Fields - Page 1 - Tenancy Details

Page 1 contains the leading 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 items you ordinarily find on a tenancy agreement's front page.

Insert Profile

Select a profile if one is already set up. If you only have one profile, it will display as a button. If there is more than one, it will show as a searchable dropdown where you can select the profile.

See Creating and Using Profiles for more information.

Is this to be a DRAFT?

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

It's 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 the agreement is a draft at this stage.

If you intend to send the agreement for signing immediately, 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"; any dates inserted will be whatever you entered (or blank).

Remote signing is unavailable if you 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.

The 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

The country as selected when adding new will be displayed.

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 for personal use (not business).

If you're unsure which tenancy type to choose, use our tenancy wizard for England or Wales.

Deposit Status - Who Protected with?

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

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 the prescribed information automatically in the final agreement.

Period of notice for contract-holder to withdraw (Wales only)

Where the tenancy is a periodic occupation contract, an option with the label "Number months notice for contract-holder to withdraw" will appear. This is not a notice period for the tenants (contract holders) to end the contract.

Under a periodic occupation contract with several contract holders, an individual contract holder can withdraw on giving notice.

The length of notice is a legislated supplementary term of one month. However, the term can be changed with the agreement of all parties.

We believe the required notice length can be extended, but other practitioners may disagree. Given these new rules, we will have to wait for a decision.

Please see the article Can the Notice Length for Withdrawal Be Altered? for the full details of why we believe the length can be extended.

From the dropdown, the options available are:

• One (default legislated)
• Two months
• Three months
• Four months
• Five months
• Six months

You can set your preferred default by creating a profile and setting the default in your profile for future occupation contracts.

Landlord dropdown

Select a landlord from the dropdown. If none are present, click Add New and select the landlord after adding.

Landlord Display Name

The landlord name entered here must be the actual landlord name, and the full name(s), including title, should be entered.

If you're an agent, you must put the landlord's name here and not your agent's name.

The landlord does not have to be the actual owner, and renting the property to someone else and sub-lets is possible. In this case, the person doing the sub-letting is the landlord.

A landlord is defined (for assured shorthold tenancy purposes) as a person entitled to possession of the property if it were unoccupied.

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

It's a legal requirement that the tenant is provided with the landlord's name.

Is landlord content ... by email?

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

Generally, if you expect the tenant to accept documents by email (see next page), the landlord should also.

Landlord Email

If you are content with accepting documents by email, this email will be shown in the agreement as the service email.

You must regularly check this email, including any spam/junk folders.

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

Landlord Address

The address must be in England or Wales for tenancies in England.

Put the landlord's address where the landlord will accept notices served by the tenant.

If you are an agent managing the property, this address can be the agent's because that's where the landlord accepts service of any notices from the tenant.

Landlord RSW registration and licence numbers (Wales only)

There are two fields for the "landlord" Rent Smart Wales registration and licence numbers.

These are the landlord details, and if you are an agent completing the agreement, your licence number can be entered (see later).

Both these fields are optional, and there's no legal requirement to enter the information. If left blank, it's completely ignored when building the contract.

Enter the landlord registration number. If the landlord is licensed, you can also enter their licence number.

A landlord or agent can be found on the public register.

Date of Agreement

Leave this blank if you intend to use remote signing or if you're unsure when the agreement will be signed.

The date of the agreement would ordinarily be the date when all parties have signed.

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

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

Letting unit dropdown

Select a letting unit (tenancy address) from the dropdown. If none are present, click Add New and select the letting unit after adding. We use the term "letting unit" because it could be anything from a room in an HMO, flat or parking space.

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, you should identify the room in the address, e.g. Room 1, 23 Any Street xxx. You could even locate the room in the address field, e.g. Room 1, first-floor left-hand side, 23 Any Street xxx.

Occupation date (Wales only)

For Wales, the wording for the commencement of a contract is the "occupation date." This is the date when the contract holder is entitled to occupy the dwelling.

Fixed Term From

Unlike the date of the agreement, this should be the tenancy's actual occupation date (commencement).

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

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

Fixed-Term To

The last day of the fixed term should always be a day before rent is due, 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 rent on the 25th of every calendar month, the end date should be the 24th of the month (24 August for a 6-month tenancy). This is the case even if that doesn't make an exact number of months.

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

This date doesn't appear if the lodger agreement or periodic occupation contract (Wales only) is selected because the lodger agreement is periodic from the outset.

Once the 'fixed term from' field has a date entered, you can select the +6 or +12 months buttons, and the Builder will populate the corresponding date into this field.

Break Clause

A break clause is not recommended and is only available for England (July 2022). If you have a 12-month fixed term with a six-month break, you might as well do a six-month agreement! It would be no different!

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

A sample of the wording 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 after that.

Rent Type

There are four options to choose from under rent type.

Normal rent in advance

The most common, the typical rent in advance, is set by default.

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

Rent (£)

Enter the rent amount (e.g. £750.00)

First full payment

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

However, it's helpful if the tenant wishes to pay rent on a different day than 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 would be 25th February. Remember, this date is not when the" first rent" is payable but when the first" full" rent is payable. There would be an apportioned rent for 10 February to 24 February, but the first FULL rent is then payable from 25 February.

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

Assuming you will choose calendar monthly, this selection should match the first full payment date. For example, if the first full payment is on 25 February, the selection should be 25th.

Payable in advance every

In most cases, this should be calendar monthly.

You can choose from the following:

• calendar monthly
• two calendar months
• four weeks
• quarter
• week

X months in advance first payment

This option will be used where the tenant pays x months' rent in advance and a fixed monthly rent in advance.

This is commonly used when the tenant pays six months' rent in advance, although the number of months can be changed.

This option must be used when applicable because without entering a large advance payment 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 the period for which the rent is taken in advance! For example, if six months are taken in advance, the term must last 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 taken (e.g. 6).

Total rent being taken in advance (£)

This will be automatically calculated by multiplying the monthly rent entered earlier 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

Please select the date rent is payable after the advanced payment has been used (e.g., the 20th day of every calendar month).

Only a calendar monthly is available for this rent type.

Student (4 times fixed payments for the term)

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

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

The dates should be 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 monthly calendar date on which the rent will be payable should the tenancy continue as a 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 tenant doesn't go 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 if it detects rows three or four are empty.

Text Box

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

It's helpful if there are complicated rents during the fixed term.

Method of Payment

Optionally, you can enter a preferred means of payment, such as a standing order, and provide bank details. To start with, you can click the sample text button for a template.

Deposit

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

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 the tenancy type equals assured shorthold tenancy or occupation contract and there is a deposit.

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

If yes, fill in the details. These are all required for the deposit prescribed information (where the person has one, e.g. email).