How to Rent Out a Property Yourself in East London

If you’re considering how to rent out a property you own, one of your first decisions is whether to use a letting agent or to take the DIY approach.

The choice to self manage or use an agent will largely depend on how much time you want to devote to the project. Private landlords should consider how confident they feel about the process, taking into account the changes enforced by the Renters’ Rights Act 2025. This legislation has increased the legal obligations of landlords and has raised the complexity levels of buy-to-let. It’s a situation that needs constant monitoring too, as some new laws still need enforcing.

Most agents, whether high street branches or online operations, offer landlords different service levels. So, you may use a letting agent to help you find tenants but manage the tenancy and maintain the property yourself.

To help you decide if you’re ready for the DIY approach, we look at what’s involved in renting out property at every stage.

1. Check You Are Allowed To Rent Out Your Property

Before you begin renting out a property, you need to ensure you have permission to do so. If you own a leasehold property in East London, your first step is to check if the terms set by your freeholder allow properties to be let out.

If allowable, checking your mortgage is the next step. It’s highly likely you’ll need to convert your owner-occupier mortgage to a buy-to-let one, so explain your plans to your lender. Your buildings insurance may be invalid too, so examine your policy and take out a new one that’s suitable for a buy-to-let, if required.

2. Follow Legal Responsibilities For Landlords

Being a responsible landlord and property manager is a challenging feat. The legal obligations can be overwhelming. You must observe more than 140 pieces of legislation when letting out your real estate, with housing health and safety prioritised. These laws are in place to ensure the long-term wellbeing of tenants.

It’s important that the property is fit to live in throughout the tenancy. Problems that might make the property unfit for habitation must be tackled before you start marketing the property for rent. For example, you may need to deal with damp or a rodent infestation.

The Government is getting tougher in this area. Awaab’s Law is part of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 and will be implemented in the near future. This will require all private landlords to respond to and rectify hazards in a set timeframe.

The gas and electrical systems in the property must be safe, including all gas appliances. Gas installations should be fitted, repaired and checked annually by a Gas Safe-registered engineer. Afterwards, you must give your tenant a copy of the safety certificate.

You are legally required to have a landlord electrical safety certificate for each buy-to-let property you own. You are responsible for organising this and ensuring any remedial works are carried out competently. An EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report) is valid for five years. You must provide your tenants with a copy of this certificate.

There should be working smoke alarms on each floor and carbon monoxide alarms in any room heated by solid fuel to keep your properties safe.

You must also obtain an energy performance certificate (EPC) for the property. Your rental property must achieve at least an energy efficiency rating of E. If it doesn’t, you must take the measures suggested in your report. This compulsory rating will rise to a C in 2030, as part of the Government’s drive for homes to be more energy efficient.

3. Apply For The Correct Landlord Licensing

If you own real estate and wish to rent it out, there are some essential letting requirements you should be aware of.

You should first check Redbridge Council or your local council website to see whether your local authority has introduced selective licensing in your area. Doing this before renting out your properties to tenants is critical. Otherwise, you will be breaking the law. These licenses were introduced as part of the Housing Act 2004 to ensure landlords maintain their rental properties to a high standard.

All landlords of a large House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) require a license. Your property will be classed as a large HMO if there are five or more people from more than one household and some or all tenants share the kitchen or bathroom facilities.

Some councils, including Redbridge, operate an additional HMO license scheme. This means that any property rented to three or more people, forming more than one household where the tenants share kitchen or bathroom facilities, will require a license.

Find out more about landlord licensing schemes in our blog article.

Private landlords will soon need to register for the Private Rented Sector database – another part of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025. Landlords will need to register themselves and each property they rent out. In return, they’ll receive registration numbers that will be required before advertising a property.

4. Get Landlord Insurance

You must inform your buildings and contents insurer before renting out your property because most standard home insurance policies won’t cover the property if you are renting to tenants. You will need a specialist policy specifically for landlords. Get quotes from several insurance providers to find the best deal.

Landlord insurance is not a legal requirement but if you have a mortgage on the property, your mortgage lender will insist on buildings insurance. Taking out contents insurance to cover items you provide is also sensible. You can also add the following cover if you like:

• Rent guarantee insurance: covers you if your tenants default on their rent payments
• Loss of rent insurance: covers loss of rent caused by an insured event, such as fire or flood
• Legal insurance: cover the costs if you need to need to take your tenant to court
• Liability insurance: covers potential compensation claims relating to your rental property. For instance, if someone injures themselves on your property or damage is caused to another property due to yours

5. Pay Tax On Rental Income

You will need to pay income tax on the profit you make from your rental properties. The amount of tax you pay depends upon your whole taxable income (not just your rental income). For some people, this might mean paying just 20% in taxes, but it could be as high as 45% for others.

