Rental agreement example: clauses, dates, what to keep

Rental agreement, explained: the clauses you will search for later

Updated September 6, 2026

You read the lease once, on the day you signed it, and then you needed it three times: when the boiler broke, when you gave notice, and when the deposit came back short. Here is what to find in it now, and what to keep beside it.

Fictional residential tenancy agreement first page showing property, parties, term, rent, deposit protection reference, notice period and key clauses

Fictional sample — every name, number and amount is invented.

The sample is the first page of a fictional twelve-month tenancy agreement. Real ones run to a dozen pages or more, and almost all of that is boilerplate you will never read again. About five clauses and four dates do the work, and they are the ones to find, mark and save the day you sign.

The lines on page one

Line	On the sample	Why you will look for it
Property and parties	Flat 3, 8 Elm Court; Harbor Lettings; two tenants	Proves who agreed what; address history
Term	01 Nov 2025 to 31 Oct 2026	The end date everything is measured from
Rent and due date	1,250 on the 1st	Disputes about late payment start here
Deposit and protection reference	1,250, scheme ref SD-7781-02	The number you need to get it back or dispute deductions
Notice period	2 months in writing	Sets the real deadline: end of term minus two months
Break clause	None	Whether you can leave early at all

The clauses you will search for later

Real agreements bury these in numbered sections. Find them now and note the clause numbers on your copy:

Condition and inventory. "Return the property in the condition recorded in the inventory, fair wear and tear excepted." This is the clause every deposit deduction is argued under, and the inventory plus your check-in photos are the only evidence. The deposit receipt example covers the other half of that argument.
Repairs. Who fixes what, and how to report it. Most agreements make the landlord responsible for structure, heating, water and appliances they supplied, and require repairs to be reported in writing. Keep the emails.
Deposit return. How many days after agreed deductions the money must come back, and through which scheme.
Renewal or rollover. What happens at the end of the term if nobody acts: usually the tenancy continues month to month under the same terms.
Notice. How notice must be given (in writing, to which address) and how far in advance.

The dates to take out of it

Three, and only one is printed: the end of the fixed term. The other two you work out. The notice deadline is the end of term minus the notice period; on the sample, 31 August 2026 for a tenancy ending 31 October. Miss it and the tenancy rolls over, which may be what you want, but it should be a choice. The deposit deadline is the number of days after check-out by which the money must be returned. Put the first in your calendar the day you sign; the document expiry tracker treats a lease as a contract with a 60-day lead time for exactly this reason.

What to save alongside it

The signed copy, with everyone's signatures and dates. Drafts and unsigned PDFs prove nothing.
The inventory and schedule of condition, and your own check-in photos with visible dates.
The deposit protection certificate or the account details where the deposit is held.
Safety certificates the landlord must provide: gas, electrical, energy performance, depending on the country.
Every written repair request and the landlord's replies.

The renting an apartment scenario lists the wider paperwork of a tenancy from application to move-out, and moving house picks up where this page ends.

The questions this agreement will answer

When does the lease end, and by when must I give notice?
How much is the deposit, and where is it protected?
Who is responsible for the boiler?
What did the flat look like when we moved in?

The manual way: photograph or save the signed agreement, the inventory and the check-in photos in one folder named by address and year, and put the notice deadline in your calendar. The Paperlock way: photograph the agreement's pages and the inventory into the vault; Paperlock reads the term and the amounts, files everything for that address together, and lets you ask "what is the notice period on the flat?" from the sofa, with the clause on screen.

Checklist

Keep the signed version, not the draft — check for signatures and dates on the last page
Note the end of the fixed term and the notice period; put the notice deadline in your calendar
Find the deposit clause and the scheme or account reference
Find the repairs clause: who fixes what, and how to report
Save the inventory and check-in photos with the agreement; they decide the deposit

Common questions

Which parts of a lease matter most after you sign?

The end date and notice period, the rent amount and due date, the deposit clause and where the deposit is held, the repairs clause, and any clause on returning the property in its original condition. Those five decide almost every dispute.

What is the difference between the fixed term and the notice period?

The fixed term is how long you have committed to (12 months on the sample). The notice period is how far in advance either side must tell the other they want to end the tenancy after that (two months here). The date that matters is the end of term minus the notice period — that is when you must act.

Why keep the inventory with the agreement?

Because the agreement says you must return the property in the condition recorded in the inventory, and the inventory plus your check-in photos are the only evidence of what that condition was. Deposit deductions are argued on those documents, not on memory.

Should I keep the lease after I move out?

Yes, at least until the deposit is returned and any dispute is closed, and in practice for several years: it proves your address history for banks, immigration and references, and it records what you agreed if a landlord later claims otherwise.