For landlords

Can a landlord enter a property without the tenant's permission in England?

Guide · England · Last checked on 20 October 2026

Not at will. For many private residential tenancies in England, section 11(6) of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 implies a term permitting the landlord to enter to view the home's condition and state of repair, subject to specified conditions. They include 24 hours' notice in writing to the occupier and a reasonable time of the day. Section 11(6) creates an implied term of the tenancy. It does not itself authorise forcible entry. If the tenant refuses access, the landlord may need to seek an appropriate court order rather than going in without the tenant's agreement. A visit the tenant agrees to can also rest on that agreement.

VEYLO X is a software platform for renting and letting in England. This is a plain-English guide for England. It is general information about letting, not legal advice. Each rule below names the provision it comes from, so it can be read at source on legislation.gov.uk.

Can a landlord let themselves in with their own key?

Holding a key does not change the rules. Every tenancy carries an implied promise of quiet enjoyment at common law, given by the landlord to the tenant. That promise protects the tenant against substantial interference by the landlord with their possession and use of the home.

The right of entry in section 11(6) of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 is a term the law reads into the tenancy. It provides a right to inspect the condition and state of repair on the conditions the subsection sets out. Other lawful arrangements for access must be considered separately. A visit the tenant agrees to rests on that agreement instead.

Section 6 of the Criminal Law Act 1977 generally makes it an offence to use or threaten violence to secure entry where someone present opposes the entry and the person using or threatening violence knows this. Violence against property is included. Having an interest in or right to possess the property does not itself provide lawful authority to use violence. Section 6(1A) contains exceptions for displaced residential occupiers, protected intending occupiers and persons acting on their behalf.

How much notice does a landlord have to give before an inspection?

Section 11(6) of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 sets out every condition in one sentence. Read together, they come to six points.

The notice is in writing.
The notice gives 24 hours before the visit.
The notice goes to the occupier, the person living in the home.
The visit is at a reasonable time of the day.
The purpose is viewing the condition and state of repair of the home.
The person entering is the landlord, or a person the landlord has authorised in writing.

Section 11(6) does not say which hours count as reasonable. This guide does not cover entry in an emergency, such as a gas escape or a flood.

Section 11 applies to the leases described in section 13 of the Act and not to those listed in section 14. In practice that covers most private tenancies of a home in England.

Who can a landlord send to inspect instead of going themselves?

Section 11(6) of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 covers the landlord and "any person authorised by him in writing". The written authority is part of the right itself.

A surveyor, a builder or a relative who inspects on the landlord's behalf comes within section 11(6) only with that written authority. The 24 hours' notice to the occupier is still needed in the same way.

Can a landlord come in to do repairs?

Repairs follow a different provision. Section 16 of the Housing Act 1988 makes it an implied term of every assured tenancy that the tenant "shall afford to the landlord access to the dwelling-house let on the tenancy and all reasonable facilities for executing therein any repairs which the landlord is entitled to execute".

Section 16 states no notice period, which is not the same as saying that no notice is needed. Section 11(6), by contrast, states 24 hours in writing for an inspection.

Most private tenancies in England are assured tenancies. Section 16 therefore applies to most of them. Our guide to a landlord's repair responsibilities in England covers what the repair duties themselves are.

Reason for the visit	Where the rule is	What the provision says about notice
Inspecting condition and state of repair	Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, section 11(6)	24 hours in writing to the occupier, at reasonable times of the day
Carrying out repairs, assured tenancy	Housing Act 1988, section 16	No notice period stated
Showing the home to buyers or new tenants	Not covered by section 11(6); any express term of the tenancy	Section 11(6) says nothing about it
Annual gas safety check	Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, regulations 36(3) and 39	No notice period stated; regulation 39 gives a reasonable steps defence

The gas row describes a safety duty and a defence, not a right of entry. Regulations 36 and 39 do not themselves give a landlord a right to enter.

Can a landlord show the home to buyers or new tenants?

Section 11(6) of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 is limited to viewing the condition and state of repair of the home. It says nothing about showing the home to buyers or to new tenants.

Section 11(6) is therefore not the place to look for a right to hold viewings. The landlord's promise of quiet enjoyment applies during the sale of a let home in the same way as at any other time. The written tenancy agreement may contain its own term about viewings, and that term is read alongside that promise.

What counts as harassment by a landlord?

Harassment of a residential occupier is a criminal offence in England. Section 1(3) of the Protection from Eviction Act 1977 makes it an offence for any person to harass an occupier with intent to make them leave or give up their rights, and section 1(3A) adds a wider offence for a landlord or a landlord's agent, set out below.

