The number one requirement of a lease is exclusive possession. This is the right of a tenant to exclude all other people, including the landlords and their agents, from the property. This particularly means that a tenant can exclude the landlord from entering the leased land or building. However, the tenant may allow the landlord to check the state or condition of the property from time to time as part of the tenancy agreement.

It must be noted though that the landlord is only allowed to view a property’s condition, as well as its state of repair and decoration, with permission from the tenant. The absence of this permission would be deemed as a violation of the tenant’s rights to exclusive occupation.