Guarantor
Quick answer
A third party — usually a parent or employer — who signs a legally binding agreement to cover the tenant’s rent and any damage if the tenant defaults. Common where a tenant fails an affordability or credit reference, is a student, or is new to the UK. The guarantor deed must be properly drafted and signed, and under the Tenant Fees Act 2019 a landlord cannot charge a fee to reference a guarantor.
At a glance
- Covers
- Unpaid rent + damage on tenant default
- Typical trigger
- Failed affordability / student / new to UK
- Fee
- Cannot be charged (Tenant Fees Act 2019)
- Form
- Signed guarantor deed
Full guide
Read the complete landlord guide on Guarantor
Deadlines, fines and step-by-step compliance in our in-depth resource.
Open full guideWhy Guarantor matters for landlords
A guarantor is only worth having if the paperwork is right and the guarantor is themselves referenced — an unsigned or vaguely-worded guarantee is often unenforceable at the exact moment you need it. On a joint tenancy, be clear whether the guarantor covers the whole rent or only their tenant’s share, because "joint and several" wording is what lets you recover the full arrears from one solvent guarantor. With possession now slower and Section 21 gone, a strong guarantor is one of the few remaining ways to de-risk a marginal applicant instead of simply declining them.
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Related terms
Local Housing Allowance (LHA)
The Universal Credit / Housing Benefit element used to calculate the maximum rent the state will support for a tenant on benefits. Set at the 30th percentile of local market rents and frozen for long periods, with cash-terms uplifts at the 2024 Autumn Statement and ongoing periodic reviews. Materially below market rent in most of London and the South East, which is why LHA-only tenancies often need a guarantor or top-up payment from the tenant.
Gas Safe Register
The official register of gas engineers qualified to work safely and legally on gas appliances in the UK. Only Gas Safe registered engineers can carry out the annual gas safety check required for rental properties. Verify an engineer's registration at gassaferegister.co.uk before any work starts.
Ground 8 (Serious Rent Arrears)
The mandatory possession ground for serious rent arrears under Schedule 2 of the Housing Act 1988. Since the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 the threshold is at least three months’ rent unpaid (13 weeks’ for weekly tenancies), up from two months, and the Section 8 notice period is four weeks. The arrears must be at or above the threshold both when the notice is served and again at the hearing, so a tenant who pays below it before the hearing defeats the ground.
Ground Rent
A payment due from a leaseholder to the freeholder. Ground rents on long leases granted on or after 30 June 2022 are capped at a peppercorn (effectively zero) under the Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act 2022.
Accelerated Possession
A fast-track court procedure used under a Section 21 notice in England and Wales. Abolished for new claims from 1 May 2026 because Section 21 no longer exists. Possession is now pursued under Section 8 using a specified ground.
AST (Assured Shorthold Tenancy)
The most common form of private tenancy in England. From 1 May 2026 all existing ASTs converted to assured periodic tenancies under the Renters Rights Act 2025, and new fixed-term ASTs can no longer be created for most residential lets.