For most tenants the ideal landlord is someone who fixes stuff when it goes wrong and collects the rent but otherwise keeps out sight.

It's not a lot to ask in return for paying many hundreds of pounds every month, right?

Ah, if only life were like that all the time. Unfortunately, there's a small minority of landlords who don't take this approach; rogue landlords, in other words.

You may have met one; they ignore the regulations that govern them and their rental properties and often behave inappropriately.

Spotting a rogue landlord can boil down to gut reaction. But if your bad landlord radar isn't good, how to tell tell a potentially problematic landlord from a kosher one before you move in? Viewings can often be short and sweet, so here’s what to ask them (and do) prior to signing on the dotted line.

Questions to ask at the viewing

What happens to my deposit?

Your landlord is required by law to lodge your rental deposit with one of the three government-approved deposit protection schemes, but research shows a worryingly large number of landlords do not do this. Some do this wilfully to dodge the law, but others simply don’t know or realise what their responsibilities. Either way, if a potential landlord looks at you quizzically when you ask this question, it’s probably time to walk.

Can I see the property’s Gas Safety certificate?

If the property you’re viewing doesn’t have a Gas Safety certificate for its boiler and flues then, most likely, it’s a potential death trap and they’re breaking the law. Rogue landlord alarm bells should be ringing.

How will the landlord warn me they’re popping around?

This is a trick question. Landlords cannot just ‘pop around’ and let themselves in and instead must give your written warning of a visit more than 24 hours beforehand and say why. They need your permission to enter. Read our comprehensive guide to this.

When was the property last refurbished?

If the last time a property was touched by a paintbrush can be counted in years rather than months then it’s a reasonable indication of the landlord’s attitude to it - which is to do the minimum.

Show me the property’s EPC?

A good landlord will know this. From April 2018 onwards all rented properties must have an EPC or Energy Performance Certificate for the property showing it has attained a rating of at least an ‘E’ level. If they don’t have one, or haven’t started preparing one, then it’s a good sign they’re not interested in sticking to the basic regulations.

When were the smoke alarms last tested?

The regular checking and maintaining of smoke alarms in a property is one of the key responsibilities of a landlord which some in the past have ignored, sometimes with predictably tragic results. There should be one on each floor of the property and the government says they should be tested every month ideally. How well maintained are the ones within the property you’re viewing?

Things to do

If a potential future landlord comes across as a bit iffy then phone the local authority and speak to its housing department/office. Ask them to check the landlord’s name either against their register of rogue landlords (if they have one) or to see if they’re accredited or registered with the council as a landlord. See our list of housing department/office phone numbers below for the UK’s largest cities.

If you’re renting a room in a Houses of Multiple Occupation or HMO then the property and its landlord MUST be registered with the local council so any bad behaviour in the past will be recorded.

And many areas of the UK’s cities are now covered by what’s called Select Licensing. Within these areas landlords must register their properties and themselves with their local authority.

But in London and Manchester it’s different. Both their mayors operate online registers of dodgy landlords available to the public that can be searched online. Here are the links for the London and Manchester schemes.

Manchester also operates a voluntary pledge that it asks landlords to sign. A list of landlords who have signed it is available online.

In most other areas tenants need to phone their local council's office to make enquiries about suspected rogue landlords.

Here's our list of the phone numbers for the UK's key cities.

Bath

Housing Services: 01225 396444

Birmingham

Housing: 0121 464 7297

Bradford

Housing Standards Team: 01274 434520

Brighton and Hove

Housing Customer Service Team: 01273 293030

Bristol

Housing Advice: 0117 352 6800

Cambridge

Housing advice service: 01223 457918

Canterbury

Housing advice: 01227 762605

Carlisle

Housing: 01228 817320

Chichester

Environmental Housing Team: 01243 785166

Coventry

Housing enforcement: 08085 834333

Derby

Housing Standards Team: 01332 640764

Durham

Exeter

Housing Development: 01392 277888

Gloucester

Housing Standards: 01452 396396

Leicester

Housing: 0116 454 1001

Liverpool

Housing Advice: 0151 233 3000

Newcastle upon Tyne

Housing Advice: 0191 211 6102

Nottingham

Safer Housing: 0115 915 2000

Oxford

Housing Strategy: 01865 252062

Plymouth

Call 01752 668000 (ask for housing advice)

Portsmouth

Private Sector Housing Team: 02392 848369

Sheffield

Housing and Options Line: 0114 2736306

Southampton

Central Housing Office: 023 8083 2211

Stoke-on-Trent

Private renting: 01782 234234

Wolverhampton

The council operates a ‘Rent with confidence’ Scheme that rates rented properties with a star system. Call the council’s HQ on 01902 551155 and ask to speak to a Landlord Liaison Officer to find out more.

Worcester

Housing: 01905 722589

York

Housing: 01904 552097

CreditLadder can help you improve your credit score

If you want to improve your credit position by reporting your rent payments, CreditLadder is the only way to improve your credit score and position across all four of the main Credit Reference Agencies in the UK, namely Experian, Equifax, TransUnion and Crediva. Building up a high credit score has a lot of benefits, including helping you access finance at better rates - this can also help save you money.

CreditLadder also runs a free mortgage application service in partnership with Tembo which will tell you how much you could borrow.

Remember the information provided in this article is for information purposes only and should not be considered as advice.