Free guarantor agreement template (UK)
A deed of guaranteefor an assured tenancy in England — covering rent, the tenant's obligations and damage beyond fair wear and tear, with the witness and execution formalities that decide whether a guarantee is worth anything when you need it.
Read this before you use it
This is a general template, not legal advice, and it has not been drafted for your tenancy. A guarantee that is badly worded, wrongly executed or not properly witnessed can be worth nothing at the moment you try to rely on it — which is worse than having no guarantee at all, because you will have relied on it. Guarantee law is technical and it moved under the Renters' Rights Act 2025. If the sums matter, have a solicitor check the wording before anyone signs.
What's in the template
1. The parties
Landlord, tenant and guarantor, with the guarantor's address and date of birth so they can actually be traced and checked.
2. Property and tenancy
Address, start date, rent and payment date — the tenancy the guarantee attaches to.
3. The guarantee
What is guaranteed: rent, the tenant's obligations, and damage beyond fair wear and tear.
4. Limit of liability
An optional cap — one tenant's share, the whole rent, or a fixed maximum sum.
5. Ending the guarantee
When liability stops, and why a guarantor can't simply walk away mid-tenancy.
6–7. Declaration and execution
The guarantor's declaration, then signature, date, and a full witness block — executed as a deed.
The three things that make a guarantee enforceable
Most guarantees that fail do so on formalities rather than wording, and all three of these are easy to get right if you know about them in advance.
- In writing and signed. A guarantee has to be evidenced in writing and signed by the guarantor — section 4 of the Statute of Frauds 1677 is still doing work 350 years on. A verbal promise or an email exchange is not a reliable substitute.
- Executed as a deed, and witnessed.Signing as a deed removes any argument about what the guarantor got in return. The witness must actually be present when the guarantor signs, and must not be the tenant, the landlord, or someone from the guarantor's own household.
- It has to survive the fixed term.This is the one people miss. Under the Renters' Rights Act 2025 tenancies are periodic, and a guarantee written only for an initial term can quietly expire long before the arrears appear. The template extends the guarantee to any statutory periodic continuation.
Check the guarantor, not just the tenant
A guarantee is only ever as good as the person giving it. A guarantor with county court judgments, or an income that could not absorb the rent on top of their own housing costs, is reassurance rather than protection. The usual benchmark is a gross annual income of around 36 times the monthly rent— you can test that, and the tenant's own 30 times, in our rent affordability calculator.
Income on a form is a claim, not a fact. The same checks that work on a tenant work on a guarantor: a £9 credit check confirms identity and credit history, and a £19 full reference adds verified income and affordability, employer and previous-landlord references, Right to Rent and anti-fraud. Remember the Tenant Fees Act 2019 means you pay for that, not them.
FAQ
Does a guarantor agreement have to be a deed?
It does not strictly have to be, but it is much safer as one. A guarantee must at minimum be in writing and signed by the guarantor to be enforceable, under section 4 of the Statute of Frauds 1677. The risk with a simple signed agreement is an argument about consideration — what the guarantor actually received in return. Executing it as a deed removes that argument entirely, which is why this template is drafted as a deed of guarantee.
Does the guarantor's signature need a witness?
Yes, if it is executed as a deed. The witness must be physically present when the guarantor signs, and should print their full name, address and occupation. The witness must not be the tenant, the landlord, or a member of the guarantor's household — an independent witness is the whole point. A deed that is not properly witnessed can fail as a deed.
Does the guarantee continue after the fixed term ends?
Only if it says so, which is why this template addresses it directly. Under the Renters' Rights Act 2025 tenancies are periodic, and a guarantee drafted only for an initial fixed term can fall away exactly when it starts to matter. Clause 3.3 extends the guarantee to any statutory periodic tenancy and to any period the tenant remains in occupation after the tenancy ends.
What income should a guarantor have?
The usual benchmark is a gross annual income of around 36 times the monthly rent — higher than the roughly 30 times applied to a tenant, because a guarantor carries the rent on top of their own housing costs. You can check both figures in our rent affordability calculator.
Should I credit check the guarantor as well as the tenant?
Yes. A guarantee is only as good as the person giving it, and a guarantor with county court judgments or an unaffordable income is not meaningfully reducing your risk. The same £9 credit check or £19 full reference works on a guarantor exactly as it does on a tenant.
Can I charge the tenant or guarantor for referencing?
No. Under the Tenant Fees Act 2019, charging a tenant or their guarantor for referencing is a banned fee in England. The landlord or agent pays.
Is this template legal advice?
No. It is a general template offered as a starting point, not advice on your tenancy, and it has not been drafted for your circumstances. Guarantee law is technical and it has moved recently. If the amounts at stake matter to you, have a solicitor review the wording before anyone signs it — a guarantee you cannot enforce is worse than none, because you relied on it.
Disclaimer: This template and page are general information for UK landlords, not legal advice, and do not create a solicitor-client relationship. The template is offered as a starting point for a tenancy of residential property in England and has not been drafted for your circumstances. Law and practice change — always confirm the current position and take advice on anything that matters.