1 - Tenancy details

Page 1 contains the main landlord and tenancy details such as landlord name, landlord address, tenancy address, start and end of fixed term, rent and deposit.

Think of page 1 as most of the items you would ordinarily find on the front page of a tenancy agreement.

Insert Profile

Select a profile if there's one already setup. If you only have one profile, it will display as a button. If there's more than one, it will display as a searchable dropdown where you can select the profile.

See creating and using profiles for more information.

Is this to be DRAFT?

If this field is set to "yes", dates you enter will be replaced with the words "This is a DRAFT - for information only".

This is useful to set "yes" if you want to email the agreement to the prospective tenants before all parties are ready for signing. Because it contains the words "this is a draft", it's clear that's all the agreement is at this stage - a draft.

If you intend to send the agreement for signing straight away you can leave this as no.

When you are ready for final signing, you can edit the agreement later and set this back to "no" and any dates inserted will be whatever you entered (or blank).

Remote signing is not available if you have set this field to "yes".

But, you can edit anytime after and reset back to "no". Don’t forget to submit the agreement again to be built so the PDF reflects the change.

Email to Send Download Link

This is the email to use where the system will notify you when the agreement PDF is ready or if there has been some problem.

This email will not be displayed anywhere on the produced PDF agreement. It is only used for the system to notify you about the agreement.

Country

Choose whether the tenancy address is in England or Wales.

This field affects some wording within the produced agreement and also some of the attachments automatically added.

If England is selected, we automatically attach the How to Rent Guide but if Wales is selected, we automatically attach the Welsh equivalent tenant's guide.

Other wording is also altered depending on this selection.

Tenancy Type

Choose from the following agreement options:

• Assured shorthold tenancy

• Contractual tenancy

• Lodger agreement

• Assured tenancy

• Garage agreement

• Non-domestic room

The garage and non-domestic room agreements are only suitable for personal use (not business use).

If you're unsure of which tenancy type you should choose, use our tenancy type wizard available here.

Deposit Status - Who Protected with?

This option only appears if the tenancy type selected is assured shorthold tenancy.

All deposit schemes are fully supported and you can choose from the following options:

• No deposit

• Deposit Protection Service (custodial or insured)

• MyDeposits (custodial or insured)

• TDS (custodial or insured)

The selection chosen here will determine what prescribed information the system automatically includes in the final agreement produced.

Landlord Display Name

The landlord name entered here must be the actual landlord name.

The full name(s) including title should be entered.

If you’re an agent, you must put the landlord name here and not your agent name,

The landlord does not have to be the actual owner. It’s possible to rent the property to someone else and that someone sub-lets. In which case the person doing the sub-letting is the landlord.

Landlord is defined (for assured shorthold tenancy purposes) as a person entitled to possession if the property is unoccupied.

The landlord name can be a company if that company is the landlord.

It’s a legal requirement that the tenant be provided the name of the landlord. Putting the landlord name here satisfies the law.

Is landlord content ... by email?

Select here if the landlord is content to accept documents served on them by email. Documents might include a notice to quit or repair request.

Generally, if you expect the tenant to acceot documents by email (see next page), this should be equal.

Landlord Email

If content to accept documents by email, this is the email that will be shown in the agreement as the service email.

It’s important you regularly check this email including any spam/junk folders.

By putting an email here (and consenting), you are agreeing to accept delivery this method.

Landlord Address

The address must be in England or Wales.

Put the landlord address in England or Wales where notices served by the tenant on the landlord will be accepted.

If you are an agent managing the property, this address can be the agents address because that’s an address in England or Wales where the landlord is accepting service of any notices from the tenant.

It’s a legal requirement that the tenant be provided an address in England or Wales for serving notices on the landlord.

Date of Agreement

Leave this blank if you intend to use remote signing. Also leave blank if you’re unsure when the agreement will be signed at this stage.

The date of agreement would ordinarilly be the date when all parties have signed the agreement i.e. when the agreement has been agreed.

It might be the same date as the tenancy starts or it might be several days/weeks before the commencement of the tenancy.

If you select ”yes” to the draft option, any date entered here will be replaced with ”This is a DRAFT - for information only”.

Tenancy Address

The address of the premises being let.

If the premises are a room in a shared house with multiple tenancies on a room by room basis, the room should be clearly identified in the address e.g. Room 1, 23 Any Street xxx. You could even locate the room in the address field if you wish e.g. Room 1, first floor left hand side, 23 Any Street xxx.

Fixed Term From

Unlike the date of agreement, this should be the actual start date (commencement) of the tenancy.

This date doesn’t necessarily have to be the same as when the first rent is payable. This should be the date the tenant takes the keys and is able to obtain possession of the premises being let.

If you select ”yes” to the draft dropdown, any date entered here will be replaced with ”This is a DRAFT - for information only”.

Fixed Term To

The last day of the fixed term should always be a day before a rent is due. This is so when the tenancy rolls on as a periodic tenancy, the periods match the rent days.

For example, if the from date is 10 February but the tenant wants to pay the rent on the 25th of every calendar month, the end date should be the 24th of the month (24th August for a 6 month tenancy). This is the case even if that doesn’t make an exact number of months.

This date should always be at least 6 months from the ‘fixed term from’ date as it helps for council tax purposes.

If you select ”yes” to the draft dropdown, any date entered here will be replaced with ”This is a DRAFT - for information only”.

