Tenancy Agreement Review Checklist for England Renters

You were emailed a “standard AST” the night before a viewing follow-up and told to sign by tomorrow or lose the flat. Run a tenancy agreement review checklist uk on the frozen PDF: match names, address, rent, and bills; check the deposit cap and scheme; refuse banned fees; demand written key terms before you sign. Skimming rent and the move-in date is how a prohibited payment and leftover section 21 wording become your problem.

In August 2026, Sam starts a new job in Manchester. Ninety minutes after a Saturday viewing, the agent sends a 2019 AST template and wants a holding deposit, first month, six weeks’ deposit, and a £200 admin fee today. The paper bans pets and still mentions section 21. Typical mistake: asking only for the How to Rent guide. GOV.UK withdrew it on 1 May 2026.

Disclaimer: Checkory provides AI support, not legal advice. Consult a qualified lawyer for binding decisions.

What belongs on the identity block before you sign?

Before you sign, the paper must name every tenant, the landlord, a landlord or agent service address, the full property address, the start date, the rent, the due date, how you pay, and which bills are included. Shelter England says you need that written block so you can decide. A title that still says AST is not the deal.

In practice a leftover 2019 template still prints a 12-month end date. GOV.UK (England, 1 May 2026): a new private tenancy is an assured periodic tenancy — rolling, with no end date. The landlord cannot ask for rent before you have signed. After signature the usual cap is one month in advance.

• Do: freeze the PDF you will sign. Confirm the property is in England.
• Do not: treat “standard AST” or a printed end date as your only exit.

How do you check the deposit cap, scheme, and prescribed information?

The tenancy deposit cap UK rule is a week-count. Before signature the agent may ask for a holding deposit of up to one week’s rent plus a tenancy deposit. GOV.UK caps the tenancy deposit at five weeks’ rent if yearly rent is under £50,000, and at six weeks if yearly rent is £50,000 or more.

For example, “first plus last plus deposit” or an eight-week pot is the Saturday-night trap. Name the scheme: DPS, MyDeposits, or Tenancy Deposit Scheme. Protect within 30 days. Prescribed information — amount, address, scheme contacts — is due in those same 30 days. You should get a chance to check and sign it. Missing PI can mean a penalty of one to three times the deposit.

• Do: calculate five versus six weeks and diary the 30-day PI clock.
• Do not: pay an eight-week deposit or accept a receipt with no scheme name.

Which notice, break, and banned-fee lines should you refuse?

After 1 May 2026 you can end an England assured periodic tenancy by giving two months’ notice in writing on the rent-due day or the day before. The landlord needs a ground. Section 21 is gone even if the agreement still says it.

Unfair tenancy clauses often hide in the money stack. GOV.UK Tenant Fees Act guidance (7 July 2026) permits rent after signature, a tenancy deposit, a holding deposit, utilities, and a replacement key. Admin, referencing, inventory, and “renewal” fees are prohibited. Refuse, keep the email, then Shelter or the council.

• Do: treat leftover section 21 as High-to-note, not the landlord’s eject button. Refuse banned fees in writing.
• Do not: pay a £200 admin fee “to secure the flat.”

What should inventory, pets, entry, and repairs actually say?

Photograph the inventory before you take keys. A blanket no-pets line is not the last word. GOV.UK pet guidance says ask in writing. The landlord cannot refuse without a fair reason and has 28 days to reply. “I don’t like pets” is usually unreasonable.

On access, GOV.UK requires at least 24 hours’ notice to inspect or repair, except in an emergency. Structure, sanitary fittings, heat, and hot water stay with the landlord.

• Do: keep dated inventory photos. Send a written pet request if you need one. Redline anytime-entry wording.
• Do not: treat a blanket pet ban as automatic walk, or refuse a genuine gas check.

Which papers must you have before you commit or move in?

For a new England tenancy on or after 1 May 2026, written information about key terms must be given before you sign. Missing it: complain to the council; fine up to £7,000. GOV.UK written-information guidance is the live duty. Asking only for How to Rent is the wrong 2026 test.

GOV.UK withdrew the How to Rent guide on 1 May 2026. Existing written tenancies signed before 1 May needed the Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 by 31 May 2026. Before start, ask for the latest gas safety certificate, an EPC, and scheme information. Do not sign a blank or verbal-only new let.

• Do: demand written key terms before you commit. Ask for gas, EPC, and scheme papers before keys.
• Do not: treat a withdrawn How to Rent PDF as the 2026 statutory pack.

When do you walk away or get Shelter advice?

Walk, or send High items to counsel — a qualified lawyer — when a High flag sits on pre-sign rent, a deposit over the cap, a forced prohibited fee, no written terms, or a sham lodger contract. Shelter or the council are the first call for money threats.

Run this workflow: freeze version → identity block → APT form → money stack → deposit ops → rights versus paper → pack → sign / redline / walk. Success bar: mark each core block pass or fail, produce a one-page log (clause → severity → action), then sign a clean assured periodic tenancy, send 3–5 focused questions, or stop before you pay more than a lawful holding deposit. Optional first-pass — the first machine extraction that highlights clauses — can mark rows.

• Do: send Shelter or counsel the High list and the frozen file.
• Do not: escalate a clean APT with a five-week deposit and written key terms just from nerves.

Treat the leftover AST as the wrong packet: prepare a contract packet for first-pass.