Tenancy agreement template (England, 2026)
A free tenancy agreement template for private landlords in England. Answer the questions and it writes an assured periodic tenancy agreement with every term the law has required since 1 May 2026. Download it as Word, or print it or save it as a PDF. It works for whole houses and for single rooms in an HMO.
Luke AshtonFounder of Bricky Bot and Based Lettings · Updated Free tenancy agreement template (England)
Built in your browser: nothing you type is sent anywhere. Blank answers show as [brackets] to fill in by hand. For England only. A template, not legal advice.
The short answer
- Since 1 May 2026, every new private tenancy in England is an assured periodic tenancy: no fixed term and no new ASTs.
- Before the tenancy starts, the landlord must give the tenant a written statement of the terms listed in the Schedule to SI 2026/324. A tenancy agreement can be that statement.
- Leave something out and the council can fine you up to £7,000 (GOV.UK). The template above includes every item, and says which paragraph each one comes from.
What a tenancy agreement must include
These are the terms the regulations require. You don’t have to use their exact wording, but you do have to cover each one. The template uses the regulations’ own wording for the legal statements, so nothing is paraphrased away.
| Term | Schedule para | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Landlord’s name, and every joint landlord | 1 | Plus an address in England or Wales for notices (para 3) |
| Every tenant’s name | 2 | Joint tenants all named |
| The property’s address | 4 | For a room let: the room and the house |
| The date the tenant can first move in | 5 | There’s no end date: the tenancy is periodic |
| The rent and when it’s due | 6 | Plus a statement that rent increases follow section 13 (para 7) |
| Bills the tenant pays you for | 8 | Council tax, utilities, TV licence, phone and internet, green deal |
| The deposit amount | 9 | Only if you take one |
| The tenant’s notice period | 10 | No more than two months; two months if left out |
| How the landlord can end the tenancy | 11 | A court order, a notice in the prescribed form, the ground used |
| Fitness for human habitation and repairs | 12, 13 | Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, sections 9A and 11 |
| Electrical and gas safety | 14, 15 | Gas only where there is a gas fitting |
| Improvements for a disabled tenant | 16 | Equality Act 2010, section 190 |
| Pets | 17 | The tenant can ask; consent can’t be unreasonably refused |
Two parts only apply to some tenancies. Supported accommodation (para 18) needs its own statement, and this template doesn’t cover it. The deposit’s prescribed information is separate: you give it within 30 days of taking the deposit, and the template says so.
Room lets and HMOs
- One agreement per room. Name the room, and the shared kitchen, bathrooms and living areas the tenant can use.
- List the bills. Most room rents include bills. If yours does, the agreement must say which ones (council tax, gas, electricity, water, internet, TV licence) and that they’re part of the rent. You can’t charge tenants separately for any other kind of bill. In a room let the council tax is your bill anyway: our council tax checker shows what it costs per room. When the rent goes up, thesection 13 notice template lists the bills in Form 4A’s question 4.7, and the rent increase calculator works out the new rent by CPI, RPI or a percentage.
- Student houses. To use ground 4A (re-letting a student HMO to new students each year), you have to tell the tenant in writing before the tenancy starts. Tick the box and the template adds the statement. Our section 8 notice template then uses it in Form 3A.
- Notice from tenants. A tenant can leave on two months’ notice, or less if you agree. Our tenant notice periods guide has a calculator for the end date.
- The certificates the agreement promises. The tenant gets the EICR, and the gas safety record if there’s gas. A landlord compliance reporting app keeps those dates in one place, and our free EICR checker tells you whether the report is still in date before you hand it over.
After it’s signed: what Bricky Bot does
Bricky Bot is the HMO management software we built to run our own rooms. It doesn’t write agreements. It works with yours:
- It fills your agreement PDF from the tenancy: up to four tenants and two guarantors, the room and house, the start date, the rent and when it’s due, the deposit and scheme, and the landlord’s details.
- It sends the agreement for e-signature through your own SignWell account. Only a person can send it: the bot can only propose. The signed PDF is then filed on the tenancy.
- The welcome email attaches the signed agreement, the deposit leaflet, the Renters’ Rights information sheet, the EPC, the gas safety certificate and the EICR. Anything missing shows as a warning before it goes.
It doesn’t check your agreement against the 2026 rules. That’s what the template above is for. The rental yield calculator covers the numbers before you let, the landlord inventory template records the room on move-in day, and if the tenant moves in before the rent day, the pro rata rent calculator works out the first part-month payment.
Existing tenants, Scotland and Wales
- Agreed in writing before 1 May 2026: no new agreement is needed. Every named tenant needed the Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 by 31 May 2026.
- Agreed only verbally: the tenant needed the full written information by 31 May 2026.
- Scotland: private residential tenancies, with a model agreement on mygov.scot. Wales: occupation contracts under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016.
Checking a specific house?
For HMO feasibility on a real address (licensing, Article 4, comparables), try Bricksmart’s HMO report. Bricksmart is our sister product and is free to start.
Questions landlords ask
Can I write my own tenancy agreement?
Yes. GOV.UK’s guidance says you don’t need to use the exact wording of the regulations, but what you give the tenant must cover every item of written information they list. You can add other terms, as long as they comply with the law. This template covers the full list and lets you add a few common terms.
When do I have to give the tenant the written information?
Before the tenancy is entered into: before you both sign, or before you agree the tenancy verbally (Housing Act 1988, section 16D). It can be inside the tenancy agreement or a separate document.
What happens if I don’t give it?
GOV.UK says the tenant could complain to the local council and you could be fined up to £7,000.
Are assured shorthold tenancies and fixed terms still allowed?
Not for new private tenancies in England. Since 1 May 2026, terms that would make an assured tenancy a fixed-term tenancy have no effect, and the rent period must be monthly or 28 days or shorter (Housing Act 1988, section 4A). New tenancies are assured periodic tenancies, which is what this template creates.
Do my existing tenants need a new agreement?
Not if the tenancy was agreed before 1 May 2026 and you have it in writing. Instead, every tenant named on the agreement needed the government’s Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 by 31 May 2026. Tenancies agreed only verbally needed the full written information by the same date.
Can I use it for a room in an HMO?
Yes. Choose “a room in a shared house” and it names the room and the shared kitchen, bathrooms and living areas. Tick the bills the rent includes: council tax, energy, water, internet and the TV licence are bills the regulations say you must list when the rent covers them. Each room tenant gets their own agreement.
Does it work in Scotland or Wales?
No, it is for England only. Scotland uses the private residential tenancy, with a model agreement on mygov.scot. Wales uses occupation contracts under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016.
Sources
- The Assured Tenancies (Private Rented Sector) (Written Statement of Terms etc and Information Sheet) (England) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/324), in force 1 May 2026
- GOV.UK: Tenancy agreements: written information for your tenant and its landlord guidance (published 20 March 2026)
- Housing Act 1988, section 16D (the statement before the tenancy) and section 4A (periodic tenancies, rent periods)
- Checked 9 October 2026.
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Bricky Bot is an AI lettings team for HMO landlords: enquiries, WhatsApp, agreements out for signature, compliance and rent, with nothing sent until you approve it.
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