Living in Liverpool: tips and advice

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Accommodation in Liverpool

Learn more about living in Liverpool

A definitive guide to find accommodation, as told by locals

Last updated: January 2025

How to rent a place in Liverpool

Many students opt to rent their accommodations from either a leasing agent or a private landlord, which they must actually find themselves. Before you even begin thinking about renting a house, a room or a flat, be sure to completely understand exactly what will be involved.

Many landlords will first need to check to ensure that you have the proper documentation to be living in the UK before they will consider a lease or a rental of any kind. This will generally include most self-contained flats or houses that can be rented to a sole individual or to a group. Typically the utility bills are paid in addition to the rental payment, although sometimes items like water can also be included, which the contract will stipulate.

When your time in the city is over, some students are not always aware that a tenancy or licence agreement is an actual legal, binding contract. Therefore, the proper steps must be followed when you are ready to move out. Of course, the different rules may vary when it comes to ending a rental or lease agreement, so this page will highlight those that students in a private rental agreement will most commonly encounter.

A fixed term agreement is a contract that is made for a lease or rental for a predetermined length of time. A periodic agreement is a contract that runs between one agreement until the next one is signed. For example, a periodic agreement most typically comes into play when a tenant has stayed in the rental unit past their original fixed term contract without signing a new agreement.

Whenever you are preparing to vacate the home, you must always supply the landlord with a written notice of your intent to move out, and you should keep a copy of this notice. Ensure that the notice is dated and provides a clear time period for when you will leave the property. Also make sure that you have a signed or electronic receipt of acceptance. If a deposit was placed at the start of your lease, then it should be returned to you, as long as you have not damaged the property in any way.

Ensuring that all tenants have the legal right to be in the country of residence is a new legal requirement that has been recently introduced for private landlords by the government. It is the responsibility of the landlord to lawfully check to see that the tenant and any other adults who will be residing at the property are properly documented to be in the country. Landlords who rent to tenants who do not have the necessary documentation to live in the country can face civil penalties. Any leasing agents who are representing the landlord also must carry out these checks.

When a person makes the decision to rent out a portion of their home or the house in its entirety, these same standards still apply. For example, this can come into play when an owner takes on a lodger or decides to sublet. The rules apply to all landlords or any agents representing a landlord when they lease a private accommodation to a group or an individual to be utilized as their primary home. For a property to be considered the main residence, it must be the only property that a person resides in, or it must be the property that is used for family, personal or legal matters. A landlord cannot rent property to anyone who is not a native resident of the country or does not have the legal and lawful right to reside in the country, whether it be temporary or permanent.