. Citizens Advice is the national free advice charity – its housing guides and face-to-face advice cost nothing, and most universities' Students' Unions (SUs) have free housing advisers too.

Two legal points on your side (according to Citizens Advice)

1. A dodgy clause can't beat your legal rights: any term in a tenancy agreement that gives you less than your statutory rights can't be enforced – it's not worth the paper it's written on.
2. Your type of tenancy depends on the facts, not the paperwork: if you rent from a private landlord who doesn't live with you, it's usually a protected type of tenancy, and calling the contract something else doesn't change that.

Check before you sign

• Are the rent, the deposit and the deposit protection scheme (TDP) all clearly written down?
• Who's responsible for repairs, and what does the rent increase clause say?
• If you're sharing, is it a joint tenancy or individual ones? They're very different things.
• Any verbal promises (furnished, fixing the washing machine) only count once they're in writing.

Easy ways to get it wrong

• Being pushed to sign the day you view. "Sign today or it's gone" is a pressure tactic – a real flat can wait one night.
• Getting advice after you've signed. Free advice is worth the most before you put pen to paper.
• Your SU's advisers are right there on campus, so use them – search "SU advice" in your uni email to book.

The short version

They can ask for a guarantor. But "you haven't got a UK guarantor, so you have to buy this guarantor company's service" is two separate things stitched together.

What the official guidance says now

The current guidance for tenants on GOV.UK (the page says it was last updated on 7 July 2026) makes two points, and you need to read them separately:

1. A landlord can ask you to provide a guarantor – that in itself is allowed.
2. But the same guidance also says a landlord can't make you take out a loan, buy insurance or sign up to a service contract for the tenancy. And the first example it gives is a professional guarantor service.

It's just as clear about the other half: you can choose to use one of these services yourself.

So the line isn't "guarantor company or no guarantor company". It's whether you decided to spend the money, or they told you to. The first is your choice; the second is one of the things they're not allowed to charge.

The one question to ask

"Is this something I can choose, or are you telling me I have to buy it?"

• "It's up to you" – then it's just a cost to weigh up yourself. Take your time comparing.
• "You have to", and you're the one paying – that's exactly what the guidance names. Don't argue there and then; get it in writing: reply by email confirming "you're requiring me to buy service X as a condition of the tenancy". The guidance itself lists the evidence you can use: texts, voicemails and emails. You can then report it to your local council, and if it's a letting agent, you can also complain to the property redress scheme it belongs to.

What can they actually charge?

The capped list (how much they can take for rent, the deposit and a holding deposit) lives in Rent in advance: how much can they ask for?, and we deliberately don't copy it out here – if the same figure appears twice in our guides, sooner or later one goes out of date and nobody knows which to trust. For the numbers, go there; this guide is only about guarantors.

No UK guarantor? Your real options

Roughly in order of "effort first, money later":

1. Ask your uni first. Halls, uni-approved letting agents and the uni's own schemes often have separate arrangements for international students who need a guarantor. It's free, and it's the step people skip most – ring your uni's accommodation office or international student support and ask: "I haven't got a UK guarantor. What do people usually do?"
2. Find out exactly what the agent needs from a guarantor. Do they have to live in the UK? Do they need UK proof of income or a UK credit history? Get the requirements straight before you ask anyone, rather than saying yes and then finding out your family don't qualify.
3. Pay rent in advance. There's a cap – see the guide above.
4. A commercial guarantor company. This is a service you buy yourself: once the money's spent, it's spent. It isn't on the list of things they "can't charge", because you're not paying them. Before you sign, ask three things: how much in total, how it's worked out, and when you'd get a refund.

Guarantor agreements and 1 May 2026

Tenancies in England changed over on 1 May 2026, and guarantor agreements now follow the new law too. If yours was signed before then, its terms could already be affected by the new law. To find out which rules apply to yours, go by the official page linked above, not by old articles.

Why we don't name any guarantor companies

We don't take money from any business. This guide deliberately leaves out every guarantor company's name and price – we haven't tested their fees and terms ourselves, and quoting a price we haven't checked is worse than quoting none: you'd budget around it, and it might have changed long ago. Once someone's actually been through one, we'll name names.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

If you're in private student halls and the landlord hasn't signed up to the National Code, this probably applies to you too - check your tenancy type in "What kind of tenancy have you actually signed?".

What it is

In England, landlords are legally required to check a tenant's immigration status before letting to them (a right to rent check). As an international student, you use the official gov.uk service to generate a share code and send it to your landlord or letting agent. They enter the code and your date of birth on gov.uk to check it. It's free from start to finish.

How to get one

Search gov.uk for "prove right to rent", sign in to your UKVI account (the one you set up for your visa), follow the steps to generate a share code, then copy it and send it to your landlord. Each code is for one particular purpose and expires – if it runs out, just make a new one.

Follow along with the screenshots

Taken on 2026-09-05. gov.uk does get redesigned – if the page doesn't match the pictures, go with what the site says.

