Renters’ Rights Act 2025

19 Guarantor not liable for rent payable after tenant’s death E+W

In the 1988 Act, after section 16M (inserted by section 17 of this Act) insert—

“Guarantors E+W

16N Guarantor not liable for rent payable after tenant’s death

(1) This section applies where—

(a) an individual (the “guarantor”) is a party to an arrangement (the “guarantee”) under which the individual guarantees payment by the tenant of rent under an assured tenancy (“guaranteed rent”), and

(b) the guarantor became a party to the guarantee on or after the commencement date.

(2) If—

(a) only one person is the tenant under the assured tenancy, and

(b) that person dies,

the guarantee is of no effect if, or to the extent that, it guarantees payment of guaranteed rent for the period beginning with the death of that person.

(3) If—

(a) two or more persons are the tenant under the assured tenancy, and

(b) all of those persons die,

the guarantee is of no effect if, or to the extent that, it guarantees payment of guaranteed rent for the period beginning with the deaths of those persons (if they all die on the same day) or beginning with the death of the last of those persons to die (if they do not all die on the same day).

(4) If—

(a) two or more persons are the tenant under the assured tenancy,

(b) the guarantor is a family member of only one of those persons, and

(c) that family member of the guarantor dies,

the guarantee is of no effect if, or to the extent that, it guarantees payment of guaranteed rent for the period beginning with the death of that family member.

(5) If—

(a) two or more persons are the tenant under the assured tenancy,

(b) the guarantor is a family member of more than one of those persons, and

(c) all of those family members of the guarantor die,

the guarantee is of no effect if, or to the extent that, it guarantees payment of guaranteed rent for the period beginning with the deaths of those family members (if they all die on the same day) or beginning with the death of the last of those family members to die (if they do not all die on the same day).

(6) For the purposes of this section, the guaranteed rent for the period beginning with the death of a person, or with the deaths of two or more persons, is—

(a) guaranteed rent which—

(i) is for the rent period during which the person dies or persons die (the “relevant rent period”), and

(ii) is attributable to the time after the death of the person or persons, and

(b) guaranteed rent for every rent period after the relevant rent period.

(7) For that purpose, the guaranteed rent for the relevant rent period which is attributable to the time after the death of the person or persons is the amount calculated in accordance with this formula—

where—

• D is the total number of days in the relevant rent period which fall on and after the day of the death of the person or persons;

• T is the total number of days in the relevant rent period;

• R is the guaranteed rent for the relevant rent period.

16P Section 16N: application and interpretation

(1) Section 16N applies to a guarantee—

(a) whether or not it is in writing;

(b) if it is in writing, whether or not it is in the lease;

(c) whether or not it also guarantees the payment of any sum other than the rent.

(2) In section 16N and this section—

• “commencement date” has the meaning given by section 146(3) of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025;

• “family member” is to be read in accordance with subsections (3) and (4);

• “rent period” means a period for which rent is payable.

(3) For the purposes of section 16N, the guarantor is a family member of the following persons—

(a) the spouse, civil partner or co-habitee of the guarantor;

(b) a person who is—

(i) a child,

(ii) a grandchild,

(iii) a parent,

(iv) a grandparent,

(v) a sibling,

(vi) a niece or nephew,

(vii) an aunt or uncle, or

(viii) a cousin,

of the guarantor or of the spouse, civil partner or co-habitee of the guarantor;

(c) a person who is the spouse, civil partner or co-habitee of a person falling within paragraph (b).

(4) If, in accordance with subsection (3), a person (F)—

(a) is a family member of the guarantor when the guarantee is entered into, or

(b) becomes a family member of the guarantor after the guarantee is entered into,

F is to be regarded as being a family member of the guarantor at all times afterwards (regardless of whether F continues to be so in accordance with subsection (3)).

(5) For the purposes of this section—

(a) one person (C) is the “co-habitee” of another person (P) if P lives with C as if they were married or in a civil partnership;

(b) a “niece or nephew” of a person (P) is a child—

(i) of a sibling of P, or

(ii) of a person who is the spouse, civil partner or co-habitee of a sibling of P;

(c) an “aunt or uncle” of a person (P) is a sibling of a parent of P;

(d) a “cousin” of a person (P) is a child—

(i) of an aunt or uncle of P, or

(ii) of a person who is the spouse, civil partner or co-habitee of an aunt or uncle of P;

(e) “sibling” includes a sibling of the half-blood and a step-sibling.”

Commencement Information

I1 S. 19 not in force at Royal Assent, see s. 145(1)(8)

I2 S. 19 in force at 1.5.2026 for specified purposes by S.I. 2026/421, reg. 2(a)