Sign a tenancy agreement online

What a tenancy agreement covers

A tenancy agreement sets the terms on which a tenant occupies a home: rent, deposit, length, who repairs what, and how it ends. In England it is usually an assured tenancy; in Scotland, a private residential tenancy; in Dubai, a tenancy contract on the unified form issued under the Dubai Land Department.

Every joint tenant should sign. If four friends rent a flat and only three sign, the fourth may not be bound by the rent or repair obligations, and recovering arrears from them becomes harder.

When a tenancy has to be a deed

In England and Wales, a lease for more than three years must be made by deed to create a legal lease, under section 52 of the Law of Property Act 1925; shorter leases at a market rent taking effect straight away are exempt under section 54(2). A deed must be signed in the presence of a witness who then attests it, under the Law of Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1989.

A deed can be signed electronically. The Law Commission's 2019 report concluded that this works if the witness is physically present when the signatory signs, and then signs as witness. In practice that means the tenant and the witness are in the same room, each signing on their own device or one after the other. Sign PDF can place a witness block for name, address and signature, but we cannot confirm the witness was present: that is for the parties to get right.

This is not legal advice. For long or commercial leases, and anything to be registered at HM Land Registry, follow your solicitor's instructions on how the deed is signed.

Rules that vary by place

The signature is the easy part. These local rules are where landlords get caught out.

• England: the Renters' Rights Act 2025 is replacing fixed-term assured shorthold tenancies with periodic tenancies and ending section 21 'no fault' evictions in stages from 2026. Check which rules apply to your start date.
• England and Wales: a deposit taken for an assured shorthold tenancy must be protected in a government scheme within 30 days, with prescribed information given to the tenant.
• Scotland: private residential tenancies are open-ended and landlords must be registered with the local council.
• Dubai: residential tenancy contracts are registered through Ejari, and the Dubai rent index sets limits on increases at renewal.
• Abu Dhabi: tenancy contracts are registered through Tawtheeq.
• US: a lease for more than one year usually has to be in writing under the statute of frauds, and pre-1978 homes need the federal lead-based paint disclosure.

Signing order for landlord, tenant and guarantor

The usual order is tenants first, then guarantor, then the landlord or agent countersigns. That way the landlord does not commit until the tenants and their guarantor are bound. Some agents send the guarantor deed separately because it is often a deed itself, needing a witness.

In Sign PDF, choose 'one after another' and drag signers into order, or type 'landlord signs last' in the assistant.

Mistakes that weaken a tenancy

Missing initials on pages with the break clause or rent review. A guarantor who signs a deed without a witness. A tenant name spelt differently from their ID, which complicates a possession claim. Sending a draft with blank rent figures and filling them in after signing, which invites the argument that the tenant never agreed them.

Sending a tenancy with Sign PDF

Upload the agreement in Word or PDF. Sign PDF reads 'Landlord', 'Tenant', 'Guarantor' and 'Witness' from the signature blocks and assigns the boxes to the right person. Type 'tenant initials every page' and they appear at the foot of each page for each tenant.

Each signer confirms a code from their email and signs on a phone or computer. The finished PDF is sealed with a DigiCert timestamp and a certificate of completion listing every signer. What we do not do: register the tenancy with Ejari or Tawtheeq, protect deposits, or notarise anything.