Assured shorthold tenancy (England)

ASSURED SHORTHOLD TENANCY AGREEMENT

This agreement is suitable for use in England, Wales and Scotland by a landlord and tenant entering into an assured shorthold tenancy agreement.

What the agreement contains

The following agreement provides a framework within which the landlord and tenant under an assured shorthold tenancy enter into a relationship. It contains terms and conditions that set out the basis on which the tenant will occupy the property and pay rent to live in the property, as well as the obligations that both will parties have to eachother during the duration of the agreement. 

How to use the agreement and why you should use it

This agreement should be completed by filling in the relevant information where indicated – such as details of the property etc – and then signed by both parties. Once this is done it becomes effective as the set of guidelines for the relationship between the landlord and tenant for the length of the tenancy. The agreement includes specific references to the legislation on which this type of tenancy is based and a copy of the key clauses of the legislation is included in the Schedule.

This document provides complete clarity for both landlord and tenant so both know where they stand in terms of key issues, such as how much the deposit should be, repairing damage to the property and the carrying out of an inventory at the end of the tenancy. Agreeing the basics of the assured shorthold tenancy in advance saves both time and money in the long run, should any disputes or queries arise further down the line.

Standard content

This agreement contains all the standard ‘boilerplate’ clauses that would normally be found in an assured shorthold tenancy agreement.  These clauses cover the mechanics of the tenancy and are listed below:

• The type of tenancy and what this means
• Details of the property
• Information on the Tenancy Deposit Protection Scheme
• What is expected of both the landlord and the tenany in terms of rights and obligations – for -example -tenant obligations such as payment of rent and allowing access to the property and -landlord -obligations like taking out insurance and providing notice before a visit
• What happens if rent payments are late
• How the property should be used
• Maintenance of communal and garden areas
• Alterations and damage to the property
• Council tax and utilities
• Procedure to follow at the end of the tenancy with respect to return of keys, inventory, return of deposit etc

This document applies specifically to an assured shorthold tenancy agreement

This document will not provide an effective structure for any other agreement other than an assured shorthold tenancy agreement.

If you are looking for terms and conditions for anything other than this, please see our contents pages.

File Type: Word File