Written statement of terms: a fill-in checklist

A landlord in England must give the tenant a written statement of terms before the tenancy starts. This is a checklist to gather the details and record when you gave it. It is not a tenancy agreement.

England. Checked against the law on 29 September 2026. Information, not legal advice.

When to use this

Use it when you are about to let a home in England on a new tenancy. Since 1 May 2026 the landlord must give the tenant a written statement of terms before the tenancy is entered into. This checklist lists every item the regulations say the statement must contain, with a space for what you wrote, and a record of the date you gave it.

It is not a tenancy agreement and it is not the statement itself. The Government has not published a model agreement. If you need a document to start from, the tenancy agreement template contains every item below. Whatever you use, have it checked by a solicitor or a landlord association, and compare it with the GOV.UK guidance.

How to fill it in

Fill in one checklist per tenancy, before anyone signs or agrees anything.
Take the figures from the advert: the rent cannot be more than the advertised rent.
Write "yes" against an item only when it is written in the document you will give the tenant.
Items 8, 9 and 15 depend on the facts. If the tenant pays no bills to you, no deposit is taken or the home has no gas, write that down.
The last row is optional. Some possession grounds can only be used if the tenant was told beforehand that the landlord may rely on them. Take advice from a solicitor or a landlord association on which grounds apply to you.
Run your finished document through the free agreement checker.
Give the statement to every tenant named on the tenancy, and keep proof of the date: a dated email, a signed copy or a delivery record.
Keep the checklist with the tenancy record.

The template

Written statement of terms: checklist

Property: [full address of the property]

Date the tenant may first move in: [date]

No.	The written statement must contain	What you wrote	In the document?
1	The name of every landlord	[full names]	[yes / no]
2	The name of every tenant	[full names]	[yes / no]
3	An address in England or Wales where the tenant can serve notices on the landlord	[address]	[yes / no]
4	The address of the home	[full address]	[yes / no]
5	The date the tenant is first entitled to possession	[date]	[yes / no]
6	The rent, and when it is due	[amount] per [month / week], due on [day]	[yes / no]
7	A statement that any rent increase will be proposed by a notice under section 13 of the Housing Act 1988	[clause number or page]	[yes / no]
8	Bills paid to the landlord or inside the rent (council tax, utilities, TV licence, communications, Green Deal): which bills, whether they are inside the rent, and the amounts and dates or how the tenant will be told	[each bill, amount and date / none: the tenant pays the suppliers directly]	[yes / no]
9	The deposit, if one is taken	[amount / no deposit is taken]	[yes / no]
10	The minimum notice the tenant must give, which can be no more than two months	[notice period]	[yes / no]
11	That the landlord can only end the tenancy by a possession order from the court, after a notice in the prescribed form that specifies the grounds, with a notice period that depends on the ground	[clause number or page]	[yes / no]
12	The landlord's duty that the home is fit for human habitation (Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, section 9A)	[clause number or page]	[yes / no]
13	The landlord's repairing duties (Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, section 11): the structure and exterior; the installations for water, gas, electricity and sanitation; space heating and water heating	[clause number or page]	[yes / no]
14	Electrical safety: the standards are met, the installation is inspected at least every five years, and the tenant gets the report	[clause number or page]	[yes / no]
15	Gas safety, where the home has gas: appliances and flues kept safe, a check every year by a registered engineer, and the record given to the tenant	[clause number or page / the home has no gas]	[yes / no]
16	Equality Act 2010, section 190: consent to improvements a disabled person needs will not be unreasonably withheld	[clause number or page]	[yes / no]
17	Pets: the tenant may keep a pet if they ask in writing under section 16A of the Housing Act 1988 and the landlord consents; consent will not be unreasonably refused; the landlord answers in writing within 28 days	[clause number or page]	[yes / no]
Optional	Notice that the landlord may wish to recover possession on grounds in Schedule 2 to the Housing Act 1988 that need prior notice	[ground numbers, after taking advice / not used]	[yes / no]

Record of giving it

Given to: [names of every tenant]

Date given: [date], before the tenancy was agreed on [date]

How it was given: [by hand / by post / by email to: address]

Proof kept: [signed copy / dated email / delivery record]

Run through the agreement checker on: [date]

Agreement checked by: [solicitor or landlord association] on [date]

What happens next

The statement comes before the tenancy, so give it before anyone signs or agrees. A landlord who does not give it risks a penalty from the council of up to £7,000. A tenancy agreement cannot fix a term, set a rent-review clause or ban pets outright; a clause that tries has no effect. After the statement is given, the deposit must be protected and the prescribed information given within 30 days of receiving the deposit: the move-in checklist keeps the dates. The assured periodic tenancy guide explains the rest. For wording you are unsure of, ask a solicitor or a landlord association.

Information about the law in England, not legal advice. Checked on the date shown.

Where this comes from

Questions about this template

Is the written statement the same as the tenancy agreement?

No. The written statement sets out the terms the regulations list and must be given before the tenancy is entered into. The two can be combined in one document, but a checklist like this one is neither.

Is there an official model tenancy agreement I can use?

The Government has not published a model agreement. GOV.UK explains what written information a landlord must give. Our tenancy agreement template is a starting point; have your own agreement checked by a solicitor or a landlord association.

When must the written statement be given?

Before the tenancy is entered into: before the agreement is signed or the tenancy is otherwise agreed. Keep proof of the date.

More templates

Assured periodic tenancy agreement (template)A plain-English tenancy agreement template for a private let of a whole home in England after the Renters' Rights Act 2025. It contains every item the written statement of terms must have. It is a starting point, not legal advice: have it checked before you use it.Rent increase: how to complete Form 4A, with a covering noteIn England a rent increase needs the official section 13 form, Form 4A, once a year with at least two months' notice. How to complete and serve it, and a short covering note to send with it. The form itself comes from GOV.UK.Section 8 and Form 3A: what it is, and a fact sheet to take to an adviserForm 3A is the official section 8 notice a landlord in England uses to seek possession. The grounds and the notice periods differ, and only a court can end a tenancy. We give no notice wording; this is a fact sheet to prepare before you speak to a solicitor or a landlord association.The Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026: a record that you gave itLandlords in England had to give existing tenants the Government's Information Sheet 2026 by 31 May 2026, as the document itself and not a link. What it is, and a short note to record when and how each tenant got it.

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