The first £1,000 of income from rental property is tax-free. If you earn more than £2,500 from renting property, you will need to fill in a self-assessment tax return. If your income is between £1,000 and £2,500, contact HMRC.

Landlords only need to pay Class 2 National Insurance if the following all apply:

• Your annual profit from renting property exceeds £6,475
• Being a landlord is your main job
• You rent out two or more properties
• You buy properties to rent out

6. Find Tenants

Advertising your property for rent is a crucial task. If you’re looking to rent out a property without an agent, you must do this yourself. There are plenty of options – local Facebook groups or forums such as Nextdoor, as well as sites like Gumtree, word of mouth or posters on notice boards.

If you’d like your property advertised on Rightmove and Zoopla, you must use at least a basic estate agency service as private individuals can’t access these portals.

7. Organise & Conduct Viewings

An important part of renting out your property is viewings. Some landlords are intimidated by the thought of carrying out their own viewings and hire a property management company instead. However, there are a lot of advantages to doing it yourself.

By conducting viewings yourself, you can carry out tenant screening and be satisfied that you are making the right choice, therefore protecting your assets. Rental income is important, so although you should still conduct credit and reference checks, assessing your prospective tenant’s character in person is also good. That way, you can start building a direct landlord-tenant relationship from the outset.

Preparing the property to make it look attractive to any potential renters is a good idea. You should highlight all the positives about the property and the local area when carrying out the viewings.

If you don’t feel comfortable doing it yourself, you could ask a friend or family member or use a professional viewing service. Of course, using friends ensures you won’t need to hire a property management company and add to your expenses.

Also, if you have tenants in situ at the property, you must give them the required prior notice of any viewings (at least 24 hours’ written notice) and the visit should be at a reasonable time.

8. Vet Your Tenants

Once you have found potential tenants, you must do some background checks. Screening tenants is an important task, so always obtain references, including from previous landlords, if possible. Contact all referees to ensure that they are genuine.

Ask for copies of bank statements and proof of income. It is also worth investing in credit score checks to be doubly sure of their past payment history. Credit reference agencies such as Experian can do this for a fee.

However, you must comply with the law on discrimination when choosing the best tenant for your home. It is unlawful to discriminate against anyone based on protected characteristics, including age, race, religion, disability and sexual orientation. The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 extended discrimination laws to also include tenants in receipt of benefits and tenants with children. Private landlords should factor this into their vetting process. Read more on the gov.uk website.

If renting out property in England, you must check that the immigration status of your tenant allows them the right to rent your property. It’s important that you screen tenants properly to ensure you don’t miss vital details like this.

Landlord Responsibilities Explained From Beginning To End Of Tenancy

As a landlord, you remain responsible for your property and tenants for the duration of their stay, however, your actions and responsibilities will shift over the course of the tenancy – from setting it up initially to ending it eventually.

Responsibilities At The Start Of A Tenancy

You will need to draw up a tenancy agreement to be signed by you and the tenant. This is something a letting agent can do for you for peace of mind as, after all, it is a legal document. If you rent out the property privately, you can find sample tenancy agreements online. Remember, all tenancies are now APTs (assured periodic tenancies), even those that were created before 1st May 2026. APTS mean there is no fixed end date to a tenancy and renters can give two months’ written notice to quit.

You can tailor an APT to your circumstances. For example, if you want your tenants to maintain the garden or not smoke on the premises, you need to include these as clauses. But anything you include must be legal. Private landlords can’t include a blanket ban on pets as the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 awarded tenants the right to request to keep a pet. The landlord must consider a request to keep a pet within 28 days and not unreasonably refuse.

Providing a statement of tenancy terms – The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 removed the requirement to issue the How to Rent Guide at the start of new tenancies. Instead, landlords need to issue a written statement of tenancy terms, as out lined by the Government here. The statement can be a separate document or incorporated into the tenancy contract.

Providing contact details & cleaning the property – Ensure the home is clean and tidy and all repairs have been completed before your tenant moves in. Leave instructions for appliances, plus any helpful information – for example, how to reach you if they need to, when the bins are collected etc.

Draw up a complete inventory of your fixtures and fittings – take photos or videos of your property and any items included. Your tenant should sign the inventory to confirm that everything it lists is present and in the stated condition.

Providing all legally required documents to tenants – Your tenant must be provided with certain documents, including the energy performance certificate, gas safety certificate, Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) and a written statement of tenancy terms. You must also protect your tenant’s security deposit in a Government-approved scheme. This security deposit will be released back to the tenant at the end of the tenancy, provided that it’s not needed to cover the cost of damages they have caused to the property.

