Property

A general buy-to-let checklist to be used as initial guidance before entry into this investment market. This document allows you to print out a list of aspects to consider in a hard copy and then as you attend to each aspect it can be checked off the list. The document also provides a basic budget and profitability calculator for your proposed buy-to-let property. Please note that this document can only be used in respect of a property in England, Wales or Northern Ireland.

The owner of a house or flat can use this agreement to take on a lodger to occupy part of the property with them. Because this document creates a licence and not a lease, it means that you can bring the agreement to an end much more easily than under a tenancy agreement, providing you with more protection. This agreement is suitable for up to 2 lodgers who will occupy a single room. If you are taking on more than one lodger in separate rooms, you will need to create a separate agreement for each room.

This document allows you to increase the rent in cases where the tenant agrees to the increase. It can be used even if proceedings have already started under the Housing Act 1988 to change the rent.

It is only suitable for assured tenancies in England and Wales.

Do not use it if there is a rent review or rent increase clause in the tenancy agreement, or some other agreement in place between the landlord and tenant for changing the rent. It is also unsuitable in the situation where there are multiple landlords and one of those landlords is a business.

If you want to increase the rent without getting your tenant's agreement, you may be able to use our document Notice under section 13 of the Housing Act 1988.

This agreement should be used by a landlord who wishes to take on a lodger with the option of providing cleaning services and/or breakfast. The agreement creates a licence and not a lease, which allows more flexibility should you wish to bring the agreement to an end. The document also contains an option to provide a third party guarantee for the payment of rent.

Use this agreement for a property in Scotland with up to 2 landlords and up to 5 tenants. It's broadly based on the Scottish Government's model tenancy agreement but with a number of differences. We've added extra clauses to give you more in-depth detail about your and the tenant's rights and obligations, such as:

• More details on how the tenant should use, maintain and secure the property
• Where and when notices from a local or statutory authority must be sent to you
• Giving you access to the property to examine it during and before the end of the tenancy
• What the tenant must do when the tenancy ends, including what happens to any property left behind
• Specifying the interest to be charged on dishonoured rent payments
• Protecting property insurance cover or premium payments from being voidable by a tenant
• What happens if the property is destroyed or becomes uninhabitable
• The rights and obligations relating to any adjoining property you own

To use this document the tenancy must be for the tenant's only or main home. It can be used for Houses in Multiple Occupation.

It should only be used by landlords who are individuals (rather than structured/acting as businesses).

It is not suitable for residential tenancies with at least 2 acres of land, agricultural tenancies, holiday lettings, lettings of social housing, student lettings by Universities or colleges, and lettings of purpose-built student accommodation containing 30 or more bedrooms.

This document should be used by landlords of a residential property to create a fixed-term assured shorthold tenancy agreement. Specific clauses are included to cover gas, electrical and fire safety and building maintenance. It is suitable for both regular lettings and Houses in Multiple Occupancy (HMO). The document deals with a landlord's requirement to use a Government-authorised Tenancy Deposit Protection scheme. Please note that this document can only be used in England & Wales and the total rent payable should be less than £100,000 per year.

Landlords of a residential property in Northern Ireland can use this document to create a tenancy agreement for a fixed term, suitable for either one or two tenants. Specific clauses are included to cover gas, electrical and fire safety and building maintenance. It is not suitable for houses in multiple occupancy (HMO), which is a house tenanted by three or more unrelated people sharing kitchen and toilet facilities.

Use this document to create a licence for a business premises. A licence might be suitable where giving occupation is merely an act of friendship or generosity; the occupier will be sharing the premises, for example, a stall or kiosk; or where the arrangement is short term or temporary. Please note that this document can only be used in England & Wales and Northern Ireland.

This lease is suitable for a self-contained property located in the UK that will be let for between 7 and 20 years (for properties in England and Wales) or between 5 and 20 years (for properties in Scotland and Northern Ireland).

It can be drafted for a maximum of 2 landlords and 2 tenants, who can be individuals (or sole traders), limited companies, business partnerships or limited liability partnerships.

The lease contains a rent review, an optional break clause and standard obligations from the tenant, such as paying the rent, bills and taxes associated with the property, not transferring the lease without your permission and indemnifying you from various costs. For properties in England and Wales, there is an option to exclude the tenant's right to renew the lease, and the document contains the required notice to send to the tenant.

Use this agreement if you own a commercial property in the UK and you're granting a short-term tenancy of no more than 7 years for properties in England and Wales, 20 years for properties in Scotland and 21 years for properties in Northern Ireland.

