Legislate is a convenient way for creating lawyer-approved bedsit tenancy agreements on no legal budget.
An assured shorthold tenancy agreement (also known as an AST) allows a landlord to let a property to a tenant. The term of an assured shorthold tenancy agreement is usually 6 or 12 months and will usually convert to a rolling periodic tenancy at the end of the initial term.
A bedsit is a form of accommodation made up of a single unit in a property with shared facilities. A bedsit can be part of a HMO if the property has 3 or more tenants who make up more than one household. The landlord will have additional responsibilities including making sure the rooms are a certain size if the property is classed as a HMO. In this case, depending on where the property is located the landlord might need a licence from the local council.
A 6 month term for a tenancy agreement gives the option to the tenant to end the tenancy and leave after 6 months. A 6 month tenancy is suited to young professionals who will work in a location for a short period of time, for example in the context of an internship.
A bedsit in a property which is not classed as a HMO might require a lodger licence agreement if the landlord is living in the same property and it is their main home. In this case, the occupier of the bedsit will classified as a lodger and will not have exclusive possession of their bedsit. The notice requirements will also be different.
Under a 6 month bedsit assured shorthold tenancy, the landlord and tenant will have obligations, liabilities and consents which need to be clearly spelled out in the contract. For example, a landlord is responsible for keeping the property and its installations in repair whereas the tenant will be responsible for repairing damages caused by them. The other key terms of a tenancy agreement are details about the property and common parts, how the tenancy can be terminated within or after the initial term, as well as the rent, payment frequency and payment dates.