If you want to rent a private residence as a tenant, you need to be fully aware of your rights as a tenant. This way, you will not be cheated to your rights at any point or for any reason.  Aside from rights, you also have certain responsibilities as a tenant. It is eve advisable that you know your rights as a tenant before you rent that private apartment.  In the remaining part of this write-up, we will enlighten you about your rights as a tenant and get you prepared for eventualities.  We will equally mention what you should bear in mind as a tenant in the course of the write-up.

Your rights as a tenant

You should make sure that you have access to the tenancy agreement when you rent that private residence. The tenancy agreement should outline all your rights and responsibilities as a tenant.  You and the landlord should both co-sign the tenancy agreement also as this document is legally binding.  The tenancy agreement should be in compliance with the law and should also be fair. If you do not know how a tenancy agreement should be composed, you can find various samples online that can put you through.  These samples will help you to decide if the tenancy agreement given to you by the landlord or his agent is composed properly.  It will help to ensure that your rights are well protected in the tenancy agreement.

If you are dealing with the estate agent and do not have a direct access to the landlord, you have the right to request for the identity of the landlord form the letting agency. If your landlord refuses to reveal his identity to you or if the letting agent fails to do that within 21 days, you have the right to use them.

You should take some time to read the tenancy agreement properly before you sign it. Make sure you read between the lines  as this will open your eyes to  the hidden contents of the tenancy agreement, thereby, helping you to know if your rights are respected or not.

If you are confused about what your rights should be as a tenant, you can get in touch with a lawyer, who can enlighten you about your rights and help you to make the right decisions about the tenancy agreement. If you find any clause that you do not understand in the tenancy agreement, you should get in touch with a lawyer, who can help shed more light on the tenancy agreement. Also, you should never allow the landlord or the letting agent to hoodwink you into signing the tenancy agreement as this can have unwanted repercussions. Make sure you fully understand the contents before you ever append your signature.