Tenancy and lodger agreements

The Renters' Rights Act

Important note: The Renters' Rights Act became law in England on 27 October 2025. However, at the time of writing, it is not yet in force and the implementation date is unknown.

The information in this guide reflects the current legal position. We will update it with any changes arising from the new law as the timescales become known.

In the meantime, see our article on the Renters' Rights Act for a summary of the pending changes.

What is a tenancy agreement?

A tenancy agreement is a contract between one or more individuals ('tenants') who pay an agreed sum to exclusively occupy property belonging to other individuals or businesses (the 'landlord'). It gives the tenants the right to occupy the property for a period of time, and the landlord the right to receive the rent among other rights and obligations of both landlord and tenants. For example, since the tenancy agreement also gives the tenants the right to 'exclusively occupy', they have the right to control who can come into the property.

The difference between a tenancy and some other form of agreement isn't always straightforward. Even if the agreement isn't called a tenancy agreement it may, in fact, be one – for example, a tenancy will exist if a tenant has the exclusive use of one room (such as a bedroom), but shares all the other accommodation.

Types of tenancy agreement

The type of tenancy you can set up will depend on where the property is located.

This section covers the types of tenancy you can set up depending on whether the property is located in England, Scotland, or Northern Ireland.

Note however that this guide only covers tenancies with a private landlord and not social or public tenancies.