Guarantor agreement template 2026. Written for the periodic tenancy and Section 13 rent rises.

A simple Guarantee Agreement is binding without a witness when it is signed before or at the start of the tenancy, because the grant of the tenancy is the consideration for the promise. Once the tenancy has started there is no fresh consideration, so the guarantee should be made by deed, and a Deed of Guarantee is signed in the physical presence of an independent witness who also signs. The tool picks the form from the tenancy start date you enter, and you can choose the other if you know which one you need.

Yes. The guarantor signs in the physical presence of an independent adult witness (not the landlord, not the tenant, and not a family member with an interest), who then signs and adds their name and address. A deed cannot be witnessed over a video call. If the guarantee is signed before the tenancy starts, a simple Guarantee Agreement usually avoids the need for a witness.

Not for rent from the date of death. Section 16N of the Housing Act 1988, inserted by the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, provides that a guarantee given on or after 1 May 2026 has no effect for rent for the period beginning with the tenant’s death. The template reflects this, so the guarantee does not ask the guarantor to promise something the law will not enforce. Sums that fell due before the death are not affected by that rule, subject to the liability cap.

Yes, and you generally should. The template states a liability cap in months of rent (six months is a common choice), and as a figure when you give the rent, so the guarantor knows their maximum exposure. A capped, clearly worded guarantee is fairer and easier to get signed than an open-ended one. For unusual arrangements, take legal advice.

Yes. The template is a continuing guarantee written for the assured periodic tenancy that private lets in England have been since 1 May 2026: it lasts for as long as the tenancy continues in any form, and a change to the rent, such as a Section 13 increase, does not release the guarantor. If the tenancy is replaced by a genuinely new tenancy, take advice on whether a fresh guarantee is needed.

Yes. A guarantor takes on the tenant’s rent if the tenant defaults, so they should be affordability-checked too, usually against a higher income than the tenant because they pay on top of their own housing costs. A name on a guarantee that has never been checked is worth very little. LetCompliance can order a credit and affordability check on the guarantor from a UK referencing partner, paid per check.

Because the sample PDF is for review, redlining and sending to the guarantor to read before anyone signs, not for signature. In LetCompliance, from £7.99 a month, the same guarantee goes to the guarantor from the tenancy with the date it was sent recorded, and the signed copy you upload is kept with the tenant and the property. One property can also stay on the free plan.

No. It is a template to help you, not legal advice, and LetCompliance is not a law firm. A guarantee is a serious commitment for the person signing it, so the document you create and any decision to rely on it are your responsibility. For anything significant, such as corporate or overseas guarantors, several guarantors or a high-value tenancy, have the final document reviewed by a qualified solicitor before it is signed.