Reviewed by Bradley Askew, Solicitor (non-practising), England & Wales · SRA 300076
If you let rooms separately in a house or flat in England, and you do not live there as your main home, each occupier needs their own written assured periodic tenancy for that room and the shared areas. A joint whole-house agreement is the wrong tool if you want to replace one person without ending the others. A lodger agreement is the wrong tool if you do not live in the property.
There is no free official “room-only tenancy form” on GOV.UK. A paid single-room template is one way to put the letting in writing. It is not the only valid form, and it is not a substitute for the duties that sit outside the agreement.
This is legal information for England, not legal advice. Tenancy Agreement Service is not a law firm and does not give advice on your specific situation. For that, consult a practising solicitor.
What a room-only agreement is now
A room-only tenancy in England is an assured periodic tenancy (APT) granted to one occupier. It gives that person exclusive possession of their own room and a right to use named shared parts — usually the kitchen, bathroom, and any living room or hallway.
It is not a joint tenancy of the whole house, not a lodger licence, and not an assured shorthold tenancy (AST).
New room-only lets in England from 1 May 2026 are assured periodic tenancies: one agreement per occupier for their room and the shared areas. You cannot create a new AST. Existing ASTs converted to APTs on 1 May 2026.
The tenancy runs period to period — usually monthly — with no fixed end date. Putting an end date in the document does not make it a fixed-term tenancy.
Room-only, joint whole-house, or lodger?
Use a room-only APT when the property is in England, you do not live there as your main home, each occupier has exclusive possession of one room, they share kitchen or bathroom, and you want to grant, end, or replace one occupier’s agreement without ending the others.
Use a joint whole-house APT when one household will all sign the same agreement and share liability for the whole rent. That is the parent document, not this one: Assured tenancy agreement template.
This is the wrong document if you live in the property as your main home. That occupier is usually an excluded occupier / lodger, not an assured periodic tenant. Use the lodger agreement instead.
The point of one agreement per occupier: when one person leaves, their APT ends and you grant a new APT to the incoming occupier. The others keep their agreements. You still do the incoming person’s right-to-rent check, deposit protection (if taken), and written statement of terms.
What changed on 1 May 2026 (history, once)
Until 1 May 2026, most private room lets in England were assured shorthold tenancies. The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 abolished ASTs for new private residential lets in England from that date. Existing ASTs converted to assured periodic tenancies on 1 May 2026.
Section 21 is abolished for new notices from 1 May 2026.
The How to rent guide was withdrawn on 1 May 2026. It is not a current duty for new room-only lets.
The Information Sheet duty deadline was 31 May 2026. That sheet was for existing written tenancies that were already in place before 1 May 2026. New tenancies get a written statement of terms, not the Information Sheet.
What you give a new occupier now
Before you and a new occupier sign, or otherwise agree, a room-only tenancy in England on or after 1 May 2026, you must give them the prescribed written information about the key terms. You may include that information in the written tenancy agreement, or give it separately.
The content is set by The Assured Tenancies (Private Rented Sector) (Written Statement of Terms etc and Information Sheet) (England) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/324): parties, a service address in England and Wales, the property, when possession starts, rent and due date, bills payable to you, any deposit, how rent can increase, how the tenancy can end, and the fitness, repair, electrical, gas and pet-request statements the Schedule requires.
If you do not give the required written information, the occupier can complain to the local council and you could be fined up to £7,000.
There is still no official GOV.UK “room-only tenancy agreement” template. Form 3A (section 8 notice) and Form 4A (section 13 rent increase) are free prescribed forms on GOV.UK. They are notices, not tenancy agreements: Assured tenancy forms.
When the property is an HMO — and when a licence is likely
A property let as rooms to people who do not form a single household can be a house in multiple occupation (HMO).
GOV.UK treats a property rented to at least three people who are not from one household and who share a bathroom or kitchen as an HMO. Housing Act 2004, section 254, is the statutory test.
Mandatory licensing typically applies where 5 or more people in 2 or more households share facilities (Housing Act 2004). Additional and selective licensing is council-specific — check the council for the property; do not assume a national list.
Below that threshold the property can still be an HMO. Management and fire-safety duties can apply whether or not a licence is required. See the HMO guide. Do not rebuild that page from this job.
What each agreement should cover
GOV.UK will not draft the room-share mechanics. For each occupier, make these points unambiguous:
- The room — number, floor, or plan. Exclusive possession of that room is what makes this a tenancy of the room, not a licence.
- The shared areas — kitchen, bathrooms, living room, hall, garden; and any parts they may not use.
- Inventory of the room and the shared areas — exclusive room plus shared kit (cooker, fridge, sofas, carpets, fire doors). One inventory per occupier, on their move-in date.
- Rent and bills — this occupier’s rent; what is included; how shared bills split.
- Access — when you may enter the exclusive room.
Replace one occupier by ending their APT and granting a new one. Do not add a name to another occupier’s agreement unless you intend a joint tenancy.
