Your privacy as a tenant
What a landlord or manager is, and isn’t, entitled to know or access during your tenancy.
Your right to quiet enjoyment
Once you’re renting a home, the law gives you the right to enjoy it in peace. Your landlord owns the property, but during the tenancy it is your private space. That means they can’t drop in whenever they like, and any access has to follow the rules around notice and reasonable hours, except in a genuine emergency such as a burst pipe or fire.
Notice before entry
For routine reasons, like inspections, repairs or showing the property to prospective tenants or buyers, your landlord must give proper written notice within the required timeframe and visit at a reasonable time. You’re entitled to know why they’re coming and roughly when. Repeated visits without notice, or turning up unannounced, is a breach you can raise.
What information you must share
When applying and during the tenancy, you only need to provide what’s reasonable to manage the tenancy, identity, references, and enough to assess affordability. Be cautious about handing over more than necessary, and it’s fair to ask why a piece of information is needed and how it will be stored. Your personal details should be kept secure and used only for the tenancy.
If your privacy is breached
If a landlord enters without notice, shares your information inappropriately, or won’t respect reasonable boundaries, document each instance with dates and details. Raise it in writing first, many issues stop once they’re named. If it continues, Tenancy Services can advise and the Tenancy Tribunal can make orders. Knowing your boundaries is the first step to protecting them.