A private tenancy agreement in the UK is not one document but four. England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland each have distinct housing Acts, distinct tenancy types, distinct notice regimes, and distinct rent-increase rules. A template drafted for one jurisdiction will be legally incorrect in another — and in many cases the regulator will require you to issue the jurisdiction's prescribed form of tenancy within a set window.
LetSafe UK publishes a dedicated tenancy agreement template for each of the four UK regimes. Each is reviewed against the named Act and the current commencement status. One-off purchase from £29 — DOCX to edit, PDF to issue, account to re-download if the regulation updates.
England — Periodic Assured Tenancy Agreement
From 1 May 2026, every new and existing residential tenancy in England is a <strong>periodic assured tenancy</strong> under the Housing Act 1988 as amended by the Renters' Rights Act 2025. Fixed-term ASTs are abolished. Tenants can end the tenancy on two months' notice. Landlords can only end the tenancy using a statutory Section 8 ground.
The prescribed written statement of terms must be issued to every tenant within a statutory window. The LetSafe Periodic Assured Tenancy Agreement (LS-E-001) builds it in: prescribed terms, pet-request clause with the new reasonableness test, Section 13 rent-review clause, deposit protection acknowledgement block.
Wales — Standard Occupation Contract
Wales moved ahead of the rest of the UK with the <strong>Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016</strong>, which came into force in December 2022. The 'tenant' became the 'contract-holder'. The 'tenancy agreement' became the 'occupation contract'. The default contract is a 'standard contract' with prescribed fundamental and supplementary terms.
A landlord has six months from the contract start date to issue a written statement of the contract to the contract-holder, or face penalties. The LetSafe Welsh Standard Occupation Contract (LS-W-001) uses the exact terminology the Act requires and embeds the fundamental terms in the order Welsh Government publishes.
Scotland — Private Residential Tenancy (PRT)
Scotland's <strong>Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Act 2016</strong> introduced the Private Residential Tenancy (PRT) as the default tenancy for new lets from December 2017. There is no fixed term. Either party can end the tenancy with prescribed notice. Rent increases follow the statutory notice-to-increase-rent procedure — and a tenant can refer a proposed increase to a Rent Officer for determination.
The Scottish Government publishes a model PRT agreement. The LetSafe Scottish PRT Agreement (LS-S-001) uses that model as its spine, adds plain-English landlord guidance, and includes the Easy Read summary the regulations require.
Northern Ireland — Private Tenancy Agreement
The <strong>Private Tenancies Act (Northern Ireland) 2022</strong> rewrote the rules for private renting in NI. Every landlord must provide a written tenancy agreement, a rent receipt for every payment, and a notice-of-tenancy-terms to the Department for Communities.
The LetSafe NI Private Tenancy Agreement (LS-N-001) includes the statutory notice-of-tenancy-terms template alongside the agreement — so both documents are produced in one workflow.
Which one do I need?
Pick by where the property is physically located, not where the landlord lives.
- Property in England → Periodic Assured Tenancy Agreement (LS-E-001)
- Property in Wales → Standard Occupation Contract (LS-W-001)
- Property in Scotland → Private Residential Tenancy Agreement (LS-S-001)
- Property in Northern Ireland → NI Private Tenancy Agreement (LS-N-001)
- Letting a room in your own home → Lodger Agreement (Excluded Occupier)
- HMO per-room letting → HMO Per-Room Tenancy Agreement (LS-E-002)
What sets a LetSafe tenancy template apart
Every template carries a 'Reviewed [date] against [commencement regulations]' footer. We track the commencement status of each regime on our Regulation Currency page. If the regulation moves, we update the template and push the new PDF to existing customers' accounts.
Every template is available as a bundle — a Starter Pack per nation for a new landlord, a Portfolio Bundle for multi-property operators, or the Four Nations Landlord Bundle for landlords with property across the UK.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use one tenancy agreement for properties in different UK nations?+
No. Each of the four UK nations has its own residential tenancy regime with its own terminology, prescribed content and notice rules. Using an English AST in Wales or an English periodic assured tenancy in Scotland would breach the local Act. Buy the template that matches the property's jurisdiction.
Is a written tenancy agreement legally required?+
Yes in every UK nation, though the exact rules differ. England requires a written statement of terms within a prescribed window. Wales requires a written statement of contract within six months. Scotland requires a written tenancy agreement from the start. Northern Ireland requires a written agreement plus notice of tenancy terms to the Department for Communities.
How long can a tenancy agreement be for?+
Under the Renters' Rights Act 2025, English tenancies are periodic from day one — no fixed term. In Wales, standard occupation contracts can be periodic or fixed term. Scotland's PRT is open-ended. Northern Ireland allows fixed term or periodic, subject to the Private Tenancies Act 2022.
Do I still need to protect the deposit separately?+
Yes. Every UK nation requires deposits taken under a residential tenancy to be protected in an approved scheme (MyDeposits, DPS or TDS in England/Wales; SafeDeposits Scotland, Letting Protection Service Scotland, or MyDeposits Scotland in Scotland; Tenancy Deposit Scheme NI in Northern Ireland). The tenancy agreement should reference deposit protection but is not a substitute for it.
What if I've been using an old AST template after 1 May 2026?+
In England, existing ASTs convert to periodic assured tenancies by operation of law on the implementation day. You must issue a new written statement of terms within the prescribed window. Continuing to rely on an old AST template for new lets after 1 May 2026 would breach the Housing Act 1988 as amended.