Tenancy agreement
Please find below an example of a tenancy agreement for reference.
Click here to download the tenancy agreement.
Please note that this is for reference only and it is your responsibility to get your solicitor to check the tenancy agreement before proceeding. privateHQ takes no legal responsibilty for using this agreement.
Tenancy deposit protection
From 6th April 2007, all assured shorthold tenancies require deposit protection. When the tenant pays a deposit, you must protect it using a government authorised tenancy deposit scheme.
The Government wants to make sure the tenancy deposite is protected so that:
- the tenant gets all or part of the deposit back when they are entitled to it
- any disputes between you and your tenant will be easier to resolve
At the beginning of a new tenancy agreement, the tenant pays the deposit to you as usual. Within 14 days you, the landlord are required to give the tenant details about how the tenants deposit is protected including:
- the contact details of the tenancy deposit scheme
- the contact details of the landlord or agent
- how to apply for the release of the deposit
- information explaining the purpose o the deposit
- what to do if there is a dispute about the deposit
Who are the organisations running the schemes?
There are three Tenancy Deposit Schemes:
Tenancy Deposit Solutions Ltd
The Tenancy Deposit Scheme
0845 226 7837
The Deposit Protection Service
0870 707 1 707
What if I haven't protected their deposit?
A tenant can apply to your local county court. The court can order you to either repay the deposit to them or protect it in a scheme. If you haven't protected your deposit, you will be ordered to repay three times the amount of the deposit to the tenant.
Moving out
The tenant has the responsiblity of returning the property in the same condition that it was let to them, allowing for fair and tear. Agree with your tenant how much of the deposit should be returned to them. Within 10 days, you should have given the agreed amount of the deposit back to the tenant.
Resolving disputes
When your tenant moves out, if you and your tenant can't agree how much of the deposit should be returned, there will be a free service offered by the scheme protecting the deposit to help resolve your dispute. A landlord cannot give notice to a tenant that he/she is repossessing the property at the end of the tenancy until he/she has protected the deposit and told the tenant how it is protected.
