ARLA Level 3 Residential Letting & Property Management flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Gas Safety Record

A certificate issued by a Gas Safe registered engineer confirming that gas appliances and flues have been checked for safety; required before a new tenancy and annually thereafter.

Smoke alarm requirement

Under the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022, a smoke alarm must be fitted on every storey of a rented dwelling in England and tested at the start of each tenancy.

Carbon monoxide alarm rule

A carbon monoxide alarm is required in any room containing a fixed combustion appliance, excluding gas cookers; the alarm must be tested at the start of the tenancy.

Minimum EPC rating

Since 1 April 2020, a landlord in England and Wales must not let a property with an EPC rating below E, unless a valid exemption applies.

Right to Rent check

A requirement in England for landlords and agents to verify that all adult occupiers have the right to rent by checking original documents before the tenancy begins, with follow-up checks for time-limited permissions.

HHSRS hazard categories

A system using 29 hazard categories to assess housing conditions; a Category 1 hazard is the most serious and triggers a local authority duty to take enforcement action.

Electrical installation condition report

A report from a qualified person on the fixed electrical installation, required at intervals of no more than 5 years in England, with the report given to tenants within 28 days.

Fire risk assessment

A documented assessment required of the responsible person for common parts of blocks of flats, identifying fire hazards and the measures needed to reduce or remove them.

Fitness for human habitation

A covenant implied by the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 into tenancies under 7 years, requiring the dwelling to be fit at the start and throughout the tenancy.

Deposit protection deadline

For an assured shorthold tenancy in England or Wales, the deposit must be protected in an approved scheme within 30 days of receipt, with prescribed information given within the same period.

Prescribed information

The information a landlord or agent must give the tenant about the tenancy deposit scheme used, including scheme details and the circumstances in which deductions may be made.

Client money protection

A scheme protecting client money held by a letting agent; membership is mandatory for agents holding client money and the certificate must be displayed.

Redress scheme membership

A requirement for letting agents in England to belong to a government-approved redress scheme and display the scheme name and membership number in the office and on the website.

Assured shorthold tenancy

A tenancy under the Housing Act 1988 for a fixed term of at least 6 months or periodic, with rent below the statutory threshold and the landlord not resident in the same building.

Section 21 notice

A notice seeking possession of an assured shorthold tenancy without proving a ground; served on Form 6A with at least 2 months' notice and not within the first 4 months.

Form 6A

The prescribed form for a section 21 notice in England, used to end an assured shorthold tenancy without alleging a breach by the tenant.

Section 8 notice

A notice seeking possession of an assured tenancy by relying on one or more grounds in Schedule 2 of the Housing Act 1988, with notice periods varying by ground.

Mandatory possession grounds

Grounds 1 to 8 in Schedule 2 of the Housing Act 1988; if the ground is proved, the court must order possession.

Discretionary possession grounds

Grounds 9 to 17 in Schedule 2 of the Housing Act 1988; if proved, the court has discretion whether to order possession, considering reasonableness.

Holding deposit cap

Under the Tenant Fees Act 2019, a holding deposit must not exceed 1 week's rent and must be refunded within 7 days if the tenancy does not proceed through no fault of the tenant.

Tenancy deposit cap

Under the Tenant Fees Act 2019, a refundable tenancy deposit is capped at 5 weeks' rent where the annual rent is under £50,000, and 6 weeks where it is £50,000 or more.

Permitted payments

The only payments a landlord or agent may require under the Tenant Fees Act 2019: rent, capped deposit, capped holding deposit, and specified default and variation fees.

How to Rent guide

A government publication that must be given to tenants of assured shorthold tenancies in England at the start of the tenancy for a section 21 notice to be valid.

Inventory and schedule of condition

A documented record of the property's contents and condition, signed at check-in, used as evidence when assessing deposit deductions at check-out.

Fair wear and tear

The reasonable deterioration of a property through normal use over time, which cannot be charged to the tenant from the deposit, unlike damage or neglect.

Section 20 consultation

A leasehold consultation process required before qualifying works costing more than £250 per leaseholder, giving leaseholders at least 30 days to make observations.

Client account

A designated bank account used by a letting agent to hold client money separately from the agent's own funds, protecting it if the business fails.

Renters (Reform) Act 2025

Legislation abolishing section 21 no-fault evictions in England, converting assured shorthold tenancies to periodic assured tenancies, and introducing a Decent Homes Standard and landlord database.

Decent Homes Standard

A standard setting minimum conditions for social and, under the Renters (Reform) Act 2025, private rented housing, covering hazards, repair, facilities and thermal comfort.

Deposit deduction evidence

A landlord must support any deduction from a tenancy deposit with evidence such as a signed inventory, check-out report, invoices and photographs, showing loss beyond fair wear and tear.

Service charge budget

An estimate of the costs of services, repairs and management for a leasehold property, collected from leaseholders, usually in advance and reconciled against actual expenditure.

Right to Rent penalty

A civil penalty of up to £3,000 per occupier imposed on a landlord or agent who lets to an adult occupier without carrying out the required right to rent check.