Collecting Rent

When collecting rent yourself, you should always stipulate how and when the rent should be paid in your tenancy agreement to help avoid future disputes and protect yourself should issues arise.

Some of the common ways to collect monthly rent include:

• By standing order – This is one of the most common ways.
• By direct debit – This can attract additional costs as it is more difficult to set up without an agency.
• Collecting in cash or by cheque – These aren’t reliable or modern ways to collect rent and should be avoided where possible.

A more modern way which is growing in popularity, is to use an app. These can help you manage rent payments from tenants and identify whether the rent has been received.

If you prefer a third party to manage your rent collections, you can outsource it to a letting agent or an independent rent collection service.

Responsibilities During The Tenancy

Landlords are responsible for most repairs and maintenance in a rental home. This includes the electrical wiring, plumbing and sanitation, heating and hot water, and the external structure of the building.

If renting out the property without an agent, you must be ready to attend to any tenant issues. It is worth having a list of reliable tradespeople to call on or taking out breakdown insurance to cover you for household emergencies.

You should conduct periodic inspections of the property to ensure that the tenant complies with the terms of the tenancy agreement. However, you must give 24 hours’ written notice before visiting the property – your tenants may refuse entry if they wish.

Responsibilities When Ending The Tenancy

If you want a tenant to leave your property, follow the correct legal process. The Renters’ Right Act 2025 means serving a Section 8 notice is the only way for a landlord to end a tenancy. The legislation demands landlords must use a ground from this set Government list to end a tenancy, with varying notice periods and new restrictions for private landlords to abide by.

What the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 Means for DIY Landlords

How to rent out a property has drastically changed, thanks to the Renters’ Rights Act 2025. If you are self-managing, your legal obligations have increased and will continue to grow in the future.

As well as the traditional responsibilities, such as protecting a tenant’s deposit in a Government-approved tenancy deposit scheme and ensuring gas/fire/electrical safety, private landlords also need to:

• Know Section 8 grounds inside out: landlords need to understand each ground, its notice period and its restrictions. For example, Ground 1 (eviction so the landlord, or their friend or family member, can move in) and Ground 1A (sale of a buy-to-let property) can’t be used in the first 12 months of the tenancy, plus four months’ notice must be given.
• Understand what an assured periodic tenancy means: the automatic switch to assured periodic tenancies (APTs) gives tenants more freedom. They can now give two months’ notice to leave and this can be given on day one, should they like.
• Ensure compulsory memberships are complete: as well as the Private Rented Sector database, it will soon become mandatory for private landlords to join a new ombudsman scheme. Both will carry an annual fee to join and non-compliance will prevent a landlord lawfully letting out their property.
• Deploy discrimination-free vetting: private landlords now need to be mindful of the wording they use in adverts and even how they talk to potential tenants. Extended anti-discrimination laws are being taken seriously – a breach carries a financial penalty of up to £7,000 per offence. Landlords can’t discriminate against tenants who wish to keep pets either. Tenants whose feel their pet request has been unreasonably refused can complain to a redress scheme or take legal action against the landlord.
• Prepare for further incoming legislation: the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 is not fully implemented yet. Landlords can expect a new Decent Homes Standard and Awaab’s Law in the near future. Both focus on the safety and condition of rental properties, setting defined response and repair times to limit hazardous living conditions.

Balance Your Time And Costs

It is possible to rent out your property yourself and the DIY route does allow you to save on letting agency costs. However, being a landlord has become more challenging and time-consuming, especially now the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 has increased a landlord’s legal obligations.

New laws and regulations need following meticulously and implementing accurately – something even experienced DIY landlords can find challenging. The beauty of a letting agent with a property management team is that the professionals have completed the background reading and are already working within the new laws to ensure maximum compliance.

How Much Does It Cost to Rent Out a Property?

Even if you have the time and knowledge to keep up with legal obligations, choosing between a professional service and self-management may come down to cost. Here’s what you can expect pay on average:

Professional letting agent		Cost, based on average English rent June ’26
Tenant ‘finder’s fee’	8-12% of annual rent	£1,256-£1,885
Rent collection only	5-8% of monthly rent	£65-£104
Full management (High Street agent)	10-15% of monthly rent	£130-£195 per month
Full management (online agent)	8-12% of monthly rent	£104-£157 per month

Let your property the easy way

If you’re a new landlord in East London, currently weighing up the pros and cons of using a letting agent vs going it alone, we can help. Contact us to learn more about how our landlord services give you peace of mind regarding your legal obligations.

Looking for a stress-free lettings solution? Then explore our guaranteed rent services in Newham, Rush Green, Gillingham, Medway & beyond.