Duties that still apply — per occupier
- Deposit. If you take a deposit from that occupier on an assured tenancy, protect it in a government-authorised scheme and give the prescribed information within 30 days of receiving it (Housing Act 2004, section 213, as amended). Deposit protection schemes.
- EPC. Have an Energy Performance Certificate before you market the property to rent, and show it to a person who is renting. Energy Performance Certificates.
- Gas safety. If you provide gas appliances or flues, a Gas Safe engineer must do the annual check. Give a copy to each new occupier before they move in, and to existing occupiers within 28 days of each check. HSE: gas safety — landlords.
- EICR. Inspect and test electrical installations at least every five years; give the report to a new occupier before they occupy. Electrical safety standards.
- Right to rent. Check every occupier aged 18 or over in England before the tenancy starts, even if they are not named on an agreement. Checking your tenant’s right to rent.
If the property is an HMO, add the extra layer: licence if required, HMO management duties, and fire safety for shared parts. Those sit on the property, not only on one agreement.
An occupier with an APT in England may request consent to keep a pet. Consent is not to be unreasonably refused. You must respond in writing within 28 days. Silence is not deemed consent. The occupier can complain. The 28 days can move if you ask for further information (then the rest of the 28 days or an extra 7 days, whichever is later) or if a superior landlord is involved. GOV.UK landlord pet guidance. This is not a pets page.
Ending a room-only APT, and increasing the rent
Section 21 is abolished for new notices from 1 May 2026. Do not serve a section 21 / Form 6A on a new private room-only APT in England.
To seek possession you use section 8 on a statutory ground, using Form 3A (or a form substantially to the same effect). Form 3A is free: Assured tenancy forms. This page is not an eviction guide.
To propose a rent increase use Form 4A (section 13): at least two months’ notice, not more than once a year. Also free on that forms page.
A tenant can end an APT by giving at least two months’ written notice. That is the default. A shorter period applies only if the landlord agreed it in writing. The notice takes effect on the rent-due day or the day before. That notice ends their agreement. It does not end the others.
Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
This page is about England. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have different residential-letting regimes. Do not use an England APT room-only template for a let outside England.
Need a single-room template?
A paid single-room assured periodic tenancy template is one way to put the room, the shared areas, the deposit, and the written statement of terms in one document. It is not the only valid form. It does not make an HMO licence unnecessary. It is not legal advice on your facts.
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If you live in the property, do not buy this document. Use the lodger agreement. If one household is renting the whole house together, use the whole-property APT.
Common questions
Is a room-only let in England still an AST?
No. New room-only lets in England from 1 May 2026 are assured periodic tenancies. Existing ASTs converted to APTs on 1 May 2026.
Do I still give How to Rent or the Information Sheet to a new housemate?
No. How to rent was withdrawn on 1 May 2026. The Information Sheet duty deadline was 31 May 2026, for existing written tenancies. A new occupier gets the written statement of terms, not those documents.
Can I use one agreement for the whole house and swap a name?
Only if you intend a joint tenancy. To replace one occupier without ending the others, grant a separate room-only APT to each person.
Is there an official GOV.UK room-only tenancy form?
No. Form 3A and Form 4A are free official notices for possession and rent increases; they are not a tenancy agreement.
Does letting rooms always need an HMO licence?
Not always. A property let as rooms to people who do not form a single household can be an HMO. Mandatory licensing typically applies where 5 or more people in 2 or more households share facilities. Additional and selective licensing is council-specific. See the HMO guide.
I live in the house. Is this the right document?
No. If the property is your main home, this is the wrong document. Use the lodger agreement.
Official sources
- Assured periodic tenancies: a guide for landlords — GOV.UK, applies to England
- Renters’ Rights Act: an overview for landlords — GOV.UK, published 1 May 2026, applies to England
- Tenancy agreements: written information for your tenant — GOV.UK, published 1 May 2026
- The Assured Tenancies (Private Rented Sector) (Written Statement of Terms etc and Information Sheet) (England) Regulations 2026, SI 2026/324
- The Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 — existing written tenancies; deadline was 31 May 2026
- How to rent (withdrawn 1 May 2026)
- Assured tenancy forms (Form 3A, Form 4A)
- Houses in multiple occupation (HMOs): licence
- Housing Act 2004, section 254 — meaning of HMO
- Deposit protection schemes and landlords
- Housing Act 2004, section 213 — deposit protection (as amended)
- Checking your tenant’s right to rent
- Energy Performance Certificates
- HSE: gas safety — landlords
- Electrical safety standards in the private and social rented sectors
- If a tenant wants a pet to live with them
- HMO guide on this site — do not rebuild that page from this job
Reviewed by Bradley Askew, Solicitor (non-practising), England & Wales · SRA 300076
Tenancy Agreement Service is not a law firm and does not give advice on your specific situation. For that, consult a practising solicitor. This is legal information, not legal advice. Reading it does not create a solicitor–client relationship. Tenancy Agreement Service is not regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.