England: templates and forms

For anyone asked by a bank, employer, council, DVLA or another organisation to confirm facts by statutory declaration — a lost document, living together, a name used, an address or a family link. You write the facts in numbered paragraphs; the document adds the words the Statutory Declarations Act 1835 requires. You sign it in person before a solicitor or commissioner for oaths, for the fee set by law of £5, plus £2 for each exhibit, or before a notary public, who sets their own fee.

For a driver or rider in England or Wales whose car, motorbike or bicycle was damaged by a pothole. The letter tells the highway authority (usually the council) when and where it happened, the damage and the cost, and holds it liable for failing to maintain the road under section 41 of the Highways Act 1980; if it relies on the section 58 defence, it asks for the inspection and repair records. A letter before claim: 14 days, then the small claims track. Most authorities also have a free online claim form.

For two private people in the UK selling and buying a used car, van or motorbike. It records the vehicle, the price, the time the keys changed hands, the mileage and the faults the seller knows of, and has a receipt for the money. Selling “as seen” does not let a seller misdescribe the car. A private sale needs no tax and no form: the seller tells DVLA online the same day and gives the buyer the green new keeper slip from the log book (V5C). Both sign; each keeps a copy.

For an employer in England, Wales or Scotland taking someone on for a set period — maternity cover, a season, a project: a contract with an end date that is also the written statement of particulars the law requires on or before the first day. It includes the protection of the Fixed-term Employees Regulations 2002, the four-year rule for successive contracts and early termination by notice. Each party should take advice before signing. Signed by both; each keeps a copy.

For anyone aged 16 or over who is changing their first name, surname or both — after marriage, divorce or simply by choice — and needs proof for their bank, employer, HM Passport Office or DVLA. An unenrolled deed poll you make yourself: it renounces the old name, adopts the new one and is signed in both names in front of two adult witnesses. GOV.UK explains the free route and the optional enrolment at the Royal Courts of Justice, which costs a fee.

For an employee in England, Wales or Scotland who needs time off beyond their holiday — a long trip, a family matter, study — and wants their employer's agreement: a letter asking for unpaid leave between two dates, with the return date, and asking the employer to confirm in writing your return to the same job and what happens to holiday, pension and benefits. There is no general right to unpaid leave; carer's leave, parental leave and time off for dependants are separate statutory rights. Hand it in and email it.

For a parent or other person with parental responsibility who agrees that the other parent, or someone else, may apply for a British passport for the child. Usually one person with parental responsibility signs the application, but HM Passport Office may ask for the consent of everyone who has it — for example after a separation. The letter names the child and the applicant, gives your contact details and encloses a copy of your ID. Send it with the application, or as HMPO asks.

For a driver in Great Britain after a collision: one place to write down the other driver's name, address, vehicle and insurer, the time and place, what happened, the damage and the witnesses, while the details are fresh. Each driver keeps their own record and sends it with the insurance claim. It is not an admission of fault. A driver who does not give their details at the scene must report the accident to the police as soon as possible and within 24 hours at most (section 170 of the Road Traffic Act 1988); this record does not replace that report.

For an employee in England, Wales or Scotland whose statutory request for flexible working has been turned down: a letter appealing against the decision, giving your grounds — a reason outside the eight the law allows, wrong facts, no real consultation — and any alternative you would accept, asking for an appeal meeting with a companion. The whole decision, appeal included, must be made within two months of the request unless you agree longer. Hand it in and email it.

For a private tenant in England whose home needs repairs — damp and mould, a broken boiler, leaks, faulty electrics. The letter reports each problem in writing, with dated photos, reminds the landlord of the duty to repair the structure, exterior and installations (section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985) and to keep the home fit for human habitation (section 9A), asks to arrange an inspection within 14 days, and confirms you will keep paying the rent. If nothing happens, the council can inspect, and the letter of claim under the housing conditions protocol is the next step.

For a private tenant in England who wants to move out. Since 1 May 2026 every private assured tenancy is periodic, and a tenant ends it by written notice to quit of at least two months, unless the landlord agrees in writing to a shorter period. The notice gives your end date, with a saving clause that moves it to the first valid date if needed, can ask the landlord to agree an earlier date, asks for a check-out and the return of your deposit, and gives your forwarding address. Send it first class with a free certificate of posting, and by email too.

For a homeowner or tenant in England who lives in the home and wants a lodger to leave. The notice refers to your lodger agreement, gives the date the agreement ends, asks for the room to be cleared and the keys returned, and says what happens to the deposit. A lodger who shares your kitchen, bathroom or living space is an excluded occupier: the notice is the one your agreement sets, or reasonable notice, and no court order is needed. Hand it over in person and keep a copy. Not for a tenant, whose landlord must use Form 3A, free on GOV.UK.