Step 1: Note that this only applies in England

The very first line sets the scope: this only exists in England; Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland don't require it. If you're renting in one of those and get asked to "prove your right to rent", ask what that's based on first.

There's an even more useful line: if you're not a British or Irish citizen, you can use a share code or show your original immigration documents – either is fine - and a landlord can't turn down your application because you gave them immigration documents rather than a share code. That's in writing on gov.uk, so if anyone insists you must use one or the other, point them to it.

Step 2: Check whether you can use the service

You need one of two things: a UKVI account, or a BRP.

There's something on this screen that a lot of people miss: you can still use a BRP to generate a share code for up to 18 months after it expires. (As long as you still have valid permission to be in the UK – an expired card doesn't mean your status has expired.) So hang on to that expired BRP for now.

These 18 months are about whether this service accepts your card, not how long the card itself stays usable – two different limits, two different numbers. A different page (gov.uk/biometric-residence-permits) says an expired BRP can still be used for 24 months, or until 31 December 2026, whichever comes first. That one covers using the card to sign in to your UKVI account and get to your eVisa.

So if your card expired more than 18 months ago, you can't use the BRP route on this screen any more, but you might still be able to sign in to your UKVI account with the same card and generate a share code that way instead. The two numbers don't contradict each other; they answer two different questions.

One thing to be clear about: the 31 December 2026 cut-off only appears on the BRP page. The right to rent share code page doesn't mention it, and neither page links to the other. Nothing official says whether the right to rent route still works after that date. When the time comes, don't gamble – use the UKVI account route.

Step 3: The service's first question – how are you getting in?

Click Start now and the first screen asks you to choose: use your UKVI account, or use a BRP that expired no more than 18 months ago. Most students arriving now go with the first one (you'll have set up a UKVI account when you applied for your visa).

Step 4: The sign-in page asks which document you use

This takes you to the Home Office sign-in page, which asks which identity document you used when you set up your account: passport, national identity card, biometric residence card or permit, or your UKVI customer number.

• The page itself says: if you've added a new document to your account since, sign in with the most recent one.
• If you genuinely can't remember, there's a link underneath: "I do not know which identity document I use to sign in".

This screen is where our walkthrough stops – going any further means signing in with a real person's account details, and that's someone's personal information, so we don't. We'll add the screens after sign-in (choosing what the code is for and generating it) once a real user generates their own code, with the code and personal details blurred.

Two things to watch out for

• Someone charging you for an "ID check" – the official check is free, so steer clear of anyone who wants money for it;
• Someone asking for full-page photos of your passport and visa through unofficial channels – the whole point of share codes is that your documents aren't flying around everywhere. Legitimate agents accept share codes.

Look at it the other way round

A "landlord" who skips the right to rent check entirely and never asks for a share code is often cutting corners on everything else too – treat it as one of the signs that tell you whether a listing is legit (alongside "Not seen it in person? Don't send a penny").

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

The short version

International students without a UK guarantor are often asked to pay "six months, or even a year, up front". The current official guidance has clear rules on this, and they split into two points in time: before you sign, and after signing but before you move in. What they're allowed to take is completely different at each one.

Point one: before you sign

The current GOV.UK guidance for tenants is blunt:

A landlord or letting agent must not accept, ask for or encourage you to pay rent before you've both signed the tenancy agreement. This is called "rent in advance". If you're asked to, you can complain.

Before you sign, the only two things they can take are:

The deposit cap comes in two bands (lots of guides only give you half of this):

• Annual rent under £50,000: up to 5 weeks' rent;
• Annual rent of £50,000 or more: up to 6 weeks' rent.

The landlord or agent must also put the deposit in a government-approved deposit protection scheme.

Point two: signed but not moved in yet (the pre-tenancy period)

During this stretch they can ask you to pay some rent up front, but it's capped:

They can only ask for more in two cases (neither applies to international students): tenancies the local council arranges for people who are legally homeless, and homes let as social or supported housing.

So what's "six months up front", then?

It's over the cap in the guidance. That tells you what kind of demand you're dealing with.

But this guide isn't telling you to dig your heels in on the spot. The reality is that when places are scarce, saying no might mean losing the flat, and only you can make that call. What this gives you is the facts and your options, not a decision:

1. Get the demand in writing first. Voice messages and verbal promises won't stand up. Ask for an email or a written statement saying what the payment is for, how much it is and when you get it back. (That's exactly the evidence a complaint needs: the guidance itself lists texts, voicemails and emails.)
2. Get the labels straight. A holding deposit, a deposit and rent in advance are three different things, with different caps and refund rules. If they just say "six months' deposit", ask which one they mean.
3. The deposit must be protected, whatever they call it. Don't relax until you've got proof it's in a scheme.
4. To complain, go to the local council where the property is. The guidance says the council handles and investigates complaints, and it will ask about your situation and the landlord, so keep your evidence.
5. Negotiate alternatives. A protected deposit, paying in instalments, a guarantor service: all worth raising, and they give you more room than a straight "pay or don't".

