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As 'no-fault' evictions are about to be banned, here's our 16 renters' rights and cost-cutting tips
Including... Use rent to boost your credit score | Cut energy bills | Contents cover | 60% less rent as a property guardian | Make your home bigger without moving

On Friday 1 May, the Renters' Rights Act will come into force in England. It's arguably a once-in-a-generation change - ending fixed-term tenancies and no-fault evictions, and making the rental equivalent(ish) of gazumping (accepting bids over the asking price) illegal.

The situation for renters has been tough, rents in England now average £1,430 - up 30% over the last five years - and there have been even bigger rises across the other UK nations. 

Plus a squeeze on rental properties means even finding a place to live can be hard. It's hoped these new rights will help, though as always there is some 'wait-and-see' to discover the impact on the wider market. So here's a brief summary of the changes, then onto the cost-cutting tips, including...

- Use rent to boost your credit score.
- Renters' rights to cut energy bills | Broadband bills | Water bills.
- Make your home bigger without moving.
- Pay 60% less rent as a property guardian.

Far more help on the Renters' Rights Act and what it means for you, see the detailed help from charity Shelter and the Gov.uk site.

1. Renters, you have a right to switch energy tariff if you pay for it. As long as you pay the bills directly (rather than through a general 'bills included' package) and don't need to physically switch the meter, you don't need your landlord's permission to switch tariff, though for courtesy's sake, it's worth letting them know. 

And for the last week, for the first time in many weeks, people can both save and protect themselves from price hikes by getting a cheap fix. As your winner depends on usage and location, do a quick full market comparison asap to find your cheapest deal.

PS: If bills are getting too big, see our help if you're struggling to pay guide.

2. How to get renting to boost your ability to get credit. Your credit files - provided by Experian, Equifax and TransUnion - is key info lenders, including mortgage firms, use to assess if they want you as a customer. They use your past behaviour to predict how you'll behave in the future. Our free MSE Credit Club will examine your file, show you how strong it is, and work out how to improve it.

And these days, diligently paying your rent on time can be put on your file, which may boost your ability to get credit - but it's not automatic (and if you miss payments you don't want to do this). Our rent on credit files section has full info, but in brief...

Big landlords may be signed up to the Rental Exchange scheme, which means your rent payments may be reported to Experian. If you're in social or council housing, it's automatic (you can opt out), or you can opt in to it if your private landlord is part of it. If not, you can do it yourself via two schemes... 

• Canopy. Sign up for free and it reports your rent payment to Experian.
  
  
• CreditLadder*. Here, you can choose one of the three credit reference agencies - Experian, Equifax or TransUnion - for it to report to for free (so use Canopy for Experian and this for one of the others, and you've two out of three without paying a penny). Or you can pay £60/yr (and you get a £15 Amazon voucher via our link) and it will report to all three. 

3. Low-cost ways to make your home 'bigger' without moving. While renting usually means you can't make permanent changes to the layout or decor, there's still plenty you can do to make a house or flat feel roomier and more like yours. See how using the likes of bed risers, tension rods, Tipp-Ex and more in our 25 low-cost ways to make the most of where you live guide.

4. Renters, you can pick your broadband provider too - many can halve costs and double speeds... Over six million households are OUT OF CONTRACT and thus free to move. And for renters, unless you don't pay the bill or your tenancy agreement explicitly bans switching broadband, you don't need the landlord's permission for a normal switch. Though if you want to fit (or get rid of) cable or fibre to the home, where physical work is done, you should check.

As deals depend on area, our broadband comparison uses your postcode to find the best for you, for example, right now...

– Sky 150Mb fast fibre, 24-mth contract equiv to £19.67/mth.
– Sky 500Mb superfast fibre, 24-mth contract equiv to £23.67/mth.

This is a fraction of what many homes are paying. Also if you're on Universal Credit or other benefits, then there are special social broadband tariffs that provide long-term cheap deals. Nearly 4m who are eligible are missing out.

5. Save 60%+ on rent by becoming a 'property guardian'. If you can be flexible about where you live and are happy to move frequently, you can baby-sit empty properties to deter squatters.

These can be private homes, office blocks, fire stations, churches, pubs, schools and more. Rent's usually a fraction of what you'd normally pay - for example, this week we found a room in Nottingham for £375/mth (including bills), and a two-bed flat in North London for £800/mth.

Former property guardian MSE Rosie's a big fan: "I paid £910 a month to live in a 2 bed ex-council flat (due for demolition) in London with a balcony over a park. I was also required to do 16 hours of volunteering a month. I loved it - and it would have been basically impossible for me to have a whole flat to myself in Zone 2 otherwise." See property guardians.

6. Buildings insurance isn't relevant but do consider contents cover, it can be just £5/mth. Buildings insurance is the responsibility of freehold homeowners, or for others, the landlord or management company (though do check your lease). 

Yet everyone, including renters, should consider contents insurance. An easy way to think of this is it covers everything that'd fall if you turned your home upside down...

Use our Compare+ Home Insurance tool, which via one questionnaire, gives you tips, shows what impacts price, gives you the cheapest price from one comparison site, then suggests if you should do more comparisons and has personalised tips. Also, read our Cheap contents insurance for tenants guide.