For a private landlord and tenant in England. Since 1 May 2026 a landlord can raise the rent only by a notice on Form 4A under section 13 of the Housing Act 1988, once a year, with at least two months’ notice, and the tenant may refer it to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) before the new rent starts. Instead, the two of you can agree a rent lower than the notice proposes, or keep the current rent — or agree to reduce the rent at any time. This agreement records which, from what date, signed by both. It never sets a rent above the one the notice proposes, or above the current rent where there is no notice.

For a tenant in England or a contract-holder in Wales who has moved out and is still waiting for the deposit. A letter before claim to the landlord or letting agent: it gives the date the tenancy ended, the deposit and the scheme protecting it, asks for the deposit back within 14 days or a written list of any deduction with evidence, and says which deductions you dispute. If you cannot agree, the next step is the scheme’s free dispute service, then the County Court. In England, if the deposit was never protected, use the letter before claim for an unprotected deposit instead.

For a private tenant in England. Since 1 May 2026 a tenant may ask in writing to keep a pet, and the landlord must answer in writing within 28 days and must not refuse unreasonably (section 16A of the Housing Act 1988, added by the Renters’ Rights Act 2025). The letter describes the animal and how it will be cared for, offers references and asks for a written decision, with reasons if it is a refusal. If the landlord asks for more information, or for a superior landlord’s consent, the deadline can move to seven days after the reply. No pet fee or separate pet deposit may be charged.

For the end of a tenancy in England, Wales or Scotland (in Wales, an occupation contract). It records the day the keys were returned, the final meter readings, the condition of each room compared with the check-in report and anything the tenant does not accept. Signed by both — or, if the landlord or agent does not attend, completed by the tenant alone with dated photos and sent to them by email and first class post. It is the evidence the deposit scheme’s free dispute service looks at.

For a private tenant in England who wants to take in a lodger, or sublet a room or the whole home. Most tenancy agreements require the landlord’s written consent first, and subletting without it can breach the tenancy and become a ground for possession. The letter says what you ask for, who would move in, where and for how long, confirms you stay responsible for the rent and will do the right to rent check, and asks for an answer within 14 days. Not for council or housing association tenants, for whom unlawful subletting can be a criminal offence.

For a private landlord or letting agent in England whose tenant has fallen behind with the rent. The letter sets out the arrears period by period, asks the tenant to pay or propose a repayment plan by a set date, and points to free debt advice. It says plainly that if the arrears are not resolved the landlord may serve a notice seeking possession on Form 3A under section 8 of the Housing Act 1988 — four weeks’ notice on the rent arrears grounds — and apply to the court. It never threatens to change the locks or remove belongings, which would be unlawful.

For a leaseholder of a flat or house in England or Wales who pays a variable service charge and wants to see how it is spent. Under sections 21 and 22 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 the letter asks the landlord or managing agent for a written summary of the costs for a service charge year and, if you already have a summary or the year-end accounts, for facilities to inspect the accounts, receipts and other supporting documents and take copies. Failing without reasonable excuse to comply is an offence. The Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE) publishes free model letters.

For a private tenant in England whose landlord has not dealt with serious problems — damp and mould, no heating, dangerous electrics, vermin. The letter asks the council’s private sector housing or environmental health team to inspect the home under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (Part 1 of the Housing Act 2004) and take action against the landlord. Many councils have a free online form, which you can use instead; this letter sets out the problems, the history of your reports and the photos in one place, by post or email.

For a tenant in England whose landlord did not protect the deposit in a government-authorised scheme, protected it late, or did not give the prescribed information within 30 days of receiving it. Under section 214 of the Housing Act 2004, the County Court must then order the landlord to pay between one and three times the deposit, as well as dealing with the deposit itself. The letter sets out the facts, asks for payment of the sum you propose within 14 days, and says you will otherwise make a claim in the County Court.

For a homeowner or tenant in England who lets a room in the home they live in to a lodger. The agreement sets out the room and the shared parts, the rent and what it includes, any deposit, house rules and the notice either side gives to end it. A lodger who shares your kitchen, bathroom or living space is a licensee and an excluded occupier, not an assured tenant: the Renters’ Rights Act’s tenancy rules do not apply, and no court order is needed to end the agreement. A tenant needs their own landlord’s consent first. Signed by both; each keeps a copy.

For landlords, letting agents and tenants in England, Wales or Scotland at the start of a tenancy — in Wales, an occupation contract. It records the condition of each room, the furniture and appliances, the meter readings, the keys and the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, refers to dated photos, and gives the tenant seven days to add comments. Both sign it. No law requires a landlord to make an inventory (in Scotland, a letting agent who manages the check-in must), but the deposit schemes’ free dispute services rely on one when a landlord proposes deductions at the end.

For a private landlord or letting agent in England answering a tenant’s written request to keep a pet under section 16A of the Housing Act 1988. Choose one answer: consent, consent with reasonable conditions, a refusal with reasons, or a request for further information — given in writing within 28 days of the request. A refusal must be reasonable and specific to the home and the animal, such as a head lease that forbids pets. The letter confirms that no fee or extra deposit is charged for the pet.