Housing Glossary

Plain English meanings of common housing terms in England. General information, not legal advice. Each term links to the guides on our housing problem finder.

Assured periodic tenancy

Under the Renters' Rights Act, most private tenancies in England run month to month with no fixed end date, so a tenant can leave with notice and a landlord needs a legal ground to end it.

Section 21 notice

The "no fault" notice. It ended in England on 1 May 2026 and landlords can no longer use it to start new possession cases.

Section 8 notice

The notice a landlord uses to seek possession on a named legal ground. Only a court can order you to leave.

Form 4A (section 13 notice)

The form a landlord uses to propose a rent increase. It must give at least 2 months notice.

HHSRS

The Housing Health and Safety Rating System. Councils use it to rate hazards in homes as Category 1 (serious) or Category 2.

HMO

House in multiple occupation: a shared home let to several people who are not one household. Some need a licence from the council.

Awaab's Law

Rules that give social landlords fixed deadlines to investigate and fix emergency hazards and damp and mould.

Tenant Satisfaction Measures

Figures social landlords publish, collected under the Regulator of Social Housing, so tenants can compare them.

Housing Ombudsman

The free, independent service that looks at complaints about social landlords once the landlord's own process has finished.

Rent repayment order

A tribunal order making a landlord repay rent after certain housing offences.

Guarantor

A person who agrees to pay the rent if the tenant does not.

Joint tenancy

A tenancy shared by two or more tenants who are each responsible for the whole rent.

Holding deposit

Money paid to reserve a property. In England it is capped at one week's rent.

Rental bidding

Offering more than the advertised rent. Landlords and agents in England must not invite or accept offers above the advertised rent.

PRS Database

The planned Private Rented Sector Database of landlords and properties. It is not yet in force.

Crisis and Resilience Fund

Government funding for councils in England. Its Housing Payment strand replaced Discretionary Housing Payments, which ended in England on 31 March 2026.

Prevention and relief duty

The duties councils in England have to help people threatened with or already experiencing homelessness.

Intentionally homeless

A council decision that you lost your home because of something you did or failed to do. It can affect what help you get.

Title register

The Land Registry record that shows who owns a property. A copy costs £7.

Qualifying lease

A lease that meets the legal tests, for example for the right to extend, as explained in the official leasehold guidance.

Official Sources

• GOV.UK: Renters' Rights Act guide Checked 14 October 2026