This date doesn’t appear if lodger agreement is selected because the lodger agreement is periodic from the outset to protect the owner.

Once the ‘fixed term from’ field has a date entered, you can select the +6 or +12 months buttons and the corresponding date will be populated into this field.

Break Clause

A break clause is not recommended. If you have a 12 month fixed term with a six month break, you might as well just do a six month agreement! It would be no different!

If you want to have a break clause, select ”yes” here and then select the number of months from when the break clause can have effect.

A sample of the wording that will be inserted into the agreement is shown when this option is selected.

If you choose six months, either party may give notice in month 4 to expire at month six or anytime thereafter.

Rent Type

There are four options to choose from under rent type.

Normal rent in advance

The normal rent in advance is set by default and is the most common.

This will be used where there is a fixed rent of £xxx payable in advance every calendar month (or other period).

Rent (£)

Enter the rent amount (e.g. £750.00)

First full payment

In most cases, this will be the same date as commencement of the agreement (fixed term from).

However, it’s useful if the tenant wishes to pay rent on a different day to when they take possession.

For example, if the fixed term from date is 10 February but the tenant wants to pay the rent on the 25th of every calendar month, the date entered here would be 25th February. Remember, this date is not saying when the ”first rent” is payable, it’s saying when the first ”full” rent is payable. In this example, there would be an apportioned rent for 10 February to 24 February but the first FULL rent is then payble from 25th February.

And thereafter on the ... day of every ...

Assuming you will be choosing calendar monthly, this selection should match the first full payment date. If the first full payment is 25th February, the selection should be 25th.

Payable in advance every

In most cases, this should be calendar monthly.

You can choose from:

• calendar monthly

• two calendar months

• four weeks

• quarter

• week

X months in advance first payment

This option will be used where the tenant is to pay x months rent in advance and thereafter a fixed monthly rent in advance.

This is commonly used where the tenant is to pay 6 months rent in advance although the number of months can be changed.

It’s important this option is used when applicable because without entering a large advance payment in advance like this, there could be deposit issues or issues with the ban on tenant fees.

The last day of the term entered earlier must cover as a minimum the period of the rent being taken in advance! For example, if six months being taken in advance, the term must for at least six months (but can be longer).

Monthly Rent

This is the monthly rent payable once the advance payment has been used up (e.g. £750.00 per calendar month)

Number of months in advance to be taken

Enter the number of months in advance being taken (e.g. 6).

Total rent being taken in advance (£)

This will be automatically calculated by taking the monthly rent entered earlier and multiplying by the number of months (e.g. 750 x 6 = £4,500).

Date advanced payment due

The date when the lump sum in advance is payable. Ordinarily, this will be the same date as the commencement (fixed term from).

And thereafter on the ... day of every calendar month

Choose the date rent is payable on after the advanced payment has been used up (e.g. 20th day of every calendar month).

Only calendar monthly is available for this rent type.

Student (4 times fixed payments for term)

This payment type is commonly used for student lettings where the rent is payable termly. However, it does’t have to be used for students.

Four rows appear with a date and rent amount. This is the date due and the amount due on that date.

The dates should be precisley within the fixed term so the last rent payable takes the tenant to the last day of the fixed term.

The ”And thereafter on the ... day of every calendar month” should be set to the calendar monthly date the rent will be payable should the tenancy continue as periodic. The rent amount will be the monthly rent should it go periodic.

Even if you think the tenant will leave at the end of the term, you should still enter a thereafter date and monthly rent just in case the tenants don’t quite leave at the end of the term otherwise you won’t know what rent they owe for staying.

You don’t have to fill in all four rows. As long as at least two rows are filled in, it will work and the system will adjust automatically if it detects rows 3 and/or 4 are empty.

Text Box

The text box option allows you to enter anything in the box you wish.

It’s useful if there are complicated rents during the fixed term.

Method of Payment

We generally recommend this be left empty. Where the agreement remains silent on how the rent is paid, it’s irrelevant how the rent is going to be paid - it should simply be paid.

If you start requiring a specific payment method (for example standing order) and there is some issue with the banking system, it may be arguable that there is no breach at that point.

If there is no payment method mentioned, even if they ordinarily pay by standing order, the fact there was some issue with a bank will be irrelevant. The rent is either paid or not paid.

You can leave this blank and still make arrangements for how the rent should be paid during general communciation and discussions (e.g. by email)

If you want to make it a term of the tenancy and require a specific method of payment, enter the details in this box. You can click the sample text button for a template to start with.

If the box is empty, our system recognises this and automatically adjusts the produced agreement and removes the method of payment section.

Deposit

Enter the amount of the ”tenancy deposit” to be paid by the tenant.

The maximum tenancy deposit which can be received is:

England: 5 weeks rent where rent is less than £50k per annum or 6 weeks rent where rent is £50k or over.

Wales: Any deposit taken should not exceed 1/6 annual rent (2 months rent) so as to avoid it being regarded as a premium which could cause problems.

Any tenancy deposit received must be protected within 30 days of receipt.

Did someone else pay the deposit on behalf of the tenant?

This option will only appear if tenancy type equals assured shorthold tenancy and there is a deposit.

If someone else paid the deposit on behalf of the tenant, the fields which appear after selecting yes must be filled in and is a legal requirement.

If yes, fill in the name, address, email, telephone and fax. These are all legally required for the deposit prescribed information (where the person has one e.g. email or fax).