Assured periodic tenancy agreement (template)
A plain-English tenancy agreement template for a private let of a whole home in England after the Renters' Rights Act 2025. It contains every item the written statement of terms must have. It is a starting point, not legal advice: have it checked before you use it.
England. Checked against the law on 29 September 2026. Information, not legal advice.
When to use this
This is a template: a starting point, not legal advice and not a finished contract. The Government has not published a model agreement, so have this one checked by a solicitor or a landlord association before you use it.
It is for a whole home in England, let privately to one household or to joint tenants, on a new tenancy after the Renters' Rights Act 2025 came into force on 1 May 2026. It is not for a room in a shared house, a lodger, a home in Wales or Scotland, a company let or social housing.
The template contains every item the written statement of terms must have, so one document can do both jobs, as long as the tenant gets it before the tenancy is entered into. The written statement checklist lists those items one by one.
Two things are left out on purpose. There is no guarantor clause: a guarantee is usually a deed, so it needs its own document and legal advice. There is no inventory: use the inventory and schedule of condition.
How to fill it in
- Fill in every square bracket and delete what does not apply: for example the gas clause where the home has no gas, or the deposit clause where you take no deposit.
- Take the rent from the advert: it cannot be more than the advertised rent. A rent period can be no longer than a month.
- Take only the first rent period's rent up front, and only after the agreement is signed.
- Keep the deposit within the cap: five weeks' rent, or six weeks' rent where the yearly rent is £50,000 or more.
- Clause 10.4 is optional. Some possession grounds can only be used if the tenant was told beforehand that the landlord may rely on them. Take advice from a solicitor or a landlord association on which grounds apply to you, then fill in the numbers or delete the clause.
- You can add clauses of your own, but do not add a fixed term, a rent review clause, a fee or a ban on pets. Such a clause has no effect and some bring a penalty.
- Give it to the tenant before they sign, and give a copy to every tenant named on it.
- Keep proof of when you gave it: a dated email with the document attached, or a copy the tenant signed and dated.
- Run the finished agreement through the free agreement checker.
- Use the move-in checklist on the day.
The template
TEMPLATE. Check it with a solicitor or a landlord association before you use it. Fill in every [square bracket] and delete what does not apply.
Assured periodic tenancy agreement
Key facts
| Key fact | Details |
|---|---|
| The landlord: full name of every landlord | [names] |
| The tenant: full name of every tenant | [names] |
| The landlord's address for notices, in England or Wales | [address] |
| The home | [full address, with postcode] |
| The date the tenant may first move in | [date] |
| The rent | [amount] per [month / week] |
| When the rent is due | [day] of each [month / week] |
| Rent increases | Only proposed by a notice under section 13 of the Housing Act 1988 |
| Bills paid to the landlord or inside the rent | [none / which bills, amounts and dates] |
| The deposit | [amount / no deposit is taken] |
| Notice the tenant must give to leave | [two months / a shorter period], in writing |
1. The parties and the home
1.1 The landlord is [full name of every landlord].
1.2 The tenant is [full name of every tenant].
1.3 Where there is more than one tenant, they are joint tenants. Each of them is responsible for all of the rent and for everything the tenant must do under this agreement.
1.4 The home is [full address of the home, with postcode]. It includes [the garden / the garage / the parking space / the furniture and other items listed in the inventory].
1.5 The landlord lets the home to the tenant to live in as the tenant's only or main home.
2. The tenancy
2.1 This is an assured periodic tenancy under the Housing Act 1988.
2.2 The tenancy starts on [date]. The tenant may move in on that date.
2.3 The tenancy runs from one rent period to the next. Each rent period is one [month / week].
2.4 The tenancy has no end date set in advance. It carries on until it is ended in one of the ways set out in clause 10.
3. Rent
3.1 The rent is [amount] for each rent period.
3.2 The rent is due on the [day] of each [month / week].
3.3 The first payment is the rent for the first rent period only. It is due on [date, not earlier than the day this agreement is signed].
3.4 The tenant pays the rent by [standing order / bank transfer] to the landlord's bank account. The landlord gives the account details to the tenant in writing.
3.5 Any increase in the rent will be proposed by a notice under section 13 of the Housing Act 1988, on the official form.
3.6 The notice will give the tenant at least two months' notice of the new rent. The landlord will not propose an increase more than once a year.
