Step-by-Step Guide: New Tenancy Agreement

Tenancy Builder manual: If you want the full list of Tenancy Builder help pages in one place, see Tenancy Builder Manual. If you only want to create your first agreement, start with Quick Start - Tenancy Builder 3.

This guide follows the journey in order:

start the agreement
select tenancy type and other options
enter the dates and rent
enter tenant details
edit utilities
add guarantor (if one)
upload documents
save and review a draft
finalise the document
choose how it will be signed
confirm signing is complete
download the signed agreement
request the first rent and deposit.

Use Tenancy Builder to create the correct agreement for the country and tenancy type you select. For England, the ordinary private residential option is an Assured periodic tenancy (RRA 1 May 2026). Tenancy Builder also supports Welsh occupation contracts and other agreement types such as contractual tenancies, lodger agreements, non-domestic premises, garages, and storage units.

For a new assured periodic tenancy in England under the Renters’ Rights Act from 1 May 2026, Tenancy Builder will not include the former How to Rent guide in the agreement. The How to Rent guide requirement has been abolished for those tenancies. Instead, the tenancy must be in writing and contain the prescribed terms and prescribed information required for the new written statement duty. See also Renters’ Rights Act 2025 Written Statement Duty.

Open Tenancies from the sidebar.
Click Add New Tenancy.
Select England or Wales.
If you have saved profiles, choose the profile you want to use. If you have not set one up, carry on and complete the fields manually.
Choose the tenancy or agreement type. For a new ordinary private rented tenancy in England, select Assured periodic tenancy (RRA 1 May 2026). For Wales, follow the occupation contract options shown by Tenancy Builder. For other arrangements, choose the relevant product type, such as a contractual tenancy, lodger agreement, non-domestic premises, garage, or storage unit.
Select the deposit status and complete the remaining primary fields.
Select the landlord, Letting Unit
Add the rent, payment frequency, deposit, and supporting document details requested by the Builder.
If you are creating a Wales occupation contract or another product type that uses a fixed period, complete any duration or end-date fields shown by the Builder for that agreement. Do not use those fields for an England assured periodic tenancy unless the Builder specifically asks for them.
Enter tenant details and add extra tenants as needed by clicking Add on the right of the tenant details.
Select the relevant utility options (default is pay direct to suppliers)
Select if there is a guarantor and enter details
Upload documents (EPC, gas safety record, and EICR). Optionally add more PDFs
Complete any additional terms, permitted occupier details, signer details, logo, and Tenancy Manager options.
Select Save for later to return before generating the PDF, or select Save and Build to create the document. Then click submit.

Not sure what a date or rent field means? See Fields - Page 1 - Tenancy Details for what each field on the tenancy details page represents, including the agreement date, the tenancy start date, and how rent in advance and the first full payment work.

The Builder shows the progress of document creation in real time. When it is complete, click the green Completed box. The document will either download to your computer or open in your browser, depending on your browser's PDF settings.

Save and review a draft before signing

Select Save for later at any point to save only the data and not create a PDF. You can return to and check before it is finalised. Select "Save and Build" to produce a PDF. You can also select Yes to "Is this a draft". Reviewing the draft lets you confirm the names, dates, rent, and terms are correct before you send it for signing. For how draft agreements behave and how to turn a draft into the final document, see Draft Agreement.

Sending the agreement for digital signing

You can print the agreement for wet-ink signing, arrange your own remote signing, or use the built-in digital signing described below. Digital signing uses signing credits and sends the agreement to each party in turn. For the full details on digital signing, including why the option may not appear, the signing order, credits, and completion events, see Send Tenancy for Digital Signing.

After the document has been built, you can send it for digital signing from the tenancy actions menu.

Click the green completed status or download from the actions button to check the completed PDF.
Click the actions button to the left of the agreement.
Select Digital Signing.
Check that all names and email addresses are correct.
Choose whether you want signing notifications.
Confirm that you have checked the PDF agreement.
Start the digital signing process. Tenancy Builder will show the credit cost before sending.

The signing status will show as sent. The signing emails are sent in order, to any guarantor first, then each tenant, and finally the landlord. You can check signing events from the actions menu while signing is in progress.

When the signing is complete, download the final signed agreement from the actions menu or by clicking the green completed status. The signed PDF includes the audit log. Save it somewhere safe and backed up. Don't rely on us for long-term storage.

Request the first rent and deposit

Once the agreement is signed, you can ask the tenant for the first rent and the deposit from Tenancy Manager. For the step-by-step route, see Requesting First Rent and Deposit After Signing.

If an option is missing or something fails

If the digital signing option is not showing in the actions menu, or you are not sure whether everyone has signed, see Send Tenancy for Digital Signing for why the option can be unavailable and how to confirm the signing status. If the document does not build or download, check your browser's PDF settings, then try again.