Important: Carefully check the cover offered before you buy - for example, if you're in a house-share, the policy may specify you need a lock on the door to your room to be covered.

7. Are you due a Council Tax discount? You could have your Council Tax bill reduced by anything from 25% to 100%, so if any of the following apply to you, read our how to get a Council Tax discount guide...

a) You live alone or only with those under 18 (or b, c or d below).
b) You or someone you live with has a 'severe mental impairment'.
c) You're a live-in carer or live with one.
d) You're a full-time student.
e) You're on a low income.
f) You get Pension Credit or other benefits.
g) You have a disability.

8. In a house or flat share? Use free apps to split the bills. Keeping track of bills can be a complete nightmare, especially if there are a few of you. Clever bill-splitting apps can help.

9. Check your home's properly licensed. If not, you could be owed £1,000s... Later this year, all landlords in England will need to register with a national database (they already do in Wales, Scot and NI).

Right now, it's up to your local council to decide whether landlords need a licence. If they need one and haven't got one, you could be entitled to repayment of your rent. Renting in London? Use the property licence checker to find out.

10. Kit out your pad with free furniture. If you've rented unfurnished or part-furnished, online giveaway sites can help you find what you need for nowt. eBay's also worth checking for cheap stuff - see our 40 eBay buying tips.

11. If your deposit's not protected, you could get it back... plus THREE TIMES the value. With most tenancies, your landlord/letting agent MUST put your deposit into a government-backed protection scheme by law. If they don't (or haven't), you've rights to redress. See deposit protection.

12. One day, maybe, wanna own a house? Put at least £1 in a LISA - it could be worth £1,000s. If you've never owned a home and are aged 18 to 39, you can open a Lifetime ISA (LISA). Do that and the state adds 25% on top of any savings, up to £4,000 per tax year (so max it out and that's £1,000 free each year added to your account) as long as it's put towards a home costing under £450,000. What to do depends on your situation...

• Ready to save for a property. The LISA is the priority place to save, provided you're looking at a home that'll definitely cost under £450,000. If not, it's not for you. Plus you can't be buying within the next year (unless you've already got an LISA) as you need to have had it for a year to get the bonus. If both those work, it's important you read our top LISAs guide as there are pros and cons to LISAs, and there's step-by-step help there. 
  
  
• Not really thinking about buying yet? Put £1 in anyway. As you have to have it open a year before you can get the first time buyers' bonus, it's worth getting that clock ticking. You can do it with just £1, and the top-paying cash LISA is Moneybox's 4.35% so it's quite easy to do. Then when you're ready to buy you'll no longer have the 'wait a year' to worry about. 
  
  And if you don't buy a house, it's only a quid and you can withdraw at least 93p of it whenever you want. 

PS: Got a Help to Buy ISA? That was LISAs' predecessor, you can have both but only get the first-time buyer bonus on one. See LISA v H2B ISA.

13. Been sharing with different flatmates in the past? Did you have a joint bills account? If you had a joint bills account with flatmates, then your credit files may be linked, meaning when you apply for credit, their files and creditworthiness can be assessed too, even if you no longer have anything to do with each other. If you no longer have any financial connection (still being friends is fine), request to delink your credit files.

14. Struggling to pay rent? Help may be available even if you're in work. Thousands on low incomes are missing out on benefits and grants because they don't believe they're eligible...

a) Check if you qualify for Universal Credit (UC). If you've household income below £40,000 (potentially more if you rent in an expensive area and have children), it's worth doing a 10-min benefit check-up to see if you're eligible for UC. We're not saying you will be, just that it is worth checking. It'll show your eligibility for other benefits and social tariffs too.

b) Apply for a discretionary housing payment. If you receive the housing element of Universal Credit, or Housing Benefit, you may be able to get one-off discretionary help from your council. Do read the info from charity Shelter, for England | Wales | Scotland, or info for N Ireland. 

c) Speak to your landlord. If you're going to miss paying your rent, always talk to your landlord to let them know you're struggling (better to tell them rather than not pay unannounced). You may be able to agree a payment plan to ease pressure - some will, some won't, but communicating is better than just not paying.

d) Apply for a charity grant. Some charities may offer help - search for grants available in your area via Turn2us or Lightning Reach.

e) Facing eviction? See eviction-threat help.

15. If you're in a dispute with your landlord, help's available - and they have responsibilities, too. An ombudsman for the private rental sector is being introduced in England as part of the second phase of the Renters' Rights Act (the Govt says 'from late 2026). 

Until then (or if you're elsewhere in the UK), if you think you've been unfairly treated during your tenancy - or your landlord hasn't kept the home safe and in good working order - there are official bodies to help you complain (though they have limited powers). See landlord responsibilities and your rights.

16. More bedrooms in your home than people (or the same number)? In England & Wales switching to a water meter can save you £100s. As things stand, if you pay the water bills yourself, and a longer fixed-term tenancy agreement, you DON'T need your landlord's permission to get a water meter fitted (though it's worth a conversation out of courtesy). 

Martin's key rule of thumb is if you've more or the same number of bedrooms in your house than people, it's worth checking a water meter calculator. Far more help in our water saving guide.