3.7 If the tenant does not agree with the proposed rent, the tenant may apply to the First-tier Tribunal.
3.8 If rent is more than 14 days late, the landlord may charge interest on the late amount at 3% a year above the Bank of England base rate. Interest is charged from the fifteenth day only, until the late amount is paid.
4. Bills and council tax
4.1 From the start of the tenancy the tenant pays these directly to the council or the supplier: [council tax / gas / electricity / water / TV licence / broadband and phone].
4.2 The tenant pays these to the landlord: [none / council tax / gas / electricity / water / TV licence / broadband and phone / Green Deal charge].
4.3 For each bill in clause 4.2: it is [included in the rent / paid on top of the rent], the amount is [amount] and it is due on [dates].
4.4 Where an amount in clause 4.3 is not yet known, the landlord will tell the tenant the amount and the date in writing, [how and when the tenant will be told].
5. The deposit
5.1 The tenant pays a deposit of [amount]. [Or: No deposit is taken, and clauses 5.2 to 5.6 do not apply.]
5.2 The deposit is no more than five weeks' rent, or six weeks' rent where the yearly rent is £50,000 or more.
5.3 The landlord will protect the deposit in a government-approved scheme, [name of the scheme], within 30 days of receiving it.
5.4 Within the same 30 days the landlord will give the tenant the prescribed information about the deposit.
5.5 At the end of the tenancy the landlord may propose a deduction only for unpaid rent, or for damage beyond fair wear and tear. The landlord will set out each deduction in writing with the evidence for it.
5.6 If the landlord and the tenant cannot agree on a deduction, either of them may use the scheme's free dispute service.
6. What the landlord must do
6.1 The landlord must make sure the home is fit for human habitation at the start of the tenancy and throughout it (section 9A of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985).
6.2 The landlord must keep in repair the structure and exterior of the home (section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985).
6.3 The landlord must keep in repair and in working order the installations in the home for the supply of water, gas and electricity, for sanitation, and for space heating and heating water (section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985).
6.4 Electrical safety: the landlord must make sure the electrical safety standards are met, have the electrical installation inspected and tested at least every five years, and give the tenant a copy of the report (regulation 3 of the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020).
6.5 Gas safety: the landlord must keep the gas appliances and flues that the landlord provides in a safe condition, have them checked every year by a registered gas engineer, and give the tenant a copy of the record of each check (regulation 36 of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998). [Delete this clause if the home has no gas.]
6.6 The landlord must let the tenant live in the home without interference from the landlord or anyone acting for the landlord.
6.7 The landlord must give the tenant at least 24 hours' notice in writing before a visit to inspect the home or carry out work, and visit at a reasonable time of day. This does not apply in an emergency.
6.8 The landlord must insure the building. The landlord's insurance does not cover the tenant's belongings.
7. What the tenant must do
7.1 Pay the rent on time.
7.2 Look after the home, and keep it clean and aired.
7.3 Tell the landlord promptly, in writing, about any repair that is needed or any damage.
7.4 Let the landlord, or people sent by the landlord, into the home to inspect it or carry out work, when the notice in clause 6.7 has been given. In an emergency, let them in straight away.
7.5 Not use the home, or let anyone else use it, for anything illegal.
7.6 Not behave in an antisocial way, or let anyone living in or visiting the home do so. This means not causing a nuisance or annoyance to neighbours or to people nearby.
7.7 Not sublet the home or any part of it, and not take in a lodger, without the landlord's consent in writing. The landlord will not unreasonably withhold consent.
7.8 Tell the landlord in writing before the home is left empty for more than [28] days in a row.
7.9 At the end of the tenancy, return the home as clean as it was at the start, fair wear and tear excepted. The tenant does not have to pay a cleaner or a cleaning firm.
7.10 Nothing in this clause makes the tenant responsible for the repairs the landlord must carry out under clause 6.
8. Pets
8.1 The tenant may keep a pet at the home if the tenant asks the landlord in writing under section 16A of the Housing Act 1988 and the landlord consents.
8.2 The landlord will not unreasonably refuse consent.
8.3 The landlord will give the tenant an answer in writing within 28 days of the request.
8.4 The landlord will not charge the tenant for consenting, will not take a larger deposit because of an animal, and will not require the tenant to buy insurance.