The lease is only appropriate for a self-contained building and shouldn't be used where there are shared facilities. It can be drafted for a maximum of 2 landlords and 2 tenants, who can be individuals (or sole traders), limited companies, business partnerships or limited liability partnerships.

For properties in England and Wales, there is an option to exclude the tenant's right to renew the lease, and the document contains the required notice to send to the tenant.

This document should only be used if the rent is fixed and intended to stay the same throughout the term. If the tenant doesn't pay the rent, you can end the lease.

For commercial properties in Northern Ireland, if the proposed term is for 5 years or more, we recommend that you use our 'Medium term lease of commercial premises', as it contains a rent review clause.

This document creates an initial letter from a private landlord to a tenant who is in rent arrears. It should be used for residential properties rented under an assured or an assured shorthold tenancy agreement. Please note that this document can only be used in England & Wales.

This document is suitable for use by a landlord of business or residential property to request the payment of rent due from the tenant under the terms of the tenancy. It should not be used as a demand for service charges, the contents of which must generally satisfy further conditions which can vary greatly from lease to lease.

Many tenants, particularly those from overseas, require a letter from their landlord confirming that they have a tenancy. This can be important in opening a bank account, gaining employment, and even joining a local library. This document creates a letter from a landlord confirming the status of a tenant. To use this document, you will need to have details of the lease to hand.

Use this letter to request a reference from a referee whose details have been supplied by a prospective tenant. The references should be obtained from a previous landlord, a previous secured lender, an employer, a bank or a building society.

Use this document to meet your legal requirements after taking a deposit from a tenant. It tells tenants which deposit protection scheme is used and, together with the scheme documents that must be provided with this notice, gives them the 'prescribed information' required by law.

Protect the deposit and give this notice and the scheme documents to the tenant within 30 days of the tenant paying the deposit. At the same time, you should also send it (together with the scheme documents) to anyone who paid the deposit for the tenant and, in order to avoid any dispute, the tenant's guarantors (if any). This document is suitable for tenancies in England & Wales.

You can use this document to increase the rent for residential premises in England or Wales let under an assured tenancy (including an assured shorthold tenancy). It tells the tenant about the new rent and the date from which it will apply. This document is governed by the rules in section 13 of the Housing Act 1988.

You can only use it for assured tenancies that are periodic tenancies (contractual and statutory). You can't use it for assured agricultural occupancies or for fixed-term tenancies.

For contractual periodic tenancies, don't use it if there is a rent review or rent increase clause in the tenancy agreement, or some other agreement in place between the landlord and tenant for changing the rent.

For statutory periodic tenancies, don't use it if you also want to change other terms of the tenancy.

The document is unsuitable in the situation where there are multiple landlords and one of those landlords is a business.

If you can't use this notice, you may be able to use our document Agreement to increase rent, but only if the tenant agrees to the increase.

As a landlord (or licensor), you'll inevitably collect, use and store personal information about your tenants or licensees. Under the Data Protection Act 2018 and the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), you need to tell them what information you hold, how you'll use it and for what purpose. You also need to tell them about their privacy rights and how the law protects them. You can use this privacy notice to do this. It's suitable for landlords of residential or commercial property.

Use this document to request a reference letter from a prospective tenant's current or previous landlord. It creates 3 documents: a reference letter, a reference letter mandate and a reference form. The reference letter is to be sent to a prospective tenant's current or previous landlord and is accompanied by the reference form, which controls the information being given by the current or previous landlord. The mandate, to be signed by the prospective tenant, authorises contact with the current or previous landlord. Please note that this document can only be used in Scotland.

When letting property to tenants in Northern Ireland, use this document to create a rent book in accordance with the Private Tenancies Order 2006. You must provide your tenants with this rent book within 28 days of the start of the tenancy. Failure to provide a tenant with a rent book in accordance with these regulations can lead to a district council taking legal action. Please note that this document is only for use in Northern Ireland.

When letting property to tenants in Northern Ireland, it is necessary to provide each tenant with a statement of the tenancy terms compliant with The Tenancy Terms Regulations (NI) 2007. This document will produce a statement of tenancy terms for you to provide to your tenants and an inventory of furnishings as required by the Private Tenancies (NI) Order 2006. You must provide both of these documents to the tenant within 28 days of their tenancy starting. Note that this document is only for use in Northern Ireland.

This document is the required notice under section 21 of the Housing Act 1988. It is served on a property owner's tenant(s), where an assured shorthold tenancy has been granted and possession is required. It should be noted that it is a criminal offence to evict a tenant of residential property without a court order. This document can only be used in England & Wales.

