England landlord readiness
Eight checks before you list an empty buy-to-let.
Move to Own UK can collect a property lead and explain its process. It cannot approve lender consent, vary a lease, license a property, certify safety, or give legal advice. Use these checks to find what needs professional confirmation before a tenancy and separate purchase option move forward.
Reviewed 9 September 2026 · England route
Choose the decision in front of you
Mortgage Lender Consent for a Tenancy and Purchase Option
Do not treat permission to let as permission for the whole Move to Own UK route. A buy-to-let mortgage may permit ordinary letting, but the proposed purchase option can create separate title, sale, notice, or enforcement questions. Give the lender the proposed structure and obtain a written response that your solicitor can review before publication.
Open check →Check 02Leasehold and Freeholder Checks Before a Tenancy Option
Possibly, but ownership of a leasehold flat does not remove lease restrictions. Read the registered lease, check whether subletting needs notice or consent, and ask a conveyancer how the purchase option interacts with assignment, sale, title notices, and remaining term. Obtain any required freeholder or managing-agent response before the property is published.
Open check →Check 03Empty Buy-to-Let Safety Readiness Checklist for England
A purchase option does not reduce landlord safety duties. Before move-in, an England landlord needs current property-specific evidence covering hazards, repairs, energy performance, gas where present, electrical installations, alarms, and any licensing conditions. Missing certificates or unsafe conditions should stop the Move to Own UK route rather than become promises to fix after occupation.
Open check →Check 04Landlord Insurance Questions for an Empty Property Route
Tell the insurer about the current vacancy, intended tenancy, property type, and separate purchase option. Ask for written confirmation of cover, conditions, exclusions, security requirements, and the date occupancy changes the policy position. Do not assume ordinary home insurance, historic landlord cover, or a lender's response answers the insurer's questions.
Open check →Check 05Council Property Licensing Check for England Landlords
Check the property address, intended household, and local council scheme before publication. Large HMOs require mandatory licensing, councils can license other HMOs, and selective licensing can cover privately rented homes within designated areas. A route should not open for applications until the landlord knows which scheme applies and has the required licence or acceptable application evidence.
Open check →Check 06Applicant Checks and Fair Landlord Selection in England
Move to Own UK keeps applications open to people who pass the same disclosed verification floor. The platform does not score, rank, or recommend an applicant. Landlord makes the final decision using relevant, recorded criteria, while completing Right to Rent checks for every adult occupier and avoiding unlawful discrimination in advertising, checks, terms, and selection.
Open check →Check 07Tenancy Deposits and Move to Own UK Platform Fees
Buyer pays Move to Own UK £0: no listing, application, option, renewal, management, or completion fee. Landlord pays £0 upfront. Platform success fee is one month of agreed rent, uncapped, plus VAT where applicable, and becomes payable only after signed tenancy and option, cleared first rent to landlord, and key handover. Tenancy rent and any lawful protected deposit remain separate.
Open check →Check 08Solicitor Review Checklist for a Property Purchase Option
Each party needs independent advice on two connected documents: the tenancy governing occupation now and the option governing a possible purchase later. Solicitors should confirm parties, title, consents, option period, price method, exercise notice, completion mechanics, breach, expiry, and any title protection. Move to Own UK provides commercial inputs, not legal wording or approval.
Open check →Property intake
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