The section 1(3A) offence has two parts. The first is doing acts likely to interfere with the peace or comfort of the residential occupier or their household, or persistently withdrawing or withholding services reasonably required for living there. The second is knowing, or having reasonable cause to believe, that the conduct is likely to cause the occupier to give up the home, or to refrain from exercising any right or pursuing any remedy.

Section 1(3B) of the same Act provides a defence. A person is not guilty under section 1(3A) if they prove they had reasonable grounds for doing the acts.

What is the penalty for harassing a tenant?

There is more than one route. Section 1(4) of the Protection from Eviction Act 1977 sets the maximum court penalties. On conviction on indictment, which is the more serious court route, the maximum is a fine or up to 2 years' imprisonment, or both.

Section 1A of the same Act has been in force since 1 May 2026. It was inserted by section 58 of the Renters' Rights Act 2025 and brought into force by S.I. 2026/421.

Under section 1A, a local housing authority may impose a financial penalty of up to £40,000 if satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that a person has committed an offence under section 1 in relation to premises in England. Section 1A(2) prevents a financial penalty for conduct for which criminal proceedings under section 1 have been brought. Section 1(7) prevents conviction for the same conduct where a section 1A financial penalty has been imposed.

Section 1(5) of the 1977 Act keeps any civil claim open. Offences under sections 1(2), 1(3) and 1(3A) of the Protection from Eviction Act 1977 are among those listed in section 40(3) of the Housing and Planning Act 2016, which provides for rent repayment orders by the First-tier Tribunal.

What if a tenant will not let the gas engineer or electrician in?

The safety duties stay with the landlord, and the regulations recognise that access depends on the tenant. Regulation 36(3) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 generally requires each appliance and flue covered by the landlord's duty to be checked for safety at intervals of not more than 12 months, subject to the timing arrangements in regulation 36A. Regulation 39 of the same Regulations provides that a person is not guilty of an offence for a breach of regulation 36 if they can show they took all reasonable steps to prevent it. Our guide to the gas safety certificate and its renewal dates covers the check itself.

The electrical rules now say something similar in plain terms. Regulation 3(2A) of the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector and Social Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 provides that a landlord is not in breach of the inspection and safety duties in regulation 3(1) if they can show they took all reasonable steps to comply. Regulation 3(2B) adds that where a tenant prevents the landlord entering, the landlord is not treated as failing to take all reasonable steps solely because they did not bring legal proceedings to secure entry. Both paragraphs were inserted by S.I. 2025/1043 and have been fully in force since 1 May 2026. Our guide to the EICR and how often it is needed covers the electrical inspection.

A dated copy of each written request, and of each reply, is a record of the steps taken.

Common questions

Does a landlord always have to give 24 hours' notice?

For an inspection that relies on section 11(6), yes, in writing to the occupier and at a reasonable time of the day (Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, section 11(6)). A visit the tenant agrees to can also rest on that agreement. For access to do repairs in an assured tenancy, section 16 of the Housing Act 1988 states no notice period, which is not the same as saying that no notice is needed.

What if the tenant says no after notice has been given?

Section 11(6) creates an implied term of the tenancy. It does not itself authorise forcible entry. If the tenant refuses access, the landlord may need to seek an appropriate court order rather than going in without the tenant's agreement. A dated record of each request and each reply shows what was asked and when.

Can a landlord show the property to buyers while it is let?

Not under section 11(6), which covers only the condition and state of repair. The written tenancy agreement may contain its own term about viewings.

Is the position the same in Wales and Scotland?

No. This guide is about England. Section 13(1ZA) of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 disapplies section 11 for a dwelling-house in Wales subject to an occupation contract, because Wales has its own scheme under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, and Scotland and Northern Ireland differ again.

Who wrote this

VEYLO X is a software platform for renting and letting in England. VEYLO X does not give legal advice, does not enter, inspect or arrange access to any property, and does not decide whether any landlord has met a legal duty.

Sources

The primary sources behind this guide. Where the law and a summary disagree, the law is what counts.

This article is general information, not legal advice. It states the position in England as at 20 October 2026, when the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 sections 11, 13 and 14, the Housing Act 1988 sections 1 and 16, the Protection from Eviction Act 1977 sections 1 and 1A, the Criminal Law Act 1977 section 6, the Housing and Planning Act 2016 section 40, regulations 36 and 39 of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, regulation 3 of the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector and Social Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, S.I. 2025/1043 and S.I. 2026/421 were read on legislation.gov.uk. If a dispute about access has started, take advice on your own case.