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), the minimum notice period that you need to give to tenants has been temporarily extended to 6 months.

The documents contained in this pack include everything you will need before you can start court proceedings to claim back possession of your property if it is rented using an assured shorthold tenancy agreement .

Begin the process by using the document 'Notice under section 21 of the Housing Act 1988' along with its associated covering letter. (Please note that you cannot use this section 21 notice if you have not protected your tenants' deposit in a government-authorised tenancy deposit protection scheme and sent them notice of the scheme that you are using. If you have not yet done this, you should use the document 'Notice to tenant(s) of deposit protection scheme' first.)

Once you have correctly served the section 21 notice, use Form N215 - Certificate of service to record how and when the section 21 notice was served.

If the tenants do not move out of the property in the time stipulated in the section 21 notice, you can move to stage two in the process by using our pack 'Stage two: Start court proceedings for possession (accelerated possession)'. 

  Pack documents:

•    Notice to tenant(s) of deposit protection scheme
•    Notice under section 21 of the Housing Act 1988
•    Covering letter for section 21 notice
•    Form N215 - Certificate of service

Where you have obtained a court order for possession against your tenant(s) using the accelerated possession procedure and they have failed to vacate the property by the time stipulated in the order, you can use this pack to apply to the court bailiff to remove the tenant(s) from your property and to regain possession. The pack contains the court forms and letters required to follow the court procedure.

Begin the process by completing the document ‘Form N325 - Request for warrant of possession of land’ and sending it to the court using its associated covering letter ‘Covering letter for form N325 (application for warrant of possession)’. During the course of the court procedure you will need to send the ‘Letter to bailiffs enclosing completed forms’.
Pack documents:

•    Form N325 - Request for warrant of possession of land
•    Covering letter for form N325 (application for warrant of possession)
•    Letter to bailiffs enclosing completed forms

When making a possession claim in England or Wales, new rules require you to tell the court what you know about how the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has affected the tenants and their dependants (even if you don't know). You can do that with this document.

There are 3 situations where you'll need it:

1. When starting a new accelerated possession procedure (i.e. section 21) claim on or after 3 August 2020, sending it with claim form N5B.

2. To prepare for a review hearing (unless you're appealing a possession order). A notice of review will be sent by the court if you have a claim to recover possession and rent arrears. It will require you to send a bundle of documents, including this one.

2. At any possession hearing (i.e. under the section 8 or section 21 procedure) for claims that were made on or after 3 August 2020. You must bring 2 copies to the hearing and give a copy to the tenants at least 14 days before it.

Note: There's also a 4th situation where you might need it. Government COVID-19 renting guidance says that you should send this document when starting a new claim with claim forms N5 and N119 (i.e. having previously sent the tenant a section 8 notice). However, this advice contradicts the official court procedure rules, so it's unclear if you need to send this document in this situation or how the court will react if you don't. It may be safer to send it anyway, as there's no harm in doing so.

On 21 September 2020, courts in England and Wales began processing possession claims again. If you've made a claim before 3 August 2020 that was then stayed (paused) by a court due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it will not re-start until you send the court (and tenants) a reactivation notice. You can do that with this document.

Use it if, before 3 August 2020, you sent the court and tenants:

• Forms N5 and N119 (a section 8 possession claim); or
• Form N5B (a section 21 possession claim).
  
  

It's not required if:

• You've received a final possession order from the court;
• Your claim was started on or after 3 August 2020 and then stayed by the court;
• The court has told you it's not needed.

You may need to send other documents with the reactivation notice. We've therefore designed the document questionnaire to work out if this applies to your circumstances, and provided information and instructions on what other documents you'll need and how to create them.

This document creates covering letters to the court and the defendants for a landlord serving a witness statement and a schedule of rent arrears. To use this document, you will need to have issued a claim at court for possession of the property using Form N5 (claim form for possession) and Form N119 (particulars of claim) on the grounds of rent arrears. Please note that this document can only be used in England and Wales.

If your tenant(s) has failed to pay rent and is in arrears, you can use this pack to help get them to pay back the rent, or as the first step in the process of starting court proceedings if they do not pay. This pack is suitable for use where you have an assured shorthold or an assured tenancy agreement  with the tenant(s).

