Tenancy Agreement Template

A Tenancy Agreement is the document agreed between a landlord and tenant(s), which sets out the legal terms and conditions of the rental contract. A Tenancy Agreement should be prepared before anyone rents the property. Tenancy Agreements can be either written or verbal, but it is preferable to use a written tenancy agreement as this should help to prevent disputes arising at a later date. You are strongly advised to check your understanding of all terms before agreeing to them.

Whether or not a Tenancy Agreement is in place, landlords and tenants still have certain Rights and Obligations under the Housing Act and Landlord And Tenant Act.

All types of Tenancies include the following Rights and Obligations:

As a Landlord, you have the right to:

• Repossess the property when the tenancy ends;
• Take back the property if it gets damaged;
• Access the property by giving 24 hours' notice;
• Take legal action to evict a tenant in some instances – for example, non-payment of rent.

Your landlord may have other rights and responsibilities specifically included in your tenancy agreement.

Tenants' rights include:

• Freedom to live in the property undisturbed;
• The right to live in a property in a good state of repair – the landlord should make repairs and maintain the property;
• The right to access information about your tenancy at any time;
• Protection from Unfair Tenant Eviction;
• Protection from Unfair Eviction Notice.

A tenant also has the right to protection from unfair rental charges, to challenge excessively high charges, and to have the deposit returned when the tenancy ends. If a tenant fails to pay rent or breaches other terms of the tenancy agreement, he/she can lose their legal rights as a tenant.

Tenancy agreements are binding, and the content written in them, and agreed to, is very important. Content that is left out can also prove significant. Mistakes can easily cost thousands of pounds to put right. So it pays to use tenancy agreements prepared by experts.

At Properties ABC we don’t simply offer Tenancy Agreement Templates; with us, you receive a tenancy agreement that is automatically filled in so you don’t have to worry about completing the tenancy agreement form correctly.

Our Tenancy Agreements are remarkably easy to use and easy to understand, flexible, and, most importantly, legally binding. They are available to download immediately in Microsoft Word format.

An Assured Shorthold Tenancy Agreement (AST) is the most commonly used type of tenancy agreement. It can be used for houses and flats i.e. self-contained units. It can also be used where a house or flat is rented as a whole to a group, such as groups of students, young professionals etc. If you are letting your house or flat please use the Assured Shorthold Tenancy Agreement.

We are able to issue an AST if all of the following apply:

• The rented property is private;
• Tenancy started on or after 15 January, 1989;
• The property is your main accommodation;
• The landlord does not live in the property;

Currently, all new rental agreements issued are ASTs. You can have another type of tenancy agreement – an 'Assured Tenancy' – but this gives the tenant more rights to stay in the property.