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Written statement of terms
Record the date the written statement of terms was given, and send it to the tenant to acknowledge.
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Abide.Rent keeps a date for the written statement of terms on each tenancy, so you can see at a glance which tenancies have one on record.
Who this is for: letting agencies, landlords and tenants.
Statement of terms: prepare it in Abide.Rent or upload and record it.
What you are deciding
Whether to record a statement you have already given, or to issue it from Abide.Rent so the tenant can acknowledge it.
Your options
- Record the date it was given. The tenancy shows a statement on record from that date. Nothing is sent to the tenant.
- Issue it from Abide.Rent. The tenant receives it by email and in their portal, and the date and time they acknowledge it are stored with the tenancy.
- Record that a written tenancy agreement is held. The tenancy is treated as having its terms in writing, and the item leaves your deadlines.
- Leave it. The tenancy is shown as having no statement on record, and it is listed among your deadlines.
If you are the tenant
When a statement is issued to you through Abide.Rent it appears on your tenancy. Open it, read it, and select the button to acknowledge that you have received it. Acknowledging says you received it. It does not mean you agree with everything in it.
What the statement must contain, and when it must be given, are set by the Act and its regulations. Check GOV.UK for the current requirements, including which other documents a new tenant is to be given.
A worked example
An agent issues the statement for a tenancy that begins on Monday 2 November 2026. The tenant opens it in their portal on Tuesday 3 November 2026 at 19:42 and acknowledges it. The tenancy now shows "Statement acknowledged, 3 November 2026", and the item leaves the agent's list of deadlines.
What Abide.Rent does for you
- Shows which tenancies have no statement on record.
- Stores the date and time the tenant acknowledged it.
- Keeps the tenant's own copy on their tenancy.
If something goes wrong
- “Only the managing account issues a statement of terms.”
What to do: Ask the agency that manages the property to issue it. - “The date the statement was given cannot be in the future.”
What to do: Enter the date it was actually given. - “Only a named tenant can record receipt.”
What to do: Tenants confirm receipt from their own portal.
Common mistakes
- Treating an acknowledgement as agreement. It records receipt only.
- Recording today's date for a statement given months ago. Enter the date it was given.
What to do next
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