Tenant Fees Act 2019

1 Prohibitions applying to landlords

(1) A landlord must not require a relevant person to make a prohibited payment to the landlord in connection with a tenancy of housing in England.

(2) A landlord must not require a relevant person to make a prohibited payment to a third party in connection with a tenancy of housing in England.

(3) A landlord must not require a relevant person to enter into a contract with a third party in connection with a tenancy of housing in England if that contract is—

(a) a contract for the provision of a service, or

(b) a contract of insurance.

(4) Subsection (3) does not apply if the contract is for—

(a) the provision of a utility to the tenant, or

(b) the provision of a communication service to the tenant.

(5) A landlord must not require a relevant person to make a loan to any person in connection with a tenancy of housing in England.

(6) For the purposes of this section, a landlord requires a relevant person to make a payment, enter into a contract or make a loan in connection with a tenancy of housing in England if and only if the landlord—

(a) requires the person to do any of those things in consideration of the grant, renewal, continuance, variation, assignment, novation or termination of such a tenancy,

(b) requires the person to do any of those things pursuant to a provision of a tenancy agreement relating to such a tenancy which requires or purports to require the person to do any of those things in the event of an act or default of a relevant person,

(c) requires the person to do any of those things pursuant to a provision of a tenancy agreement relating to such a tenancy which requires or purports to require the person to do any of those things if the tenancy is varied, assigned, novated or terminated,

(d) enters into a tenancy agreement relating to such a tenancy which requires or purports to require the person to do any of those things other than in the circumstances mentioned in paragraph (b) or (c),

(e) requires the person to do any of those things—

(i) as a result of an act or default of a relevant person relating to such a tenancy or housing let under it, and

(ii) otherwise than pursuant to, or for the breach of, a provision of a tenancy agreement, or

(f) requires the person to do any of those things in consideration of providing a reference in relation to that person in connection with the person’s occupation of housing in England.

(7) For the purposes of this section, a landlord does not require a relevant person to make a payment, enter into a contract or make a loan if the landlord gives the person the option of doing any of those things as an alternative to complying with another requirement imposed by the landlord or a letting agent.

(8) Subsection (7) does not apply if—

(a) the other requirement is prohibited by this section or section 2 (ignoring subsection (7) or section 2(6)), or

(b) it would be unreasonable to expect a relevant person to comply with the other requirement.

(9) In this Act “relevant person” means—

(a) a tenant, or

(b) subject to subsection (10), a person acting on behalf of, or who has guaranteed the payment of rent by, a tenant.

(10) The reference in subsection (9)(b) to a person does not include—

(a) a local housing authority within the meaning of the Housing Act 1985 (see section 1 of that Act),

(b) the Greater London Authority, or

(c) a person acting on behalf of an authority within paragraph (a) or the Greater London Authority.