Tenancy agreements: how-to

Step-by-step instructions for every contract task. For what each option means, see Tenancy agreements; for problems, see Tenancy agreements: troubleshooting.

Find your task

If you’re here because…	Go to
You’re setting up before your first contract	Set up a contract template
You want to use COHO’s own tenancy agreement	Use COHO’s tenancy agreement templates
An onboarding has reached the Contract step	Send a contract during onboarding
A tenancy has no contract, or an Action says “You need to add a contract”	Add a contract to an existing tenancy
The contract was signed outside COHO	Record a contract that’s already signed
A guarantor needs to sign	Ask a guarantor to sign
Someone hasn’t signed yet	Chase people who haven’t signed
The guarantor signed on paper, or won’t sign in COHO	Finish guarantor signing another way
Everyone has signed, or an Action asks you to countersign	Confirm and countersign a contract
Someone verified with a different email or mobile	Review a signature’s identity
A contract has a mistake and isn’t confirmed yet	Replace or cancel a contract before it’s confirmed
A confirmed contract needs changing (dates, deposit, rent, people)	Issue a new agreement on an existing tenancy
A fixed term is ending, or an Action says the tenancy expires	Renew a tenancy
You need to add a signed addendum or other signed file	Add signed files to a contract
You, a tenant or an owner needs a copy	Find and download a signed contract
A tenant asks how to sign	Help a tenant sign

Set up a contract template

Do this before your first contract, so you can pick it each time instead of uploading files.

Before you start: you need edit permission for Tenancy Agreements. For automatic filling, your contract must be a Word (.docx) file with COHO merge fields (side menu > Help & Support > AST Merge Fields lists them).

1. Click Menu > Onboarding, then the settings cog on the panel.
2. In Onboarding Settings, open Contract templates and click New template.
3. Enter a Name. Optionally choose a Property and Rental type; leave them blank to use it everywhere.
4. Under Contract, upload the tenancy agreement.
5. Under Additional files, add anything else that goes in every bundle, such as house rules or a GDPR notice.
6. Under Guarantor agreement, add a separate guarantee document if you use one.
7. Click Upload.

What happens next: the template appears in the list and in Contract template when you create a contract. Click View on it to see sample merge fields.

Tip

Save Word files from Microsoft Word. Files saved from other editors (such as LibreOffice or Pages) can fail to merge.

Use COHO’s tenancy agreement templates

1. Click Menu > Onboarding, then the settings cog.
2. In Contract templates, read the terms and tick “I have read and agree to the above terms.”
3. Click Download next to the one you need: COHO Tenancy Agreement - BTL (a whole property), HMO Single (one tenant in a room) or HMO Joint (a group on one agreement). The COHO Written Statement of Terms is also there.
4. Check the document, then add it as a template (see Set up a contract template), or upload it when you create a contract.

What happens next: it’s filled in from the tenancy like any other Word template.

Caution

If you edit COHO’s templates you’re responsible for the content, and the COHO footer must stay. The statement of terms isn’t suitable for grouped tenancies; use the grouped version linked under it.

Send a contract during onboarding

Do this when an onboarding’s Contract step says “Create a contract”.

Before you start: you need edit permission for Tenancy Agreements. If rent is tracked in COHO, generate the rent schedule on the step first; the full onboarding steps are in the Onboarding guide.

1. Open the onboarding and go to the Contract step.
2. Click Create contract.
3. Follow Create and send a contract from step 3.

What happens next: the applicant sees View & sign contract in their onboarding. When everyone has signed, the step says “Confirm the contract has been signed”.

Add a contract to an existing tenancy

Do this for a tenancy that’s in COHO without a contract, for example one you moved in from another system.

1. Open the room page and expand the Contract panel.
2. Click Add contract.
3. Follow Create and send a contract from step 3.

If it’s already signed, see Record a contract that’s already signed.

Create and send a contract

The same form is used everywhere. You start it from Create contract, Add contract, Replace contract or Add new contract.