9. Improvements for a disabled person
9.1 The tenant may make an improvement to the home with the landlord's consent in writing.
9.2 Where the improvement is one that a disabled person who lives in the home, or is going to live in it, needs, section 190 of the Equality Act 2010 applies. The landlord will not unreasonably withhold consent.
10. Ending the tenancy
10.1 The tenant may end the tenancy by giving the landlord at least two months' notice in writing, or a shorter period if the landlord agrees to it in writing. The tenant does not have to give a reason.
10.2 The tenant's notice must end on the last day of a rent period.
10.3 The landlord can only end the tenancy by getting a possession order from the court. Before going to court the landlord must give the tenant a notice in the prescribed form that specifies the ground or grounds for possession in Schedule 2 to the Housing Act 1988. The notice period depends on the ground.
10.4 [Optional. Delete this clause if it does not apply.] The landlord gives notice that they may wish to recover possession on the following grounds in Schedule 2 to the Housing Act 1988: [ground numbers, after taking advice].
10.5 On the last day of the tenancy the tenant moves out, returns every key and gives the landlord an address for letters.
11. Notices
11.1 The landlord's address for notices is [address in England or Wales]. The tenant may serve any notice on the landlord at that address, including a notice in court proceedings.
11.2 The tenant may also send a written notice to the landlord by email to: [landlord's email address].
11.3 The landlord may give a notice to the tenant by hand or by post at the home, or by email if the tenant agrees: [tenant's email address / the tenant does not agree to email].
11.4 The landlord and the tenant tell each other in writing if any of these addresses change.
12. Data protection
12.1 The landlord holds the tenant's details to manage the tenancy, and shares them only where the law requires it or with those who carry out work on the home.
13. Signatures
This agreement was given to every tenant on [date], before it was signed.
Each tenant confirms they have received these documents:
| Document | Date received |
|---|---|
| Gas safety record | [date / the home has no gas] |
| Electrical report (EICR) | [date] |
| Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) | [date] |
| Deposit information | [date / to be given within 30 days of the deposit being received / no deposit is taken] |
Landlord: [name], [signature], [date]
Landlord: [name], [signature], [date]
Tenant: [name], [signature], [date]
Tenant: [name], [signature], [date]
What happens next
Give the agreement to every tenant before anyone signs, and keep the proof of the date. The written statement of terms must be given before the tenancy is entered into; a landlord who does not give it risks a penalty from the council of up to £7,000.
After signing, protect the deposit and give the prescribed information within 30 days of receiving it, and work through the move-in checklist. Record the condition of the home with the inventory.
Later on, a rent increase needs the official form: see the Form 4A covering note. Section 21 no longer exists, so getting the home back means a ground in Schedule 2 and a court order: speak to a solicitor or a landlord association first. The assured periodic tenancy guide explains how the tenancy works.
Information about the law in England, not legal advice. Checked on the date shown.
Where this comes from
- Written statement regulations, S.I. 2026/324 (legislation.gov.uk)
- Written information you need to give to your tenant (GOV.UK)
- Renters' Rights Act 2025 (legislation.gov.uk)
- Assured tenancy forms, including Form 3A and Form 4A (GOV.UK)
- Tenancy deposit protection (GOV.UK)
- Tenant Fees Act 2019, Schedule 1: permitted payments (legislation.gov.uk)
Questions about this template
Is this a legally binding contract?
It is a template, not a finished contract. Once it is filled in and signed by the landlord and every tenant it is meant to work as the tenancy agreement, but whether it fits your let depends on your facts. Have it checked by a solicitor or a landlord association before you use it.
Can I add my own clauses?
Yes, as long as they are fair and the law allows them. Do not add a fixed term, a rent review clause, a fee that is not permitted by the Tenant Fees Act 2019, a ban on pets or anything that passes the landlord's repairs to the tenant. Run the finished document through the agreement checker and have it checked by a solicitor or a landlord association.
Do I need a new agreement for a tenant who moved in before 1 May 2026?
No. The law did not require existing written agreements to be changed or reissued. For those tenancies the landlord had to give the Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 by 31 May 2026.
Why is there no fixed term?
Since 1 May 2026 every new private tenancy in England is an assured periodic tenancy. It runs from one rent period to the next until the tenant gives notice or a court orders possession. A fixed term written into an agreement has no effect.
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