Free Tenancy Agreement Templates vs LetSafe — What's Missing?

If you search 'free tenancy agreement template' you will find dozens of downloads — PDFs from property forums, Word documents from landlord associations, and the well-known British Property Federation (BPF) model agreement. Many of them are perfectly serviceable documents. But 'serviceable' and 'compliant with the law that takes effect on 1 May 2026' are not the same thing. We downloaded the most popular free templates, read every clause, and compared them against what a landlord actually needs from 1 May 2026 onward. This guide shares what we found — honestly, and without pretending every landlord needs to spend money.

What the BPF free template includes

The British Property Federation model Assured Shorthold Tenancy agreement has been the most widely used free template in England for over a decade. It was developed in partnership with the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA, formerly the RLA) and has been endorsed by successive housing ministers. Credit where it is due — it is a thorough, well-drafted document that covers the core elements of an AST.

• Parties, property address, and term (fixed-term AST with a start and end date)
• Rent amount, payment date, and payment method
• Deposit amount, scheme name, and prescribed information reference
• Landlord obligations (repair, insurance, quiet enjoyment)
• Tenant obligations (rent payment, property care, nuisance, subletting restrictions)
• Break clause (optional, with notice period)
• Inventory and schedule of condition reference
• Ending the tenancy — Section 21 notice provisions and Section 8 grounds summary
• Guarantor addendum (optional)
• Prescribed information annex for deposit protection

For a fixed-term AST granted before 1 May 2026, the BPF template does the job. If you already have tenants on a BPF agreement and the fixed term hasn't expired, your existing agreement is not suddenly invalid — it auto-converts to a periodic assured tenancy on 1 May 2026 by operation of law.

5 things free templates typically don't include

We reviewed the BPF model, OpenRent's free template, the Shelter model agreement, and three other widely circulated free downloads. None of them — as of April 2026 — address all five of the following issues.

1. No Renters' Rights Act 2025 compliance

Every free template we reviewed is still drafted as an Assured Shorthold Tenancy with a fixed term. From 1 May 2026, the AST ceases to exist as a lawful tenancy form for new lettings in England. Every new tenancy must be a periodic Assured Tenancy from day one. A template that offers a fixed-term AST structure is not just outdated — it creates a document that does not reflect the legal reality of the tenancy.

The BPF template still references Section 21 notices as the primary route to possession. Section 21 is abolished from 1 May 2026. A template that tells the tenant 'the landlord may end this tenancy by serving a Section 21 notice' is factually wrong and potentially misleading.

Free templates also reference 'Form 6A' (the old prescribed Section 21 notice form) — a form that no longer exists. They reference contractual rent-review clauses — which are overridden by Section 13 from 1 May 2026. They reference fixed-term expiry as a route to possession — which is no longer available.

2. No pet request provisions

From 1 May 2026, tenants have a statutory right to request a pet. The landlord must respond in writing within 42 days. The landlord can only refuse on reasonable grounds. The landlord can require the tenant to take out pet insurance. None of the free templates we reviewed include a pet-request clause, a response mechanism, or pet insurance requirements. If you use a free template without pet provisions, you still have the statutory obligation — but your agreement gives neither you nor your tenant any guidance on how to exercise it.

3. No Awaab's Law repair obligations

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 extends Awaab's Law to the private rented sector. This imposes specific response timeframes for hazards — particularly damp and mould — with penalties for non-compliance. The detailed timeframes are subject to secondary legislation, but the duty itself is in the Act. Free templates drafted before the Act do not reference Awaab's Law, do not set out the landlord's obligations, and do not include a damp/mould reporting mechanism. The LetSafe PAT Agreement includes a repair-obligations schedule with Awaab's Law timeframes built in, updated as the secondary legislation is laid.

4. No deposit prescribed information schedule

The deposit protection prescribed information is one of the most commonly litigated areas of landlord-tenant law. If you fail to serve the prescribed information within 30 days of receiving the deposit, the tenant can claim up to 3x the deposit amount as a penalty, and you cannot serve a valid possession notice until the prescribed information is served. Most free templates mention deposit protection in passing but do not include a complete prescribed information schedule as an annex. The LetSafe PAT Agreement includes the full prescribed information as a detachable schedule, pre-formatted for each of the three approved schemes (DPS, MyDeposits, TDS).

