Properties where landlords are living within the property and sharing common areas such as a bathroom, kitchen and lounge are likely to be considered as a house in multiple occupation (HMO) and would be required to comply with HMO standards.
Tenancies that do not have a resident landlord are generally regulated or assured - depending whether or not they were granted after 15 January 1989.
There are two main issues where the rights of landlord and tenant differ for resident landlord lets compared with other types of tenancy: rent and tenure security.
Broadly, someone who lets from a resident landlord:
- does not have a right to challenge the level of rent that he or she has agreed to pay
- can be given less notice to leave if the landlord wants to end the letting
- can, in some situations, technically be evicted by the landlord at the end of the notice if he or she refuses to leave
Resident landlords have this greater freedom to end an arrangement because it is acknowledged that, should the relationship between the landlord and the person he or she lets to breaks down, the landlord is more vulnerable in his or her own home.
For further information about resident landlord tenancies please read to our guide for resident landlords.