Documents are dealt with in several ways on Landlord Law:
Sometimes we put the text on a page so you can copy and paste it to your own system
Sometimes we provide a pdf document with 'form fields' you can complete, or
Sometimes you can create a pdf document using our Document Generator system
Advantages of the Document Generator:
Once you have completed the form, you have a nice pdf document which you can save and email out to your tenants
The information is saved, and it is easy for you to go back and change your entries
You can also use the same information to create a new document by clicking the 'duplicate' button. This would allow you, for example, to use last year's information to create this year's tenancy agreement or to create different tenancy agreements for rooms in a shared house. Or different letters to the same tenant.
Procedure for creating a 'document generator' document
Note that you will also find an explanatory video on the documents and forms page here.
1. You will need to complete the form.
You should be able to find this via the main Documents and Forms page. This should be fairly straightforward, although some forms are rather complex - in particular, the forms to create a tenancy agreement.
It is important that you read the notes in grey underneath the field, as these often contain important information and/or explain the context in which the information in the field will be used.
2. Click submit
Check the form carefully before you do this, but don't worry too much, as you can come back later if necessary.
Once you click submit, you will be taken to your My Documents page.
3. Using your My Documents page
See the image below:
Your My Documents page is a repository of all the documents you have created (save for those you have deleted!). If you want to come back here later, you will find a button linking to the page from the top of the site header.
There are three buttons here now:
Edit - use this if you spot an error in the document and want to change the information you have inputted
Download pdf - as it says - this will allow you to download your pdf to your computer.
Duplicate - use this if you want to create a second (or third or fourth!) document based on the same information you have put in the fields
Delete - this was part of the system but was removed as its use started causing issues.
Using the Edit button
This will take you back to the form, allowing you to change your entries.
At the bottom of this page are three buttons:
Update - this will amend the form with your changes and take you back to the My Documents page
Cancel - this will cancel your update
Delete - we suggest you do not use this button as the delete function has been known to cause issues.
You can edit the document as often as you need here, so this is very useful if you find you have a lot of changes you need to do.
Using the Duplicate button
It is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED that when you duplicate a document, you give it a new Document Title in the top field, otherwise, you will find it hard to tell the duplicates apart.
Common questions:
Q: Can I change the text of the tenancy agreement clauses?
A: No, you can only change the text which is added via the form fields. You cannot change the 'boilerplate text'.
If you want to add a clause or amend one of the clauses, there are two ways to do this. One is to have an additional clause. You can add this via the additional clauses item on the tenancy agreement document generator form.
For example, if you want to amend a clause, you could add a clause which says something like:
Clause XYZ is amended as follows [and put the text you want to replace it]
The other option is to copy the text from the pdf into your own word processor and edit it there.
However, you do this at your own risk. Be warned that problems can result from changes to legal documents if you are not experienced at drafting. If you are looking to change a tenancy agreement, you should read the article on Unfair Terms in tenancy agreements first.
Q: I am finding it difficult to copy the text from the pdf. Can you provide a text version?
A: The document generator system does not support this.
As discussed above, we do not advise changes as it is dangerous for people inexperienced in drafting to change the terms and conditions of a document such as a tenancy agreement.
Also, some documents - such as the possession notices - are in a prescribed format and will be invalidated if you change the text.
Q: I want to do a new clause but am worried about how to word it. Can you help?
A: Yes, put a question on the member's discussion forum, and we will see what we can do.