Are you confused by the sheer volume of jargon and techie terms that are banded about by property investors, landlords and letting agents? Not only is property investing full of so much jargon, it can be really hard to find reliable explanations of what it all means. Explanations which are both accurate legally, and are also written in plain English.
I’ve written this A-Z on property jargon so landlords and other property investors can easily find out what key terms mean in practice, written in plain English. Everything from Accidental landlord to Yield, and Article 4 to Section 24.
The Complete A-Z for Landlords and Property Businesses
- Accidental landlord
- All money out deal
- Allowable expenses
- Arrears
- Article 4
- Assured Periodic Tenancy (APT) – in force from 1 May 2026
- Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST) – abolished on 1 May 2026 unless pending eviction
- Below market value
- BRR or Buy, Refurbish, Refinance
- BTL or Buy to Let
- Build to rent
- CGT or Capital Gains Tax
- Capital growth
- Conveyancing
- Council tax
- Decent Homes Standard
- Deposit protection scheme
- DTV or Direct to Vendor
- EICR
- Electrical safety rules
- EPC
- Fire safety rules
- Freehold
- Gas Safety Certificate
- Ground Rent
- HMO
- How to Rent Checklist (discontinued 1 May 2026)
- ICO
- Interest cover ratio
- Inventory report
- Joint tenancies
- Lease
- Leasehold
- Legionnaires assessment
- Limited company
- Net asset value
- Notice to quit (from tenant)
- PAT Testing
- Periodic Tenancy
- Pet Policy
- PRS or Private Rented Sector
- Portfolio landlord
- Property fraud
- Private landlord
- Rent arrears
- Rent Repayment Orders
- Rent to Rent
- Renter
- Report on Title
- Right to Rent
- ROI or Return on Investment
- Serviced Accommodation
- SDLT or Stamp Duty
- Section 8 Notice
- Section 13 Notice
- Section 21 Notice (abolished 1 May 2026)
- Section 24
- Section 48 Notice
- Service Charge
- Short Term Lets
- Single Let
- Subletting
- Survey
- Social Housing
- Tenant
- Unoccupied Property Insurance
- Yield
Disclaimer: I make general comments on legal, tax and financial matters on this website, but am not providing you with legal, tax and financial advice. You need to take your own advice for your specific circumstances, and must not rely on general tips and comments made on blogs. I exclude all liability arising from any losses arising directly or indirectly from actions you take or do not take after reading my blog. See my Terms of Use for more details.
About Suzanne, founder of The Independent Landlord
Suzanne Smith is a former corporate solicitor turned self-managing landlord with a portfolio of buy to let houses in Maidstone, Kent.
Before becoming a landlord in 2019, she worked as a lawyer in the life sciences industry for 25 years, reaching the position of General Counsel of a PLC.
Suzanne set up The Independent Landlord blog in August 2022 to provide free, reliable guidance on the practical and legal challenges facing landlords and property businesses. The sort of content she wished she’d been able to find when starting out as a landlord.
The Independent Landlord YouTube channel followed in November 2024, and her membership, The Independent Landlord Hub in July 2025.
In March 2026 she published The Good Landlord Handbook: Succeed as a landlord under the Renters’ Rights Act, bringing together what she has learned into a practical guide for everyone in the private rented sector in England.