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 a tenancy agreement, the form is the document itself, whether created from a template, purchased from a legal stationer, produced by a solicitor, or generated by a property management platform.
What a tenancy agreement form must include
Under the Renters' Rights Act, all new tenancies in the private rented sector in England must be periodic tenancies from 1 May 2026, and landlords are required to provide tenants with a written statement of the tenancy terms. The government published its guidance on the required content in January 2026. A compliant tenancy agreement form must include the names of all parties, the property address, the date the tenant can first occupy the property, the rent amount and payment date, details of any bills included in or payable in addition to the rent, and the deposit amount if one is being taken.
Beyond these minimum requirements, a well-drafted form should also cover the notice period the tenant must give to end the tenancy, a summary of the landlord's repairing obligations under Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, confirmation that the property must be fit for human habitation under Section 9A, a summary of gas and electrical safety obligations, the landlord's obligations regarding reasonable adaptations for disability under the Equality Act, a summary of the new pet provisions under the Renters' Rights Act, and confirmation that possession can only be recovered through the court process using the statutory grounds for possession. Our blog article on what to do from 1 May 2026: your tenancy agreement guide provides the complete checklist.
Where to get a tenancy agreement form
Landlord associations such as the NRLA publish standard tenancy agreement forms that are updated to reflect the current legal position. Solicitors and letting agents also produce them. Landlords should be cautious about using generic online templates that may not have been updated to reflect post-Renters' Rights Act requirements, a non-compliant form can create difficulties when recovering possession or defending deposit disputes. The form should always be reviewed against the current legislative requirements before use.
A tenancy agreement form should be signed by all parties before the tenancy begins, and a copy given to every tenant named on the agreement. Prescribed information relating to the deposit must be served separately within the required timescale, even if deposit details are referenced in the tenancy form itself.
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Also see: Tenancy agreement · Periodic tenancy · Fixed-term tenancy · Prescribed information · Tenancy deposit · Grounds for possession · Fit for human habitation · Notice period · Renters' Rights Act · NRLA · Landlord · Tenant
