A Complete Guide to Landlords, Tenants, and Lodgers; being a methodical arrangement of the whole law as it now stands, respecting the taking or letting of lands, houses, or apartments, giving warning, or notices to quit; ejecting, seizing for rent, repairs, &c.

Bookseller Notes

The scarce first edition of this early guide to tenancy law. Robert Sutton sought to codify the precarious scenario of leasing or letting rooms in Georgian Britain, a practice which was 'ubiquitous in all but the most exclusive locations [...] Although there are no firm statistics for overall lodger numbers until the national census of 1851 [...] lodgers are thought to have been present in at least one eighth of households, both in London and elsewhere, at any one time since the late-sixteenth century' (Williamson p. 3).Landlords were cautioned that a lodger might be a thief in thin disguise, and lodgers too were warned to take care; those taking unfurnished rooms needed to be aware that if the landlord were himself in arrears with his own rent, the lodger's goods might be subject to distraint by his creditors. Guides like this one by Sutton therefore had real practical use. He outlines the branches of law which cover such an arrangement, and gives practical tips. The content is familiar: he counsels arranging a lease, as well as an inventory of a room's contents and condition. ESTC gives Marsh's Library, Bodelian, LA County Law, and LoC only. It was popular and saw numerous editions (the 11th appearing in 1821). See: Gillian Williamson, Lodgers, Landlords, and Landladies in Georgian London (Bloomsbury Academic, 2021).