You should begin the process by sending your tenant(s) our 'Initial letter to tenants regarding rent arrears'. If you have not already done so, you must also send our ‘Notice to tenant(s) of deposit protection scheme’ (for use with lettings using an ‘assured shorthold tenancy’ only). If the initial letter does not have the desired effect then you should use our ‘Notice under section 8 of the Housing Act 1988’ along with its associated covering letter ‘Covering letter for section 8 notice’ to prepare and serve a formal notice seeking possession upon the tenant(s). You can use our ‘Form N215 - Certificate of service’ to record how and when the section 8 notice was served.

If it is unlikely that the tenant(s) will pay the rent arrears (due to their financial circumstances) then you may want to consider obtaining a possession order using the accelerated possession procedure as this is quicker, but does not order the tenant(s) to pay the rent back. Start with our pack 'Stage one: Before you start court proceedings (accelerated possession)'.
Pack documents:

•    Notice to tenant(s) of deposit protection scheme
•    Initial letter to tenants regarding rent arrears
•    Notice under section 8 of the Housing Act 1988
•    Covering letter for section 8 notice
•    Form N215 - Certificate of service

Use this pack after correctly serving a notice seeking possession under section 8 of the Housing Act 1988 where the tenant(s) has failed to pay the rent arrears in the time stipulated in your notice. 

The documents contained in this pack give you everything you must use in order to start court proceedings, obtain an order for possession and to obtain an order for the tenant(s) to pay the rent arrears (if they do not issue a defence at court disputing your claim). The pack contains all the court forms, letters and ancillary documents, such as schedules and witness statements, required to follow the court procedure and to claim back your costs, where your tenancy agreement states that the tenant will be liable to pay for them.

You should start the process by using the documents ‘Form N5 - Claim for possession of property (rent arrears only)’, ‘Form N119 – Particulars of claim (rent arrears only)’and ‘Schedule of rent arrears for form N119’. You should then send these completed documents to the court along with the associated covering letter ‘Covering letter for claim form N5 & N119’.

The document notes that come with these documents will explain which of the documents included in this pack you will need to use next or view our flowchart .

If it is unlikely that the tenant(s) will pay the rent arrears (due to their financial circumstances) then you may want to consider obtaining a possession order using the ‘accelerated possession procedure as this process is quicker, but does not order the tenant(s) to pay the rent back. Start with our pack 'Stage one: Before you start court proceedings (accelerated possession)'.

Pack documents:

•    Form N5 - Claim for possession of property (rent arrears only)
•    Form N119 – Particulars of claim (rent arrears only)
•    Schedule of rent arrears for form N119
•    Covering letter for claim form N5 & N119
•    Updated rent arrears schedule and witness statement for possession hearing
•    Schedule of costs for applications to court to recover costs
•    Form N215 - Certificate of service
•    Possession claim notice: effect of the coronavirus pandemic on the tenant

If you have obtained a court order for possession against your tenant(s) for rent arrears and they have failed to vacate the property by the time stipulated in the order, you can use this pack to apply to the court bailiff to remove the tenants from your property and for you to regain possession. The pack contains the court forms and letters required to follow the court procedure.

Begin the process by completing the document ‘Form N325 - Request for warrant of possession of land’ and sending it to the court with its associated covering letter, ‘Covering letter for form N325 (application for warrant of possession)’. During the course of the court procedure, you will need to send the ‘Letter to bailiffs enclosing completed forms.
Pack documents:

•    Form N325 - Request for warrant of possession of land
•    Covering letter for form N325 (application for warrant of possession)
•    Letter to bailiffs enclosing completed forms

This pack provides the key documents required to create a basic legal record of the agreement you make with a builder when you engage their services for work.  It provides a request for work estimations that should be completed in order to document the scope of the work that will be undertaken for the agreed price, and a small scale contract that will dictate the terms under which the work will proceed.
See the individual information associated with each document in this pack for a full description of their use.

Use this landscaping contract when entering into an agreement with a landscaping contractor to provide new landscaping work and/or maintenance services. The document provides for an option to incorporate the specifications and plans of the landscaping work into the agreement. It also provides for various options with regards to the parties, payment, hard or soft landscaping work, new landscaping work or landscaping maintenance work. This document is only for use in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Use this letter to request an estimate or a quotation from a builder for undertaking building work. An estimate is an educated guess at what a job may cost, whilst a quotation is a fixed price for the work completed. You may find that a builder is more likely to give you an estimate than a quotation - this document includes guidance about how you might convert an estimate into a quotation. There is also information about how to assess whether the estimate/quotation you have been given is a good price for the work involved.

