A tenancy agreement is a contract between you (the tenant) and your landlord.
In return for money (rent) the landlord offers you a place to live.
Both you and your landlord sign the tenancy agreement before you move into the property.
If you want to share the responsibilities of being a tenant with another person (e.g. your partner), you can apply for a joint tenancy.
The type of tenancy you have depends on things like:
- whether your landlord is a council or housing association
- whether you are a new council or housing association tenant
- the type of property you live in
The different tenancies can be similar in many ways (like the need for you to pay rent on time) but they also have important differences.