Easy traps

• Sending all three as one lump sum. Once they're mixed up, it's hard to say which part should come back, and how much.
• Only having verbal promises in a chat. Get it in writing.
• Assuming the "5-week deposit cap" applies to everyone. If the rent is £50,000 a year or more, it's 6 weeks (not unusual for a whole flat in London).
• Applying this page straight to student accommodation. This page is for APTs (assured periodic tenancies); to check which type you're on, see "What kind of tenancy have you actually signed?".

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

From 1 May 2026, tenancy types changed: the APT (assured periodic tenancy) replaced the AST. Where this guide mentions the AST, that's the old name – the rules themselves haven't changed, only the name. If your contract doesn't say AST, that doesn't mean anything's wrong with it. To work out which type you're on (especially if you're in student accommodation), see "What kind of tenancy have you actually signed?". Source: https://www.gov.uk/private-renting(2026-09-05 snapshot)

If you live in private student accommodation and your landlord isn't signed up to the National Code, this most likely applies to you too - check your tenancy type in "What kind of tenancy have you actually signed?".

Two numbers to remember

5 weeks: for most rents, the legal maximum deposit is 5 weeks' rent. Letting agents inventing "viewing fees", "contract fees" or "cleaning deposits" are charging fees that are banned. 30 days: within 30 days of getting your deposit, the landlord must put it in a government-approved protection scheme (one of the three: DPS, TDS or mydeposits) and give you the details.

It's not done until you've got the paperwork

Once it's protected, you'll get a certificate and a set of "prescribed information". Keep them with your contract. Without that proof the landlord is on shaky legal ground - and in any dispute over deductions when you move out, things tilt in your favour.

Walk through it with screenshots

Screenshots taken on 5 September 2026. All public gov.uk pages, no login needed.

Step 1: work out which tenancy you're on

This is background you need, and it's just changed. gov.uk now says:

The most common type of tenancy is an assured periodic tenancy (APT); APTs replaced assured shorthold tenancies (ASTs) on 1 May 2026.

The same page also lists what doesn't count as an APT, and student accommodation is named right there - so where you live directly changes which rules apply to you. That's the next step.

Step 2: gov.uk has a page just for university students

This page splits students two ways:

But the second row comes with a condition most people miss: for private student accommodation to count as a common law tenancy or licence, the landlord must be signed up to the National Code of practice. If they aren't, you're most likely still on an APT - which means more protection, not less. You can check whether your building is signed up on the National Code website.

The page also says two things anyone in halls should know: the agreement usually runs until the end of the academic year, and you're responsible for the rent for the whole of that time. Even so, a landlord who wants you out still has to go through the courts – they can't just remove you.

Step 3: the two hard deadlines for protecting your deposit

• The landlord or letting agent must put it in a government-approved scheme within 30 days of receiving your deposit;
• When you move out, it must be returned within 10 days of you both agreeing how much you'll get back;
• In England and Wales there are only three approved schemes: Deposit Protection Service, MyDeposits and Tenancy Deposit Scheme.
• If there's a dispute, the deposit stays in the scheme until it's resolved – the landlord can't just take their cut first.

(Scotland and Northern Ireland have different schemes, so don't apply this page's rules there.)

Step 4: what if it isn't protected?

This page sets out your options if the landlord hasn't protected your deposit. Use it to confirm where you stand first, then talk compensation.

If your landlord hasn't protected it

First, ask the landlord in writing (email) for the protection certificate. If you don't get it, search for your deposit on each of the three schemes' websites. Not on any of them = the landlord has broken the rules, and you can take legal action. A court can order the landlord to pay you 1 to 3 times the deposit - which is why almost no proper landlord takes the risk.

Where people slip up

• Paying cash with no receipt. Pay the deposit by bank transfer so there's a record; if it's cash, get a receipt, and make sure the amount matches the contract.
• Mixing up a "holding deposit" with the deposit. A holding deposit (to reserve the place) is capped at 1 week's rent, and once you sign it must either be refunded or put towards your first month's rent or deposit – it can't just vanish.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Why it has to be day one

Deposit disputes boil down to one question: did you cause this? A video from your first day proves the stains, scratches and broken hinges were there before you moved in. Film it a week later and it's much weaker evidence.

How to film it

Turn on the date stamp, or just shoot video (it's timestamped anyway), and go room by room: corners, carpets, switch on every appliance, the toilet seat, mould on the window frames, scratches on the furniture. Upload it to the cloud the same day – don't leave it only on your phone. Lose the phone and you've lost the evidence.

Don't sign the inventory blind

Go through the inventory from your landlord or letting agent line by line. Anything marked "good" that's actually worn: photograph it, note it and ask in writing for it to be corrected before you sign. The inventory section of the official How to Rent guide is about exactly this: checking before you sign is one of the few moments where you can win the argument before it starts.

Two more while you're at it

• Photograph the electricity, gas and water meters that day (see "Read the meters on day one, or pay the last tenant's bill");
• Press the test button on the smoke alarm. If it doesn't go off, report it in writing that day – don't put it off.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.