Residential Lease Agreement
This lease is made on 18 October 2026 between:
- Landlord: full name, of Landlord: address for notices ("the Landlord"); and
- Tenant: full name, or names ("the Tenant").
If there is more than one Tenant, each of them is responsible for paying the whole rent and keeping every promise in this lease, not just a share.
1. The property
The Landlord lets to the Tenant, as their home, the property at The property (the "Property").
At the start of the lease, the Landlord and the Tenant will check the Property together and make a written record of its condition and contents, with dated photos, which both sign. That record is used to compare the condition of the Property when the lease ends.
The Landlord confirms having the right to let the Property, and that the Property is safe, clean and fit to live in at the start of the lease.
2. Term
Type of lease
Start date: Start date
3. Rent
The rent is Rent, paid in advance on When rent is due, by How rent is paid. The Landlord will give a receipt for any rent paid in cash.
The rent may be changed only as the law allows, with at least two months' written notice or any longer notice the law requires, and not during a fixed term unless the law allows it.
4. Deposit
When this lease is signed, the Tenant pays a deposit of Deposit. The Landlord holds it as security for the Tenant's duties under this lease, and will protect or register it wherever the law requires. The Tenant may not use the deposit to pay the last rent unless the Landlord agrees in writing.
When the lease ends, the Landlord will return the deposit within 30 days after the Tenant hands back the keys, or sooner if the law requires. The Landlord may keep back only:
- rent or bills that the Tenant owes under this lease and has not paid;
- the reasonable cost of repairing damage, or replacing missing items, beyond fair wear and tear; and
- the reasonable cost of cleaning, if the Property is not left as clean as it was at the start.
The Landlord will give the Tenant a written list of any amount kept back, with evidence such as photos, quotes or receipts. Any interest that the law requires on the deposit is paid to the Tenant.
5. Bills and insurance
During the lease, the Tenant pays the following bills for the Property: Bills the Tenant pays. The Landlord pays every other charge for the Property, including building and service charges and the taxes the law places on the owner. A bill that covers a period only partly within the lease is shared in proportion.
The Landlord insures the building. The Tenant is responsible for insuring their own belongings.
6. Repairs and access
The Landlord will:
- keep the structure and outside of the Property, including the roof, windows, plumbing, drains, heating, hot water, and gas and electrical installations, and the appliances provided by the Landlord, in good repair and safe working order;
- carry out repairs within a reasonable time after being told about them, and urgent repairs, such as no heating or hot water, a serious leak or a broken lock, as quickly as possible; and
- carry out any safety checks that the law requires.
The Tenant will:
- take good care of the Property, and keep it clean and reasonably aired and heated to avoid damp;
- tell the Landlord promptly about any damage or repair needed;
- do small everyday tasks, such as changing light bulbs and smoke alarm batteries and keeping sinks and drains clear; and
- pay for repairing damage caused by the Tenant, their household or their visitors, beyond fair wear and tear.
The Landlord, or someone the Landlord sends, may enter the Property to inspect it, carry out repairs, or show it to future tenants or buyers, at reasonable times and after giving at least 24 hours' notice, or any longer notice the law requires. In an emergency, the Landlord may enter without notice. Otherwise, the Tenant is entitled to live in the Property without interference.
7. Using the Property
The Tenant will:
- use the Property only as a private home for the Tenant and their household, though working from home is allowed;
- not sublet it, take in lodgers, let it for short stays or pass the lease to anyone else without the Landlord's written consent;
- not make alterations without the Landlord's written consent, which the Landlord will not unreasonably refuse for minor changes;
- keep pets only with the Landlord's written consent, which the Landlord will not unreasonably refuse;
- not cause a nuisance to neighbours, and follow the building rules that the Landlord has given the Tenant in writing; and
- not use the Property for anything illegal.
8. Ending the lease
Either party may end an open-ended lease by giving the other at least Notice to end an open-ended lease of written notice, or any longer notice the law requires.
During a fixed term, neither party may end the lease early except by written agreement or where the law allows. The Landlord will not unreasonably refuse a Tenant's request to end early if the Tenant finds a suitable new tenant. If the Tenant stays on after a fixed term with the Landlord's agreement, the lease continues as an open-ended lease on the same terms, unless the law provides otherwise.
The Landlord may end the lease only for a reason, with the notice and by the procedure that the law requires. The Landlord will never remove the Tenant or their belongings, change the locks or cut off supplies to make the Tenant leave; the Landlord may take back the Property only as the law allows.
When the lease ends, the Tenant will move out, remove their belongings, return all keys, and leave the Property clean and in the condition recorded at the start, apart from fair wear and tear. The parties will check the Property together against that record.
9. Notices and general
Notices under this lease must be in writing, and may be delivered by hand, by post or by email to the addresses in this lease, or to any new address a party gives the other. The Landlord will keep the Tenant's personal data secure and use it only to manage this lease and as the law requires.
This lease is the whole agreement between the parties about the Property. It may be changed only in writing signed by both parties. If any part of it cannot be enforced, the rest stays in effect. Each party keeps a signed copy.
10. Governing law
This lease is governed by the law of Country, and state or region, where the property is, where the Property is located. Any rule of that law that protects the Tenant and cannot be excluded applies, even where this lease says otherwise. Disputes go to the courts or tenancy tribunal for the place where the Property is.
Signatures
The Landlord: Landlord: full name
Signature: ______________
Date: ______________
The Tenant: Tenant: full name, or names
Signature: ______________
Second Tenant's signature, if any: ______________
Date: ______________