5. No guidance notes or 'how to use' instructions

A tenancy agreement is only useful if the landlord knows how to complete it correctly. Free templates are typically bare documents — no margin notes, no completion guide, no checklist of steps to take before, during, and after signing. The LetSafe PAT Agreement ships with a 12-page guidance booklet covering: how to complete each section, which clauses to customise, what to serve alongside the agreement (How to Rent guide, EPC, gas certificate, EICR, prescribed information), and a pre-tenancy checklist.

When a free template is perfectly fine

We are not going to pretend every landlord needs a paid template. A free template — including the BPF model — may be entirely adequate if all of the following apply:

• You are an experienced landlord who understands the Renters' Rights Act 2025 and can manually update the template to reflect the new regime.
• You have a single property with a straightforward letting (one or two tenants, no HMO, no guarantor complications).
• You are comfortable drafting your own pet-request clause, Awaab's Law schedule, and prescribed information annex.
• You have access to legal advice if something goes wrong — or you are confident handling a possession claim yourself.
• You are letting a property that was already tenanted before 1 May 2026 and the existing agreement auto-converts — you just need a written statement of terms as a courtesy document.

When you need a paid template

A paid, regulation-current template is worth the investment if any of the following apply:

• First-time landlord. You don't yet know what you don't know. A guided template with margin notes and a completion checklist reduces the risk of an expensive mistake — particularly around deposit prescribed information and the new pet-request right.
• HMO landlord. Room-by-room lettings with shared facilities require specific clauses (communal area obligations, room-swap provisions, licence vs tenancy distinction). A standard free AST template is not designed for HMOs.
• Portfolio landlord. If you manage three or more properties, the cost of a single template (£29) is trivial against the risk of a 3x deposit penalty (easily £3,000+) or a failed possession claim.
• Post-RRA compliance. If you are granting a new tenancy on or after 1 May 2026, you need a periodic Assured Tenancy agreement — not an AST. No widely available free template offers this yet.
• Peace of mind. You want a document reviewed against named legislation with a stated review date, so you know exactly what law it reflects and when it was last checked.

Feature comparison: Free template vs LetSafe PAT Agreement

The bottom line

Free tenancy agreement templates served landlords well for years. The BPF model in particular is a credible, well-drafted document. But the Renters' Rights Act 2025 changed the game — the AST is gone, Section 21 is gone, and new obligations (pet requests, Awaab's Law, the Information Sheet) require new clauses that free templates have not yet adopted. If you are granting a new tenancy on or after 1 May 2026, you need a periodic Assured Tenancy agreement that reflects the current law.

Frequently asked questions

Is the BPF tenancy agreement still valid after 1 May 2026?

An existing BPF AST signed before 1 May 2026 auto-converts to a periodic assured tenancy on that date by operation of law. The document remains evidence of the agreed terms (rent, deposit, obligations) but its fixed-term and Section 21 clauses are no longer operative. For new tenancies granted on or after 1 May 2026, the BPF AST template is not suitable because it creates a tenancy type (fixed-term AST) that no longer exists in law.

Can I just cross out Section 21 and use a free template?

Technically you can amend any template, but crossing out clauses creates ambiguity — particularly if the matter reaches court. The issue is not just Section 21: free templates also lack pet-request provisions, Awaab's Law references, the Information Sheet cross-reference, and the Section 13-only rent review mechanism. A compliant post-RRA agreement needs structural changes, not redactions.

Does LetSafe update its templates when the law changes?

Yes. Every LetSafe template carries a 'Reviewed [date] against [named regulation]' footer. When commencement regulations are laid or secondary legislation is published, we update affected templates and notify previous buyers by email. The PAT Agreement will be updated when the Decent Homes Standard PRS regulations, PRS Ombudsman rules, and Private Landlord Database requirements are finalised.

Can I use the LetSafe PAT Agreement for an HMO?

The standard PAT Agreement is designed for whole-property lettings. For HMOs (room-by-room lettings with shared facilities), use the HMO Per-Room Tenancy Agreement (LS-E-002, £29), which includes communal-area obligations, room-specific schedules, and HMO licensing cross-references.

What if I already bought a free template from a landlord forum?

A template you downloaded before 1 May 2026 is fine for tenancies already in force — those auto-convert regardless of the document. But if you are granting a new tenancy after 1 May 2026, check whether the template creates a periodic assured tenancy (not an AST), omits Section 21, and includes pet-request and Awaab's Law provisions. If it doesn't, it needs replacing.

Is there a free LetSafe template I can try?

We don't offer a free full agreement, but our Section 8 Ground Picker and AST to APT Wizard are free interactive tools that require no account. They give you a feel for our approach — plain English, step-by-step, jurisdiction-specific.