CribCheckClause by clause
- Parties: the landlord's full name matching the ownership documents, and yours spelled correctly.
- Property: a description precise enough to identify the exact flat, including any parking space.
- Term and start date: when it begins, when it ends, and whether it renews automatically.
- Rent: the amount, the period it covers, how and to whom it is paid.
- Service charge: what it includes, how it is reviewed, and whether it is reconciled.
- Repairs: who is responsible for what, tied to the recorded condition at entry.
- Deposit: amount, permitted deductions and the refund timeline.
- Renewal and rent review: how an increase is proposed and how much notice you get.
- Notice and exit: how either side ends the tenancy and the condition you must leave it in.
Red flags
- Blank spaces to be filled in later, or a copy you are not allowed to take away and read.
- A clause making you responsible for all repairs regardless of cause or prior condition.
- Rent payable to a person or account not named as landlord or authorised agent.
- A right for the landlord to enter at any time without notice.
- No mention of the deposit, or a deposit described as non-refundable.
- Penalties for reporting problems, or for refusing an in-term rent increase.
Attach the condition record
Ask for your dated photographs and findings to be attached as a schedule. It is the cheapest protection available, and it turns your deposit dispute from an argument into a comparison.
General information for house hunters, not legal advice. Tenancy law differs by state and reforms are debated regularly — confirm the current position in your state, and take advice from a lawyer before acting on a dispute.