Tenancy Agreement Essentials for Landlords

A solid tenancy agreement sets out the rent, the deposit, who is responsible for what, and the notice terms that apply if either side wants to end the tenancy, in language that matches what the law actually requires rather than a generic template pulled from an old fixed-term AST. Since the Renters' Rights Act reforms took effect in England on 1 May 2026, tenancy agreements also need to reflect a periodic tenancy from the outset, since fixed terms are no longer available for new lettings.

This guide covers the clauses a tenancy agreement should include, the separate pack of prescribed information you must give a tenant alongside it, whether a digital signature is good enough, and how to keep the whole set of documents organised once the tenancy is running. It focuses on England; Wales and Scotland have their own separate frameworks for written statements of tenancy terms.

Must-have clauses

A written tenancy agreement is not a legal requirement in itself, a tenancy can exist without one, but it is strongly recommended because it is the clearest evidence of what was agreed if a dispute ever arises. At minimum, a well-drafted agreement should cover:

• The parties and the property. Full names of every tenant and landlord (or managing agent acting on the landlord's behalf), and a clear description of the property and what is included, such as parking, a garden or a specific room in a shared house.
• Rent and payment terms. The amount, how often it is due, the payment method, and what happens if a payment is late. Since the Renters' Rights Act reforms, rent can only be increased through the statutory Section 13 process, so a clause promising a fixed future increase, or an automatic annual uplift, has no legal effect and should not be relied on in place of serving a proper notice when the time comes.
• The deposit. The amount taken, capped under the Tenant Fees Act 2019, and which scheme it will be protected with. See our guide to deposit protection for landlords for the protection deadlines and prescribed information requirements that sit alongside this clause.
• Repair and maintenance responsibilities. A clear statement of what the landlord is responsible for by law (structure, exterior, heating, hot water and safety installations) and what falls to the tenant (day-to-day upkeep, reporting issues promptly, not causing damage through neglect).
• Rules on pets, subletting and permitted use. Since the Renters' Rights Act, a blanket ban on pets is no longer enforceable; a tenant has a right to request a pet, which the landlord must respond to within a set period and can only refuse for a valid reason. The agreement can still set out how a request should be made and any reasonable conditions, such as requiring appropriate insurance.
• Notice terms. With fixed terms gone for new tenancies, the agreement should reflect a periodic tenancy from the start date, with notice periods that match the current statutory position for both landlord and tenant.

Avoid copying clauses from an older template without checking them against current rules first. Terms that assume a fixed term, promise a Section 21 eviction route, or set an automatic rent increase are all now unenforceable and can make an otherwise reasonable agreement look out of date to a tenant or a court. Our guide to the Renters' Rights Act sets out what changed and when.

Prescribed information pack

The tenancy agreement itself is only part of what a tenant is legally entitled to receive. Alongside it, a landlord must typically provide:

• A copy of the current gas safety certificate (if the property has gas appliances) and the electrical installation condition report.
• A copy of the current energy performance certificate.
• The government's "How to Rent" guide, in whichever version is current at the point the tenancy begins.
• The prescribed information about deposit protection, covering the scheme used, the landlord's contact details, and how a dispute would be handled, within 30 days of taking the deposit.
• Details of the landlord's identity and, where the property is not owned by an individual, of who owns it, since right to rent and other duties always sit with the actual landlord.

Missing any of these does not necessarily make the tenancy itself invalid, but it can affect your position later, particularly around possession claims, so it is worth treating the prescribed information pack as part of the same checklist as the tenancy agreement, issued at the same time, rather than an optional extra to send later. Our guide to right to rent checks and our broader guide to landlord legal responsibilities cover the wider set of duties that sit alongside the paperwork itself.

Digital vs wet ink

A tenancy agreement signed electronically is generally just as valid as one signed with a wet-ink signature, provided both parties clearly intended to be bound by it and the platform used captures a reliable record of who signed, when, and what version of the document they saw. Most standard tenancy agreements are not deeds, so the formal witnessing requirements that apply to some legal documents do not usually apply here.

Where digital signing genuinely helps is speed and record-keeping: a tenant can sign from anywhere, and the signed document, together with a timestamp and an audit trail, is stored automatically rather than depending on a physical copy staying in a filing cabinet. The main practical risk is version control, making sure the copy that gets signed is the final one, with no last-minute clauses added on paper afterwards that never made it into the digital record. Whichever method you use, keep the final signed copy somewhere secure and easy to retrieve, since you may need to produce it months or years later if a dispute reaches a deposit scheme adjudicator or the court.

For a joint tenancy with several tenants, digital signing also makes it far easier to confirm that everyone has actually signed the same final version, rather than chasing several separate paper copies around a house share and hoping they match. Whichever route you choose, agree it with the tenant upfront, since asking someone to print, sign and scan a document after they were expecting a simple digital link is an unnecessary friction point at the start of a tenancy.

Store documents in Property HQ

Once a tenancy is signed, the paperwork does not stop being relevant. You are likely to need the signed agreement, the prescribed information, the certificates issued at the time, and any later correspondence about rent increases or repairs, often well after the tenancy has ended, for example if a dispute arises over deposit deductions or a former tenant makes a claim later. Keeping everything for a single tenancy in one place, rather than spread across email threads and a filing cabinet, makes it far easier to respond quickly if you ever need to.

How Property HQ helps

Property HQ stores your signed tenancy agreements, prescribed information and related certificates against each property, and tracks key dates such as deposit protection deadlines and rent review windows, so the full record for a tenancy is in one place rather than scattered across email and paper files.

Disclaimer

This guide is general information for UK landlords, not legal advice, and reflects the position in England following the Renters' Rights Act reforms as of August 2026. Check GOV.UK or a qualified solicitor for guidance specific to your tenancy.