Tenancies
Set Up a Tenancy With Every Legal Box Ticked
Most tenancy problems are baked in on day one — a deposit protected late, a certificate never handed over, a Right to Rent check that never happened. RentFig’s Tenancy Setup Wizard walks the whole setup in one sitting, eight steps, ending with a single email to your tenant containing everything they must legally receive. This guide walks through each step and the rule behind it.
Last updated: July 2026
Why day one matters
- An EICR not given to the tenant before occupation breaches the Electrical Safety Standards Regulations 2020 — councils can impose penalties of up to £30,000.
- A deposit not protected — with Prescribed Information served — within 30 days exposes you to a claim of up to 3x the deposit.
- The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 requires the tenant to receive a Written Statement of Terms before signing.
None of these can be fixed retroactively — which is why the wizard makes each one an explicit, tracked step rather than something you remember (or don’t) under move-in pressure.
The eight steps
1. Tenancy Basics
Property, tenants, dates, rent and deposit. Start it from Tenancies → Setup Wizard — a progress strip on the Tenancies page lets you continue a half-finished setup exactly where you left off.
2. Right to Rent
Record a check for every adult who will live at the property — not just the named tenants. Time-limited permissions are recorded with their expiry date, and the wizard schedules the follow-up check.
Note: The check itself must verify original documents in person or use a Home Office–approved IDVT provider — uploads alone don't satisfy the statutory duty.
3. Referencing
Run a credit check or full reference on each tenant without leaving the flow — the same built-in referencing used across RentFig, no separate portal, no re-keying.
4. Tenancy Agreement
Pick a RentFig template — post-Renters' Rights Act periodic agreements in three variants (whole property, joint sharers, HMO room only) — or upload your own, then send for e-signing.
Note: A RentFig agreement doubles as the Written Statement of Terms the Renters' Rights Act 2025 requires the tenant to receive before signing. Using your own agreement? The wizard serves a standalone statement first.
5. Documents & Compliance
The statutory document pack, item by item: Energy Performance Certificate (given free of charge, before letting), Gas Safety Certificate (before occupation), Electrical Safety Report (EICR — before occupation, with penalties up to £30,000), plus a UK GDPR privacy notice. Each item gets an explicit decision — include in the pack, already provided outside RentFig, or send later — and anything postponed is tracked as outstanding.
6. Deposit & Protection
Choose the scheme (DPS, TDS or mydeposits) and type (custodial — the scheme holds the money — or insured — you hold it), upload the protection certificate, and serve the Prescribed Information and scheme leaflet. The 30-day clock that starts when you receive the deposit is tracked for you.
Note: If the deposit arrives at key handover, this step can wait until after move-in — the deadline tracking still applies.
7. Review & Send Everything
One email to your tenant with the signed agreement and every pack document — previewed before anything goes out. Sending it activates the tenancy.
8. Complete — day-one tasks
The wizard seeds the move-in checklist: smoke and CO alarms tested on day one, inventory / check-in report, keys handed over, meter readings, standing order set up, council tax and utilities notified.
Nothing slips through
The wizard’s job isn’t to force everything upfront — it’s to make sure nothing is silentlyforgotten. Every item you skip or postpone stays on the tenancy’s setup checklist as outstanding: Written Statement served, Prescribed Information served, deposit certificate received, scheme leaflet given, each certificate provided. The Tenancies page shows a progress strip for every in-flight setup, so a half-finished tenancy is always one click from where you left off.
Frequently asked questions
What documents must I give a tenant at the start of a tenancy?
In England: the Energy Performance Certificate (free of charge, before letting), the current Gas Safety Certificate (before the tenant occupies, where there is a gas supply), and the Electrical Safety Report (EICR — before they occupy). Under the Renters' Rights Act 2025 the tenant must also receive a Written Statement of Terms before signing. If you take a deposit, they must also receive the Prescribed Information and the scheme's information leaflet. RentFig's setup wizard gathers all of these into one tracked pack.
What is Prescribed Information and when must I serve it?
Prescribed Information is the statutory set of details about how the tenant's deposit is protected — the scheme, the amount, the property and how to get the deposit back. You must serve it, and protect the deposit, within 30 days of receiving the deposit. The wizard tracks both against that 30-day clock.
What happens if I don't protect the deposit within 30 days?
Failure to protect a deposit within 30 days is a serious breach — the tenant can claim compensation of up to 3x the deposit amount. Always use a government-approved scheme: DPS, TDS or mydeposits, either custodial (the scheme holds the money) or insured (you hold it).
What is the Written Statement of Terms?
A requirement of the Renters' Rights Act 2025: the tenant must receive a written statement of the tenancy's key terms before the agreement is signed. If you use a RentFig agreement template, the agreement itself serves as the Written Statement; if you use your own agreement, the wizard serves a standalone statement before sending it for signature.
Do I have to use a RentFig tenancy agreement?
No. You can upload your own agreement and the wizard still handles e-signing, the document pack, deposit protection and the compliance checklist. RentFig's own templates are post-Renters' Rights Act periodic tenancy agreements in three variants: whole property, joint sharers, and HMO room only.
When should the Right to Rent check happen?
Before the tenant occupies the property, and it must cover every adult who will live there — not just the named tenants. If someone has a time-limited right to rent, a follow-up check is due when it expires; the wizard records the date and schedules the reminder.
Disclaimer:This guide is general information, not legal, financial or tax advice. UK landlord rules are technical and changing quickly — always check current gov.uk and your local authority guidance, and consult specialists for decisions about your own portfolio.