How to Review a Tenancy Agreement: A Clause-by-Clause Checklist

What should you check first in a tenancy agreement? Before the clause-by-clause read, confirm the basics are correct, because an error here can make the whole document hard to enforce: - The full legal names of the landlord and every tenant, spelled exactly as on their ID.

• The complete address of the property, including flat or unit number.
• The rent amount, the due date, and how it is paid.
• The start date and the length of the term.
• The deposit amount and where it is held. If any of these is blank, vague or wrong, fix it before you read anything else. A tenancy agreement is a binding contract once signed, so treat every line as something you may have to live with for the full term. ## The clause-by-clause checklist Go through the agreement in this order. For each clause, the question is simple: do I understand it, is it fair, and can I live with it? ### Parties and property - Are all occupying adults named as tenants? If someone lives there but is not named, their rights and duties are unclear.
• Is the property described fully, including any parking space, garden or storage that you were promised?
• Does it say whether the tenancy is joint (everyone is responsible for the whole rent) or individual? With a joint tenancy, if one person stops paying, the others cover it. ### Term and renewal - Is the start and end date clear?
• Is it a fixed term (for example 11 months or 12 months) or periodic (rolling month to month)?
• What happens at the end? Does it renew automatically, convert to month to month, or end? Watch for an automatic renewal that locks you in unless you give notice far in advance. ### Rent and increases - Is the rent figure, the due date and the payment method stated?
• Can the landlord increase rent during the term? If yes, by how much, how often, and with how much notice? An open-ended right to raise rent "at the landlord's discretion" is a red flag.
• Is there a late fee? Is it a fixed amount or a percentage, and is it reasonable? ### Deposit - How much is the deposit, and what is it for?
• Where is it held? In some jurisdictions (for example England and Wales) a deposit on an assured shorthold tenancy must be protected in a government-approved scheme, and this varies by jurisdiction.
• What are the exact conditions for getting it back, and when must it be returned after you move out?
• Is there a clear, fair line between normal wear and tear (not your cost) and damage (your cost)? ### Repairs and maintenance - Who fixes what? Usually the landlord handles the structure and major systems and the tenant handles minor upkeep, but read the split carefully.
• Is there a timeline for the landlord to respond to urgent repairs?
• Are you being asked to take on repairs that should sit with the landlord? That is a common unfair term. ### Use, guests and subletting - Can you have guests, and for how long before a guest counts as an occupant?
• Is subletting allowed, banned, or allowed only with written consent?
• Are there restrictions on pets, smoking, or running a business from home? ### Entry and privacy - How much notice must the landlord give before entering? A fair clause requires reasonable notice (often 24 to 48 hours) except in a genuine emergency.
• A clause letting the landlord enter "at any time" without notice is a red flag. ### Termination and notice - How much notice must each side give to end the tenancy?
• Is there a break clause that lets you leave early, and on what terms?
• What are the penalties for leaving before the term ends?
• Are the grounds on which the landlord can end the tenancy lawful and clearly stated? ### Costs and extras - Who pays for utilities, internet, property tax, maintenance charges and society dues?
• Are there any one-time fees (cleaning, administration, key deposit)? Are they reasonable and refundable where they should be? ### Signatures and formalities - Is there space for all parties to sign and date?
• Does your jurisdiction require the agreement to be registered, notarised or stamped? In India, for example, agreements above a certain term or value attract stamp duty and may need registration, and this varies by state. ## Red flags to stop on Pause and ask for a change if you see any of these: | Red flag | Why it matters | |---|---| | Blank amounts or dates | Lets the other side fill them in later | | "At landlord's sole discretion" on rent or rules | Removes any limit on what can be changed | | Entry with no notice | Takes away your privacy | | Tenant pays for all repairs, including structural | Shifts the landlord's duty onto you | | Deposit with no return conditions or deadline | Makes it easy to withhold your money | | Automatic renewal with a long notice window | Locks you in if you forget to give notice | | One-sided penalties (only the tenant is penalised) | A fair contract binds both sides | ## How to raise changes You are allowed to negotiate. Put requested changes in writing, be specific ("please change the entry notice from zero to 24 hours"), and keep a copy of what was agreed. If a clause is changed, make sure the final signed version reflects it, not just the email. Never sign a version with blanks on the promise that they will be filled in "the same as we discussed." ## Where a contract workspace helps Everything above you can do by hand: read the clauses one by one, flag the risky ones, note the dates that matter, keep the signed copy somewhere you can find it later. It works. It also takes time, and the details are easy to lose once the agreement is signed and filed away. The same work can live in one place. A modern AI contract workspace lets you draft from a template that already fits how you deal, see each clause marked favourable, neutral or unfavourable to you, edit a clause in plain English, keep a live history of every change, and get an alert before a renewal or deadline arrives, instead of tracking it in your head or a spreadsheet. That is the idea behind Adira: draft, understand, edit, track and govern every contract in one workspace, tuned to how your company contracts and built on frontier AI. You do not need software to use the checklist on this page. But if you handle more than a handful of agreements, the value of having the drafting, the review and the dates in a single system, rather than scattered across email, folders and memory, adds up quickly. This page is general information, not legal advice. Rules differ by country and by state, and your situation may need a qualified lawyer.