Free tenancy agreements are on offer to landlords – looking to save money from the British Property Federation (BPF) web site.
Hidden away on another web site are a free tenancy agreement and a code of conduct for landlords and tenants.
Solicitors and letting agents can charge hundreds of pounds for providing watertight assured shorthold tenancy agreements but the BPF offers them for nothing.
The BPF’s own expensive solicitors keep the agreements up to date.
What’s even better is landlords do not have to join the BPF to access the free tenancy agreement tools – just go to the web site
Personalised documents
The online tool builds assured shorthold tenancy agreements, including provisions to cover the three approved deposit protection schemes, company lets and non-Housing Act agreements.
To log on, landlords need only supply a name and email address.
The system stores preferences, lets landlords personalise agreements with logos and produces the documents as downloadable Acrobat Reader (pdf) files.
Landlords can download a sample free tenancy agreement for free.
The BPF Residential Code of Conduct lays out how landlords and letting agents will manage tenancies and deal with complaints.
The document clearly spells out the responsibilities of all the parties to the tenancy – and is a binding agreement when signed and dated.
Code of conduct
The code discusses service standards, complaints and repairs to homes.
“This residential code of conduct is designed to formalise what we believe is best practice in relationships between landlords or agents and their residential tenants. It can be used by members of the British Property Federation, but is not a requirement,” says the BPF.
“Landlords and agents who sign up to the code agree to abide by its provisions and commit to the actions set out in the status of the code section.”
The BPF recommends the free tenancy agreement and code of conduct are used together.