1. Open the Contract panel (or the onboarding’s Contract step).
2. Click Add contract (or Create contract / Replace contract).
3. For a grouped tenancy, check the Group members, then click Next.
4. Under Contract dates, set Contract Start, and Contract End or Periodic. If COHO says the move-in date will change, leave Update rent schedule to match the new move-in date ticked and check the updated rent schedule, or untick it to keep the current one. Click Next.
5. Under How should this contract be signed?, choose COHO eSignature, Already Signed or Wet Signature. Click Next.
6. Check the Tenancy Overview (rent, VAT, deposit, bills, guarantor). Click Edit to correct them, or Guarantor to add a guarantor. Click Next.
7. Choose a Contract template, or click Upload files and add the contract under Contract. Add other documents under Additional Files. Click Next.
8. If there’s a guarantor, choose what they sign and how (see Ask a guarantor to sign). Click Next.
9. Under Additional information, check the compliance documents each tenant will acknowledge. If you see “Items are missing or expired:”, add or renew those certificates first if you want them included. Click Next.
10. Under Merge fields review, check each Word file:
    • click Fill-out to enter missing values;
    • click Preview to see the PDF, or View & Edit to check every field;
    • fix any invalid fields in your template, then Refresh fields.
11. Tick “I have reviewed the MailMerge preview and would like to proceed”.
12. Optionally tick Notify property owner and write a message.
13. Click Send (or Save for Already Signed).

What happens next: the contract shows as Proposed Contract. Tenants (and guarantors) get an email and a WhatsApp message or SMS asking them to sign. Any other unconfirmed contract on the tenancy is cancelled.

Note

Changing rent, deposit or bills in Tenancy Overview updates the tenancy, but not the rent schedule. Update the rent schedule separately if needed.

Record a contract that’s already signed

Do this when the tenant signed outside COHO, on paper or with another service.

1. Start the form (Add contract or Replace contract).
2. Set the dates, then choose Already Signed.
3. Check the Tenancy Overview.
4. Upload the signed contract under Contract, and any other signed files under Additional Files.
5. If there’s a guarantor, choose Tenancy agreement (signed with the tenant), Guarantor agreement with Already signed and upload it, or No signature required.
6. Click Save.

What happens next: with nothing left to sign, the contract takes effect straight away: it becomes the current (or upcoming) contract, a prospective tenancy becomes future or active, and any onboarding contract step completes. Tenants aren’t asked to acknowledge compliance documents; outstanding ones are recorded as acknowledged manually. If you chose a separate guarantor agreement for the guarantor to sign in COHO, it waits for them and then for you to confirm.

Ask a guarantor to sign

Do this in step 8 of Create and send a contract.

Before you start: the tenancy needs guarantor details. If it shows “The tenancy has no guarantor details”, add them in Tenancy Overview with Guarantor.

1. Under What document should the guarantor sign?, choose:
   • Tenancy agreement to sign the tenant’s contract (same method as the tenant); or
   • Guarantor agreement to sign a separate document; or
   • No signature required.
2. For a Guarantor agreement, choose How should the guarantor sign? (COHO eSignature, Already signed or Wet signature), then pick a Guarantor Only Template or click Upload files.
3. For several guarantors on a joint contract, choose Joint contract or Individual contract. With Individual contract, click Change to set Joint Liability or Individual Liability, and caps if needed.
4. For COHO eSignature, check Mobile number verification. Click Modify to set a guarantor to Not required if they can’t receive an SMS.

What happens next: each guarantor gets an email and a WhatsApp message or SMS with a link. They don’t need a COHO account.

Chase people who haven’t signed

COHO doesn’t chase signers for you.

1. Open the room’s Contract panel (or the onboarding’s Contract step).
2. Under the proposed contract:
   • for tenants, click Chase pending signers;
   • for a guarantor, click See details, then Resend link under their name.

What happens next: COHO briefly shows how many emails and SMS messages were sent, for example “1 email and 1 SMS sent”. Only people who haven’t signed are contacted.

Finish guarantor signing another way

If the guarantor signed a separate guarantor agreement on paper:

1. On the proposed contract, click Guarantor signed another way?
2. Upload the agreement under Signed guarantor agreement.
3. Click Save as signed.

If you no longer need the guarantor’s signature:

1. On the proposed contract, click Remove guarantor from signing.
2. Confirm with Remove.

What happens next: COHO stops waiting for the guarantor and keeps the tenants’ signatures. If the tenants have signed, the contract is ready for you to confirm. (If the contract was Already Signed by the tenants, it takes effect straight away.)

Note

Remove guarantor from signing isn’t possible once any guarantor on the contract has signed. Guarantor signed another way? is only for a separate guarantor agreement.

Confirm and countersign a contract

Do this when everyone has signed. You’ll see an Action, and View & Confirm on the contract.

Before you start: you need edit permission for Tenancy Agreements. For COHO eSignature, your profile needs your first name and surname.

1. Click View & Confirm (on the Contract panel or the onboarding’s Contract step), or open the Action.
2. Check the signatures and Document acknowledgements. If anyone verified with a different email or mobile, decide first (see Review a signature’s identity).
3. For Wet Signature, download the signed files, add your signature, and upload them under Signed contract (and the guarantor’s under Signed version of…).
4. For COHO eSignature:
   • for a managed property, tick Sign on behalf of another person if you’re signing for the landlord, and enter their name;
   • confirm your identity with the code sent to you;
   • draw Your Signature, enter your password, and tick the declaration.
5. Tick Mark room(s) as unavailable if you want the room off the market, and Notify property owner if you want to tell the owner.
6. Click Submit.