This document is a contract for a contractor to carry out small-scale building work to a residential property. It is intended for use by the owner of the property or the contractor. It should only be used where the owner lives in (or intends to live in) the property as a residence. It is not suitable for:

• construction of a new house or flat
• construction where the services of an architect or engineer are being used
• building work done in the course or furtherance of a business or to a building used for commercial purposes
• property occupied by tenants or licensees
• properties owned by businesses or by more than 4 individuals

This contract is suitable for use in the UK only.

If you have agreed a date for completion of building works, or been given an indication of a date, and the work has not been completed by your builder, you can use this document to create a complaint letter. This document can also be used if you have not been given an indication of a completion date, but a reasonable period has passed without the work being completed. The letter makes time an essence of the contract, meaning that if your builder does not complete the work by the time specified, you can terminate the contract.

Use this document after you have sent our 'Request faulty building work to be fixed' and 'Letter enclosing estimates to complete building work' and your new builder has completed the outstanding work. If the cost of employing your new builder is more than what you have paid your original builder, the letter will demand payment of that sum. If the cost of having the new builder complete the work is less then the amount which you have paid the original builder, the letter will not demand any money from your builder, but will state that your contract has come to an end. If you are a consumer and your contract was made after 1 October 2015, this letter will include your claims under the Consumer Rights Act.

Use this document after you have sent our ‘Letter enclosing estimates to complete building work’ and your new builder has completed the outstanding work. If the cost of employing your new builder is more than what you have paid your original builder, the letter will demand payment of that sum. If the cost of having the new builder complete the work is less then the amount which you have paid the original builder, the letter will not demand any money from your builder, but will state that your contract has come to an end.

If you have terminated your builder's contract using our ‘Letter terminating contract for failure to complete outstanding building work’, you can then use this letter to enclose the estimates you have received from a new builder to complete the work left outstanding by your original builder. Your builder might respond by offering to complete the work, by challenging the reasonableness of the estimates or by offering to settle your claim. If you do employ a new builder to complete the work, you can then use our "Demand original builder pay costs of new builder" letter.

You can use this letter if you have sent the letter 'Request faulty building works to be fixed' and the matter hasn't been resolved. With this letter, you can send the builder copies of estimates that you have got from other builders for the cost of the necessary remedial works; confirm which of these estimates you have accepted; and reserve your rights to look to the original builder to recover the extra costs that you may incur in rectifying the problems. This letter is suitable for consumers or businesses.

Use this letter to terminate the contract with your builder and to advise him/her that you will be employing another builder to complete the work. Before using this document, you should have sent our "Complaint about delays in builder work" letter in which you gave a final date of when building work must be completed. After sending this letter, you can use our "Letter enclosing estimates from new builder" when you obtain estimates from prospective new builders to complete the work outstanding.

This pack provides important documents that can be used in the event of a problem during the course of your building project. It provides templates for engaging with the builder for a series of actions that might be required to get the project back on track or within budget, or to make good any building problems that have occurred. In the worst-case scenario it also provides documents that can be used to terminate a contract or seek redress.
See the individual information associated with each document in this pack for a full description of their use.

If you have instructed a builder to carry out work for you, and the final invoice has exceeded the quotation or estimate, you can use this letter to reject your builder's bill. An estimate may be slightly higher or lower than the final charge made – a quotation should be exact, irrespective of whether the builder has done more or less work. If you did not agree a quote or estimate before beginning building work, and the builder's bill was unreasonable for the work involved, you can use this document as well.

If you or your builders need to go on to your neighbour's land to carry out necessary repair works on your property, you can use this letter to request access. If your neighbour refuses consent, you might be able to obtain a county court order allowing you such access as long as the work is considered to be 'reasonably necessary' for the preservation of your property. It is important, however, that you first send a written request for consent directly to your neighbour. Please note that this document can only be used in England & Wales and cannot be used for any work relating to a party wall.

If you have employed a builder whose work was faulty or who used materials which did not conform to the contract, use this letter to ask them to fix the faults free of charge. It warns that if they don't fix the work, you will employ another builder and recover the costs and/or reject the non-conforming goods.

This letter is suitable for use by a business or consumer. If you are a consumer and the contract was made after 1 October 2015, this letter includes your claim under the Consumer Rights Act to have the builder re-do the work and/or repair or replace the faulty materials. It warns that if the builder does not take such action, you will claim a price reduction and/or damages.

Note that in some situations (e.g if the faults are serious or dangerous and you can't risk further faulty work), it might be reasonable to skip this letter and move straight to the step of asking a new builder to fix the work and ask the original builder to pay the costs of a new builder.