Use this as a starting point, not as legal advice. It is a plain-English template for a straightforward arrangement. If there is anything unusual — a lease that restricts sharing, a business use, more than one lodger, or anything contentious — take advice before you sign.
Before you use it
This template only works if you genuinely live at the property and genuinely share living accommodation with the lodger. If either is untrue, the arrangement is likely to be a tenancy with full statutory protection, and this document will not change that — the substance decides, not the heading. Check the position in taking in a lodger first, and complete a right to rent check before anyone moves in.
The template
| Clause | Wording to adapt |
|---|---|
| 1. Parties | This agreement is made on [DATE] between [YOUR FULL NAME] of [ADDRESS] (“the Householder”) and [LODGER’S FULL NAME] (“the Lodger”). |
| 2. The room | The Householder permits the Lodger to occupy the [DESCRIBE ROOM, e.g. rear first-floor bedroom] at [ADDRESS] (“the Room”), together with shared use of the [kitchen, bathroom, living room, garden]. |
| 3. Nature of the agreement | The Lodger occupies as a licensee and not as a tenant. The Householder lives at the property as their only or main home and retains unrestricted access to the Room. This agreement does not create a tenancy. |
| 4. Start date and term | The licence begins on [DATE] and continues from [week/month] to [week/month] until ended in accordance with clause 10. |
| 5. Payment | The Lodger will pay £[AMOUNT] per [week/month] in advance on the [DATE] of each [week/month], by [bank transfer to account details]. This includes [gas, electricity, water, council tax, broadband, cleaning of shared areas]. |
| 6. Deposit | The Lodger will pay a deposit of £[AMOUNT], held by the Householder and returned within [14] days of the end of the licence, less any deductions for unpaid payments or for damage beyond fair wear and tear. The parties acknowledge that a deposit taken from a lodger is not required to be protected in a tenancy deposit scheme. |
| 7. Lodger’s obligations | The Lodger will: keep the Room and shared areas clean and tidy; not cause a nuisance to the Householder or neighbours; not smoke or vape indoors; not keep pets without written consent; not make alterations; not sublet or allow anyone else to occupy the Room; report any damage or disrepair promptly; and give the Householder reasonable access. |
| 8. Householder’s obligations | The Householder will: keep the structure, exterior and installations in repair; keep shared areas in reasonable condition; hold a current gas safety record and give the Lodger a copy; maintain working smoke alarms; and give reasonable notice before entering the Room other than in an emergency. |
| 9. Guests | The Lodger may have occasional overnight guests with the Householder’s prior agreement. No guest may stay more than [2] consecutive nights, or more than [4] nights in any month, without written consent. |
| 10. Ending the agreement | Either party may end this agreement by giving [one month’s / four weeks’] written notice. The Householder may end it immediately if the Lodger seriously or persistently breaches it. On the end date the Lodger will remove their belongings and return all keys. |
| 11. Belongings left behind | Anything left after the end date will be stored for [14] days and the Lodger notified in writing. After that period the Householder may dispose of it, applying any proceeds to sums owed. |
| 12. Signatures | Signed by the Householder: __________ Date: ______ Signed by the Lodger: __________ Date: ______ |
Clauses that would make it a tenancy
The point of clause 3 is to reflect reality, not to create it. A court looks at what actually happens. Three things undermine the licence:
- Giving exclusive possession of the room. If the lodger can genuinely exclude you — a lock you have no key to, an agreement that you will not enter — the arrangement looks like a tenancy however it is labelled.
- Not actually living there. The resident landlord condition is the foundation. Move out and the protection changes.
- Not sharing living accommodation. A self-contained annexe with its own kitchen and bathroom is not a lodger arrangement, even if it is in your garden.
Retaining access is the substance of clause 3. Keep a key, be entitled to enter to clean or maintain, and actually use the shared areas. That is what makes the arrangement what the document says it is — and it is why a clause promising never to enter the room would be a serious mistake.
What to do alongside the agreement
- Right to rent check before they move in, with a copy of the evidence kept for the length of the arrangement plus a year.
- Inventory of the room and shared areas, with dated photographs, signed by both of you.
- Gas safety record in date, with a copy given to the lodger.
- Smoke alarms tested on day one, recorded on the inventory.
- Tell your insurer and lender, and the council for council tax.
- Keep a record of payments received for the £7,500 Rent a Room threshold.
Read next
Does a lodger agreement have to be in writing?
No, but an oral arrangement leaves both sides guessing about notice, bills and guests. A written agreement is the cheapest protection available.
Can I just call it a licence to avoid tenancy law?
No. The label does not decide it. If you do not live there, or the lodger has exclusive possession, it is likely a tenancy whatever the document says.
How much notice should the agreement require?
A period matching the payment period is normal — a month for monthly payments. Whatever you set, apply it consistently.
Do I need to protect the deposit?
No. Deposit protection applies to assured shorthold tenancies. Hold it honestly and set out clearly what it covers and when it is returned.
Can I ban guests entirely?
You can restrict them, and a limit on consecutive nights is normal and reasonable. A total ban is likely to be unworkable and will sour the arrangement.
What if the lodger will not leave?
Give proper written notice and keep it civil. If they stay beyond it, take advice rather than acting — harassment of a residential occupier is a criminal offence even where no court order is needed to end the licence.
Sources. Protection from Eviction Act 1977, sections 1, 3A and 5; Street v Mountford [1985] UKHL 4 on exclusive possession; HMRC Rent a Room scheme guidance; Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998; Home Office right to rent code of practice; Torts (Interference with Goods) Act 1977. Checked 8 September 2026.
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