Tenancy agreement form UK
A tenancy agreement form is the written document that records the terms agreed between a landlord and tenant at the start of a tenancy. It is the practical output of the tenancy agreement, which is the contract itself. Under Section 16D of the Housing Act 1988, inserted by the Renters' Rights Act 2025, landlords in England must give every tenant written information about the key terms of the tenancy before it is signed or agreed, and the tenancy agreement form is the document most landlords use to meet that duty.
Mandatory content from 1 May 2026
The written statement of terms can sit inside the tenancy agreement form or be given as a separate document, but the required information must reach the tenant in writing before the tenancy is entered into. Gov.uk guidance for landlords, with the definitive content list published on 20 March 2026, requires the form to state the names of all landlords and tenants with a service address, the address of the property, the date the tenant can first occupy, confirmation that the tenancy is an assured periodic tenancy, the rent amount and due date, any bills included in the rent or payable to the landlord separately, and the deposit amount and the protection scheme used. A landlord who fails to provide the required written information can be fined up to £7,000 by the local council. For the complete mandatory content checklist and why pre-RRA templates are non-compliant, see the August guide to tenancy agreement templates in 2026.
What a well-drafted form should also cover
Beyond the statutory minimum, a well-drafted tenancy agreement form records the notice period the tenant must give to end the tenancy, which is two months under the Renters' Rights Act 2025, confirmation that the landlord can normally only end the tenancy through a court possession order using a Section 8 notice citing specific grounds, and a summary of the landlord's repairing obligations under Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 and the duty to keep the property fit for human habitation under Section 9A. It should also summarise gas and electrical safety obligations, the duty to allow reasonable adjustments for disability under the Equality Act 2010, and the pet provisions of the 2025 Act, under which a landlord must consider pet requests in good faith and cannot refuse unreasonably. In our experience supporting landlords through the Renters' Rights Act transition, the forms that cause fewest disputes are the ones that spell out these statutory positions rather than leaving tenants to discover them elsewhere.
What the form cannot include
A tenancy agreement form for a private residential letting in England cannot include a fixed end date, a break clause, or any provision that purports to make the tenancy end automatically. All private tenancies from 1 May 2026 are assured periodic tenancies and fixed terms are abolished, so any such clause is void regardless of whether the tenant signed it. Contractual rent review clauses are also void: rent can only be increased through a Section 13 notice on Form 4A, once every twelve months, with two months' notice. The form cannot require more than one month's rent in advance, cannot include prohibited payments under the Tenant Fees Act 2019, cannot contain rental bidding provisions or discriminatory conditions relating to children or benefit receipt, cannot restrict the tenant's right to make a reasonable pet request, and cannot purport to allow the landlord to re-enter the property without a court order.
Existing tenancies and the Information Sheet
Tenancies that were already in writing before 1 May 2026 did not need a new form. Instead, the landlord had to give every tenant named on the agreement the government's Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 by 31 May 2026, as a printed copy or a digital attachment. Tenancies that existed only as verbal agreements before that date had to be given the written statement of terms by the same deadline. Landlords using August consistently tell us that separating these two duties, the form for new tenancies and the Information Sheet for existing ones, is the point where most confusion arises, so it is worth recording which document was served for each tenancy and when.
Where to get a compliant form and how to execute it
Landlord associations including the NRLA publish standard forms updated for the post-RRA position, and solicitors and letting agents also produce them. Landlords should be cautious with generic online templates that have not been updated since 1 May 2026: a form that still refers to fixed terms, Section 21, or assured shorthold tenancies creates risk at both the possession and deposit dispute stages. The form should be signed by every named party before the tenancy begins and a copy given to every tenant. Prescribed information relating to any deposit must still be served separately within 30 days of receipt, even if the deposit is referenced in the form itself. August's document management feature stores signed tenancy agreement forms, the written statement of terms, and deposit paperwork in one place, linked to the correct property and tenancy record. For what to do with tenancies already in place before 1 May 2026, see the August tenancy agreement guide.
Frequently asked questions
What must a tenancy agreement form include in England?
It must contain the written statement of terms required from 1 May 2026: the names and service addresses of all parties, the property address, the first occupation date, confirmation that the tenancy is an assured periodic tenancy, the rent amount and due date, bills included or payable separately, and the deposit amount and protection scheme. A well-drafted form also covers notice periods, repairing obligations, safety duties, pet provisions, and the possession process.
Does a tenancy agreement have to be in writing?
A tenancy can still arise verbally, but the written statement of terms must be provided in writing before every new tenancy is signed or agreed, and failure to do so risks a fine of up to £7,000 from the local council. In practice this means every new tenancy in England now has a written component, and a full tenancy agreement form is the simplest way to comply.
Can a tenancy agreement form still include a fixed end date?
No. From 1 May 2026 all private residential tenancies in England are assured periodic tenancies. A fixed end date, a break clause, or any provision purporting to end the tenancy automatically is void regardless of whether the tenant signed the form.
Do existing tenancies need a new form?
No. Written tenancies granted before 1 May 2026 continue on their existing terms as assured periodic tenancies. Instead, the landlord had to give every named tenant the Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 by 31 May 2026.
