E-signatures for landlords

What does a landlord need signed at the start of a tenancy?

The tenancy agreement is the obvious one, but it rarely travels alone. A guarantor agreement often goes with it for students or first-time renters. The inventory or check-in report, with its photos and room-by-room notes, needs the tenant's signature so it can be relied on at check-out.

In England, a landlord taking a deposit must protect it and give the tenant the prescribed information within 30 days, under the Housing Act 2004. Many landlords get the tenant to sign a copy of that prescribed information, along with a receipt for the How to Rent guide, so there is no argument later about whether it was handed over.

• Tenancy agreement or lease
• Guarantor agreement
• Inventory and check-in report
• Deposit prescribed information and receipt
• Pet addendum, renewal or rent change letter

Why do leases with several tenants and a guarantor go wrong?

A joint tenancy for four sharers means four signatures, four sets of initials on every page, and four dates. Add a guarantor for each and you have eight people, some of whom are parents in another city or another country. Paper copies passed between them take a week and come back with a page unsigned.

Guarantees bring their own rule. In England and Wales a guarantee has to be in writing and signed by the guarantor, which goes back to section 4 of the Statute of Frauds 1677. Courts have accepted electronic signatures for this, but if your agreement is drafted as a deed it will usually need a witness as well. Check the wording before you send.

How do you get a tenancy agreement signed with Sign PDF?

You can do this from a laptop in under ten minutes for a straightforward letting.

• Upload the agreement. Word files and PDFs both work, and a photo of a printed page will do in a pinch.
• Sign PDF reads the labels around each blank, so a line marked Landlord gets your signature box and lines marked Tenant 1 and Tenant 2 go to the right people.
• Type 'tenants initial every page' and 'add a guarantor' in the editor. Each tenant gets an initials box at the foot of each page.
• On the Full plan, choose 'landlord signs last' if you want to countersign only once everyone else has. On Light, everyone signs at once. Then send.
• Attach the inventory as a separate document so it has its own certificate and can be produced on its own at check-out.

What does it cost for a landlord?

If you let two or three properties and re-let one or two a year, Light at $5 a month for 2 documents covers it. The tenancy agreement is one document however many tenants and guarantors sign it.

A landlord with a portfolio, or one who wants the inventory, deposit information and lease each signed as separate files, should look at Full for $10 a month. Unlimited documents, automatic reminders for the tenant who has not opened the email, and templates so your standard agreement is ready to send. You can cancel once the letting season is over, and the plan runs to the end of the month you paid for.

What Sign PDF does not do for landlords

We do not collect rent or deposits, run referencing or check a tenant's identity, and there is no tenant portal. If you want all of that in one place, letting software or a letting agent may suit you better.

Leases granted as deeds, such as English leases of more than three years, normally need a witness who watches the signature being made. That is a matter for your solicitor, and this page is not legal advice.