Tenancy agreement template: what an agreement must include now

What does GOV.UK publish instead?

Guidance for landlords on the written information they must give, which can be part of the tenancy agreement or a separate document, and the Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026, which landlords had to give existing tenants with a written agreement by 31 May 2026. The How to Rent guide landlords used to hand over was withdrawn on 1 May 2026 because of the Renters’ Rights Act.

• Written information you need to give to your tenant — the landlord’s guide.
• The Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 — for tenancies that existed before 1 May 2026.
• How to Rent — withdrawn, so don’t rely on it for a new tenancy.

What must a tenancy agreement include in England now?

For a new private tenancy since 1 May 2026, the landlord must give you the following in writing before you sign or agree the tenancy. It can be in the agreement itself or a separate document, and does not have to use the exact legal wording.

• The landlord’s name, and every joint landlord.
• An address in England or Wales where you can send the landlord notices.
• The names of every tenant.
• The address of the home.
• The date you are first entitled to move in.
• The rent, and when it is due.
• A statement that any rent increase will be proposed by a notice under section 13 of the Housing Act 1988.
• Which bills are included in the rent, or paid to the landlord separately, and how much and when.
• The amount of any tenancy deposit.
• The notice you must give to leave, which can’t be more than two months.
• That the landlord can usually only end the tenancy with a court order, using the correct form and a ground for possession.
• The landlord’s duties to keep the home fit for human habitation and to do the repairs set out in section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985.
• The landlord’s electrical safety and, where there is gas, gas safety duties.
• Your right to ask to make disability-related improvements, under section 190 of the Equality Act 2010.
• That you can ask to keep a pet, and the landlord can’t unreasonably refuse.

What if my landlord doesn’t give me this information?

You can complain to the council, and the landlord can be fined up to £7,000. It doesn’t mean you have no tenancy: if you have agreed to rent the home and moved in, the rules protecting you still apply, written down or not.

Find your council. Its private housing or tenancy relations team deals with this.

Can a tenancy agreement still have a fixed term?

No. GOV.UK is explicit: “It is no longer possible to have an assured tenancy agreement with an end date.” Private tenancies in England are now assured periodic tenancies that roll on until you or the landlord ends them properly. An end date, a minimum term or a “break clause” written into a new agreement doesn’t hold you in.

Which terms no longer work?

Anything the law now overrides. These turn up most in agreements drafted on old templates, and none of them binds you.

• A section 21 “no fault” clause: section 21 was abolished on 1 May 2026.
• A fixed term or minimum term, or a notice period for you of more than two months.
• A clause that sets its own yearly rent increase: rent now rises only through a section 13 notice on Form 4A, once a year, not in the first 12 months.
• A fee that isn’t a permitted payment under the Tenant Fees Act, such as a renewal, admin, check-out or professional cleaning fee.
• Rent due before you sign, or more than one month’s rent in advance.
• A term making you responsible for the structure, heating, hot water, gas, electrics or sanitation: the landlord’s section 11 repair duties can’t be signed away without a court order.

Can a tenancy agreement ban pets?

It can’t stop you asking, and the written information must say the landlord can’t unreasonably refuse. If you ask in writing, the landlord has 28 days to reply in writing and needs a fair reason to say no, such as a lease on the building that bans pets. A blanket “no pets” line in an agreement is not the end of the conversation any more.

What makes a term unfair?

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, a term in a contract between a landlord in business and a tenant is unfair if, contrary to good faith, it causes a significant imbalance in the parties’ rights and obligations to the tenant’s detriment. An unfair term is not binding on you. The Act lists examples of terms that may be unfair, including one requiring you to pay a disproportionately high sum if you fail to meet your obligations, and one binding you to terms you had no real chance to read before signing.

The Competition and Markets Authority’s current guidance is its general unfair contract terms guidance (CMA37). Its older guidance specific to tenancy agreements (OFT356) was withdrawn in 2017, so treat anything quoting it with care. Whether a particular term is unfair depends on the whole agreement, and in the end on a court.

What should I check before I sign?

That the agreement matches what you were offered, includes what the law requires, and contains nothing the law has overridden. Read it all, not only the first page, and ask for changes in writing before you sign rather than after.

• The rent matches the advert: a landlord can’t accept more than the advertised rent.
• The deposit is within the cap for your rent, and you know which scheme will protect it.
• Every tenant is named, and the landlord’s name and notice address are there.
• Bills included in the rent are listed, if any are.
• There is no fixed term, section 21 clause or notice period for you over two months.
• There is no rent review clause, and no fee outside the permitted list.
• Repairs to the structure, heating, hot water and supplies are left with the landlord.
• Any rules on pets, decorating, guests and subletting are ones you can live with.

I’ve already signed an old-style agreement. What now?

You are still protected. A term the law overrides doesn’t bind you because you signed it: a fee the Tenant Fees Act bans is not binding, section 11 repair duties can’t be excluded, and an end date no longer operates. The rest of the agreement carries on. If something in it is being used against you, get advice before you act on it.