What happens next: COHO builds the signed PDFs (with an eSignature receipt for COHO eSignature), and the contract becomes current, or upcoming if it starts later. A prospective tenancy becomes future or active, a deposit record is created where needed, finance items are created from the rent schedule, and guarantors are told it’s fully signed. In onboarding, the Contract step completes.

Review a signature’s identity

Do this when the Confirm Agreement form says “The contract was sent to…, but [name] verified their identity with…”.

1. Check with the person that the email or mobile they used is theirs.
2. Choose Accept (“Move forward anyways”) or Reject (“Send back for signature again”).

What happens next: if you accept, you can carry on and confirm. If you reject, their signature is cleared and they must sign again. A guarantor gets a new invitation automatically; for a tenant, click Chase pending signers.

Replace or cancel a contract before it’s confirmed

Do this when a proposed contract has a mistake (wrong date, deposit, file or guarantor option).

To replace it:

1. Open the Contract panel (or the onboarding’s Contract step).
2. Click Replace contract.
3. Create the contract again (see Create and send a contract).

To cancel it: click Cancel on the proposed contract and confirm.

What happens next: sending the replacement cancels the old proposed contract; signatures on it are lost, so everyone signs the new one. If you cancel a contract in onboarding, the step goes back to “Create a contract”.

Issue a new agreement on an existing tenancy

Do this to change a confirmed contract: new dates, deposit or rent, or a change of people.

1. If the rent, deposit or dates are changing, update them in the form’s Tenancy Overview (or on the tenancy with Edit).
2. On the room’s Contract panel, click Replace contract.
3. Create the contract with the new details (see Create and send a contract).
4. When everyone has signed, confirm it.

What happens next: the current contract stays in force until the new one is confirmed. Then the new one becomes current (or upcoming, if it starts later) and the old one moves to Previous contracts.

Caution

If the rent or term changes, update the rent schedule in Rent Collection too. A new contract doesn’t change it. To add or swap a person on a joint contract, the outgoing tenant’s tenancy must be ended first, and everyone on the new contract must have the same tenancy status.

Renew a tenancy

Do this when a fixed term is ending. COHO shows an Action “This tenancy expires on…” 60 days before.

1. Agree the new terms with the tenant.
2. Open the Action and click Add new contract, or click Replace contract on the room’s Contract panel.
3. Set Contract Start to the day after the current term ends, and the new Contract End (or Periodic).
4. Create and send the contract as usual.
5. Track it under Menu > Occupancy > renewal (Awaiting Tenant, Awaiting Guarantor, Awaiting Manager).
6. Confirm it when everyone has signed.

What happens next: the new contract shows as Upcoming contract until its start date, then becomes current, and COHO updates the tenancy’s rent, deposit, end date and bills from it. Update the rent schedule if the rent or dates changed.

Add signed files to a contract

Do this to add documents that are already signed and agreed, such as an addendum, to a current contract.

1. On the room’s Contract panel, under Current contract, click Add files to existing bundle.
2. Upload the files under Contract files, Additional supporting files or Guarantor files.
3. Click Attach files.

What happens next: the files are added to the contract and the tenant can see them in their account.

Note

Files added this way aren’t signed in COHO. If a document needs signing, issue it as a new contract, or send it through Communications as a notice.

Find and download a signed contract

1. Open the room page and expand the Contract panel.
2. Under Current contract, Upcoming contract or Previous contracts, open Signed Contracts (or Unsigned Contracts for the files as sent).
3. Download the files.

For a past tenant, open their old tenancy from the room page or search, then its Contract panel. There’s no bulk download.

Help a tenant sign

Share these steps if a tenant asks what to do.

1. Open the email (“Sign your tenancy agreement”) or text from COHO and click Login and Sign (or Register and Sign).
2. Log in with the email the contract was sent to, or create an account with it.
3. Open the contract (in onboarding: View & sign contract) and read it and the additional files.
4. Under Important information, click Acknowledge on each document.
5. For eSignature: click Continue, verify your identity with the code sent to you, enter your name, draw your signature, tick the terms, enter your password and click Sign contract.
6. For a wet signature: download and sign the documents, upload them under Signed contract, and click Sign contract.

What happens next: they see “awaiting confirmation from the manager” until you confirm. Guarantors follow the link in their message instead; they don’t need an account.