Joint and several liability
When people rent a home together on one tenancy, each of them is responsible for the whole rent and the whole of the tenancy, not just their share.
In short: Joint and several liability means each joint tenant can be held responsible for all of the rent and any damage, not only their own part. If one stops paying, the landlord can ask the others for the shortfall. It applies to joint tenants on one tenancy, not to people on separate room lets.
Tenancies and agreementsRent and rent increases
英格蘭。 已於 5 October 2026 對照法律查核. 僅供參考，並非法律建議。
Most tenancies for couples and sharers are joint tenancies. Joint and several liability is what makes them work for the landlord, and what tenants should understand before they sign.
- The landlord can recover arrears from any one joint tenant, or from all of them.
- Deposit deductions are usually made from the one deposit held for the tenancy.
- Sharers may agree among themselves who pays what; that agreement does not bind the landlord.
- Giving notice when only one joint tenant wants to leave can affect the others, so take advice first.
A guarantor's deed may also make the guarantor liable for the whole rent, unless it says it is limited to one tenant's share.
Related: Guarantor, Tenant's notice to leave
資料來源
常見問題
My flatmate left without paying. Do I have to cover their rent?
On a joint tenancy the landlord can ask any joint tenant for the whole rent. You may be able to recover their share from them, but the debt to the landlord is shared.
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Related terms
Glossary
Rent period
The interval the rent is paid for, such as a month or a week. Since 1 May 2026 a private assured tenancy can only have periods of a month or 28 days or less.
Glossary
Assured periodic tenancy
The standard private tenancy in England since 1 May 2026: it rolls on month to month (or shorter) with no end date until the tenant or landlord ends it properly.
Glossary
Assured shorthold tenancy (AST)
The usual private tenancy in England from 1997 until 30 April 2026. On 1 May 2026 existing ASTs became assured periodic tenancies and no new private ones can be made.
Glossary
Check-in and check-out
The visits at the start and end of a tenancy where the home is inspected against the inventory, keys are handed over and meter readings are taken.
Glossary
Council tax liability
Who must pay council tax on a home. Usually the tenant living there; the owner for an HMO, an empty home or where nobody lives there as their main home.
Glossary
First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber)
The tribunal that decides many housing disputes in England: challenged rent increases, rent repayment orders, banned fees, licensing appeals and leasehold service charges.