TANT Newsletter #15

Important updates

Renters Rights Act 2026 (England Only)

This year, Assured Shorthold Tenants (ASTs) in England have welcomed the implementation of the Renters Rights Act, which improves the security of tenure and other key rights. As part of this, ASTs are now called Assured Periodic Tenancies (APTs). Note that protected and some farm tenants keep their pre-existing terms and conditions.

As required by the new legislation, the National Trust (NT) have written to every tenant and enclosed the Ministry of Housing Statement which sets out the key provisions of the Renters Rights Act. If you did not receive this correspondence please contact your local NT Lettings Team or, failing that, contact us. There is a link to the Ministry of Housing Statement on the TANT website and on the National Trust FAQs for tenants.

TANT have more information on all this on the Tenant section of our website where you can download a TANT guide to the Act. We will be monitoring tenant experiences of how the NT implements this new framework. Please let us know if you encounter any issues or have any other questions via our contact form.

Long Leaseholders Insurance Details

We will be adding the latest insurance details for Long Leaseholders to our updated website as soon as they become available - watch this space!

Get Involved with TANT

We'd love to hear from you on some important matters to improve our feedback and guidance!

Rent Review Experiences

Please let us know your experience of submitting rent reviews – good or bad – including whether you are considering going, or already have already gone, to the new rent tribunal. As ever, we are here to support you if you wish to go through that process.

In addition to this, we would like to build a list of achieved rents to help us guide tenants on future rent reviews. We welcome any information you can share on this (type of house, rough location and rental amount) via our contact form.

Please be assured that we will not share your personal details. Any information collected will be anonymised when advising tenants

TANT Property Photo Library

As NT tenants you live and work in some of the most beautiful, historic, and unique properties in the UK. We would love to showcase your surroundings on the TANT website and in our upcoming newsletters.

To help us build this photo library simply email your high-resolution photos to info@tantuk.org, with the subject line "Tenant Photo Submission". Please include your name and the general location or estate name so we can give you proper credit!

By submitting your photo, you agree that TANT can freely use the image in our digital newsletters and on the TANT UK website.

Local TANT Meetings

Would you like a local TANT meeting in your area? We are aiming to conduct meetings around the country more often, involving members of the TANT committee and guest speakers from the NT. If you live in an area where there is a good size NT tenant base and know of a convenient venue to conduct them in please let us know via our contact form.

TANT Advice Column: Benefits

This month, we have compiled some useful advice to help make your money go further.

Attendance Allowance

If you are over 65 and have health problems you can apply for Attendance Allowance. The Lower Rate is £76.70 a week, Higher Rate £114.60 - this is not treated as income.

If you are already on Pension Credits the Attendance Allowance increases it to the disabled rate. If you are not receiving Pension Credits you may become eligible for it with Attendance Allowance. For example, you may have been £3 over the limit, but with Attendance Allowance you can have a higher income and still be entitled.

Otherwise, if you have any health problems at any age you may need to refer yourself to Social Services for help. If your home is cold or damp you may need to contact your Local Council office for Private Rentals for help.

Universal Credit and Council Tax

Even though your rent is covered by Universal Credit (UC) your Council Tax isn't, so you should make sure you also apply for Council Tax Benefit from your local authority. For those over the age boundary for UC you can still claim Housing Benefit from your local authority.

Blue Badge

Having problems walking? Have you considered a blue badge? Remember this can be applied for even if you don't have a car as the badge is for the person, not the vehicle. That way a friend or even a taxi can use your blue badge when dropping you off. Apply to your local council.

TANT Benefit Support

TANT committee member, Linda Baharier, is there to help you with any further benefit advice, via the TANT helpline 08454 633563 or email info@tantuk.org

Looking After Your Property

TANT is always here to help you with your property maintenance issues.

Tenant Repair Line Reminder

As a first port of call on all major and minor property problems make sure you report them via one of the below National Trust lines:

1. by email to tenantrepairs@nationaltrust.org.uk
2. using the FixFlo Portal
3. if urgent then telephone 0345 646 1311

These lines are monitored 24/7 with follow-up times reviewed regularly by the Trust.

Once reported, if you require further advice or support please reach out to TANT via the contact form.

Damp and Mould

As winter approaches, the National Trust's tenant guide for dealing with damp and mould in older properties is now available on the TANT website. Shelter also has useful advice here.

Other TANT Updates

Final updates and things to note....

NT Holiday Cottages

The NT has brought many of their beautiful holiday cottages back into the let estate. These can be found via the NT website tenants' section or by looking on Rightmove. You can tell which are the holiday rentals as the photos usually show the furnished images used for the old holiday cottages listings.

TANT AGM

This year's TANT Annual General Meeting was held on March 8th in West Wycombe. It included a formal welcome from the Chair of the Village Hall Committee, and presentations from senior NT Managers and members of the TANT team. We had lively Q&A forums on both national and local issues concerning the National Trust. TANT committee members made presentations on the progress of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 and the imminent implementation of the Renters Rights Act 2025.

We plan to move to an online AGM so more tenants around the England, Wales and Northern Ireland can attend in the future. The local meetings will provide a face-to-face forum.

TANT Newsletter feedback

We would love to make the newsletters as useful as possible. Please either let us know the topics you want covered, submit an article that you have written or give us any other feedback you may have via the newsletter email: newsletters@tantuk.org

Thanks for reading and look out for our next newsletter!

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