Editorial policy

Our guides cover legal duties that affect people's homes and income, so we hold them to a strict process.

Sources we use

We work from primary sources first:

• Acts and regulations on legislation.gov.uk, including the Housing Act 1988 as amended by the Renters' Rights Act 2025.
• Government guidance and official forms on GOV.UK.
• Court rules and practice directions on justice.gov.uk and HMCTS guidance.

We use landlord associations, charities and law firms only to cross-check how the rules work in practice, never as the only source for a rule. Typical costs come from commercial price surveys, so we always label them as estimates.

How a guide is written and checked

1. We build a fact sheet for each topic from primary sources, with the date each source was published.
2. The guide is written from that fact sheet only. Rules that are announced but not yet in force are labelled as expected or planned.
3. Every page is checked against the fact sheet before publishing. Each page shows when it was last updated and checked.
4. When the law, a form or a court fee changes, we update the fact sheet first and then every page that relies on it.

What our guides are, and are not

Our guides explain the law in England in general terms. They are not legal advice about your situation. Where a situation is complex or disputed, we say so and recommend a solicitor.

Corrections

If you think something is wrong or out of date, email us via the contact page with the page address and the source you're relying on. We review every report and correct errors promptly.