Assured shorthold tenancy agreement (AST)

About this document

This agreement was originally written for us by a barrister specialising in residential property law. We now work closely with LandlordZone so that it is not only up-to-date with changes to the law, but so that it is also a pratical document suitable for any landlord.

Strong legal protection for landlords

Residential tenancy law favours the tenant rather than the landlord. No agreement can get round that. As a landlord, the key to letting safely is to have a document that protects your rights as strongly as possible within the framework of the law.

This document makes sure your legal rights are protected fully.

Comprehensive menu of options to suit all tenancies

No tenancy is quite the same - each situation requires different terms.

This agreement goes further than most others. We give you a large choice of over 40 tenant promises and restrictions so that you can customise your agreement exactly how you want it.

Of course, you can also choose to keep in or take out terms that you would expect to be in such a template but might not need (such as a provision to use a separate managing agent).

Easy to edit and understand

Because of the structure of the document, deleting what you don’t want is simple. Our extensive drafting notes explain more technical points.

Our use of plain English language means that your tenant can never say it was not clear.

No need for a separate guarantor agreement

Many AST agreements available on the Internet require you to buy a separate contract to bring in a guarantor. We include provisions for a guarantor within the document making a separate one unnecessary.

Additional included letters and forms make management even simpler

To make property management easier, we have included additional commonly used forms and letters:

• Draft inventory form (provided in the document, with explanatory notes on how to use)
• Cold weather letter to remind tenants to ventilate and heat the property
• Smoke and carbon monoxide detector release letter and form

Is this type of agreement suitable for your letting?

The basic qualifying conditions for an AST are:

• rent between £1,000 and £100,000 per year
• short tenancy period: 6 months to a maximum of 6 years
• the tenant is a private individual and not a company
• the property will be used for residential purposes only (not business or agriculture)
• the tenant has exclusive occupation of the property

Alternative tenancy documents

Agreements for specific types of property

We also sell other versions of AST agreements edited specifically for single rooms and student accomodation.

If you live in the same property

If you (the landlord) also live at the property, you should use a residential licence agreement and not an AST. These give the tenant far fewer rights and allows you to give less notice to the tenant to move out. You retain greater control.

Other tenancy agreements

We also stock a full range of less commonly used tenancy agreements for situations where an AST is not appropriate. Search our site using the bar at the top of any page, or see our article on other types of agreement.

Contents

This is a comprehensive template that also includes additional forms and letters. Some of the most important provisions are:

• Guarantor: essential if tenant is not in full employment
• Provision for you to use an agent (perhaps you are the agent)
• Rent deposit provisions and explanation for tenant
• Landlord's access: to view or show prospective lenders or buyers
• Menu of over 40 tenant's covenants (promises) setting out what tenant can and cannot do

The law relating to this document

This agreement complies with:

• the Housing Acts (1988 and 1996)
• the Tenancy Deposit Protection Scheme introduced in April 2007 and updates since then, including the availability of new insurance based tenant deposit protection schemes in April 2013
• the Tenant Fees Act 2019