A tenancy agreement is a contract between landlord and tenant, which when signed, will govern the way in which the tenant will live in the property. Before a tenant moves into a property, they will have to sign a tenancy agreement drawn up by the landlord.

The Contract Details

In general, any tenancy agreement will be made up of the following details:

1. The name and address of the landlord.
2. The name of the tenant(s).
3. The type of tenancy agreement for example, an assured tenancy or an assured shorthold tenancy (although in general, it will be an assured shorthold).
4. The amount of rent payable, along with who is responsible for any other charges, such as water rates or council tax.
5. The date the tenancy will begin.
6. The duration - fixed term or periodic.
7. A description of the property.

The Landlord Agrees ...

There should be section titled "the landlord agrees". Here, the landlord is contracting with the tenant to allow quiet enjoyment of the property. The landlord's repairing responsibilities are also usually set out.

The Tenant Agrees ...

There will be a section beginning "the tenant agrees". Here the tenant will agree to:

• move into the property
• pay rent
• use the property as an only home
• not sublet the property
• take responsibility for certain internal repairs
• not cause a nuisance to others
• a number of other things, depending on the property

Other Conditions

The tenancy agreement should specify clearly the address to which notices on the landlord can be served by the tenant, for example, because of repair problems or notice of leaving the property. The landlord has a legal requirement to indicate this.

If services are provided and a service charge is payable, this should be indicated in the agreement.

There should be a clear indication of when a rent increase can be expected.

Ending the Tenancy

Finally, there should be a section entitled "ending the tenancy" which will set out the ways in which landlord and tenant can end the agreement.