Protecting landlords and tenants with clear, compliant, and watertight rental contracts across England & Wales.
At Knights & Shah Solicitors, we specialise in drafting, reviewing, and advising on rental and tenancy agreements for clients throughout England & Wales.
A well-drafted rental agreement is the foundation of a successful tenancy. It ensures clarity, prevents costly disputes, and protects both landlord and tenant rights from day one.
A rental agreement is a contract setting out the terms on which a residential property is occupied. The legal status of the arrangement depends on its substance and circumstances rather than simply the title given to the document.
A professionally drafted agreement may address:
For most private assured tenancies in England, the current regime is an assured periodic tenancy. Different rules may apply to tenancies and occupation arrangements falling outside the assured tenancy regime.
The legal framework governing private residential tenancies in England changed significantly on 1 May 2026.
New assured tenancies now operate as assured periodic tenancies. They run on a rolling basis, such as monthly, rather than having an effective fixed contractual end date. Existing assured shorthold tenancies also generally became assured periodic tenancies when the new regime took effect.
This makes it particularly important that landlords do not continue relying on outdated AST or fixed-term agreement templates. Older provisions dealing with tenancy duration, rent increases, notices and possession may no longer operate as originally intended.
Knights & Shah Solicitors can review existing agreements and prepare new agreements that reflect the current legal framework.
A carefully drafted rental agreement can:
The terms of an agreement cannot override statutory rights and obligations. Professional drafting can therefore help ensure that contractual provisions operate alongside the current legal framework.
For assured tenancies created on or after 1 May 2026, landlords must provide prescribed written information about the key terms of the tenancy before the tenancy agreement is signed or otherwise agreed.
The required information can be incorporated into a written tenancy agreement or provided separately. Failure to comply with the statutory requirements can result in a financial penalty of up to £7,000.
Knights & Shah Solicitors can advise landlords on the applicable requirements and prepare agreements incorporating the relevant tenancy information where appropriate.
When reviewing a proposed or existing rental agreement, we can consider provisions relating to:
We can explain the legal effect of the relevant provisions and advise whether amendments should be considered before an agreement is entered into.
We advise landlords and tenants on the drafting, review and legal effect of residential rental agreements.
For Landlords
For Tenants
Our aim is simple: to make sure your agreement is fair, compliant, and future-proof.
Agreements prepared before 1 May 2026 may contain provisions drafted around the former assured shorthold tenancy and fixed-term framework.
The legislation does not generally require an existing written agreement simply to be replaced because of the reforms. However, statutory changes can affect how existing contractual provisions operate.
We can review an older agreement to identify provisions affected by the current regime and advise landlords and tenants on their present legal effect.
A landlord approached us after using a generic rental template found online. The agreement failed to meet deposit protection rules and did not specify how notice could be served.
We redrafted the contract to comply with all legal requirements, added fair break clauses, and future-proofed the agreement for the Renters Reform Bill, protecting the landlord’s rights and avoiding potential £1,000s in fines and disputes.
Generic templates cannot take account of every property, landlord, tenant or proposed term. They may also contain provisions based on legislation or tenancy structures that have since changed.
A solicitor-drafted agreement can be tailored to the particular circumstances, identify provisions that may be ineffective or inappropriate and ensure that the document works alongside the landlord’s current statutory obligations.
Our focus is not simply on producing a document, but on ensuring that the agreement provides a clear and legally effective framework for the tenancy.
If you require advice contact Knights & Shah Solicitors.
We provide clear, solicitor led advice, strategic case planning and robust court representation to protect our clients.
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