Sign a tenancy agreement online — with an important caveat

You have agreed terms with a tenant or landlord and need to get the tenancy agreement signed. Meeting in person is inconvenient, posting takes days, and you want to get the keys handed over. An electronic signature seems like the obvious solution.

Quill can send a tenancy agreement for electronic signature at £1.99 per document. However, whether an electronic signature is legally sufficient for your specific tenancy agreement depends on how the agreement is structured. Read the section below before sending.

When electronic signatures work for tenancy agreements

Assured shorthold tenancies (ASTs) — the most common type of residential tenancy in England and Wales — do not legally require a deed or a witnessed signature. An AST can be created orally, in writing, or electronically. For tenancies of three years or less, an electronic signature is generally sufficient.

Periodic tenancies that arise after a fixed term expires do not require any new signature at all, but if you are documenting new terms, an electronic signature is valid.

When electronic signatures may not be sufficient

If in doubt

If you are unsure whether your tenancy agreement can be signed electronically, check with your letting agent or solicitor before sending. Quill does not provide legal advice.

For standard ASTs of three years or less, an electronic signature through Quill is legally valid under the Electronic Communications Act 2000 and retained UK eIDAS regulation. Each signed document includes a full audit trail with timestamps, IP addresses, consent records, and a SHA-256 tamper-evidence hash. For more on how electronic signatures compare to pen-and-paper, see electronic vs wet signatures.

How to send a tenancy agreement

  1. Upload the tenancy agreement as a PDF
  2. Add the landlord and tenant as signers
  3. Place signature fields for each party
  4. Pay £1.99 and send

Both parties receive an email with a secure link. They sign in their browser without creating an account. The completed PDF — with an audit trail page — is emailed to everyone. The cost is £1.99 per document.

How it works

Three steps. Under five minutes.

01

Upload your PDF

Drop in the contract, agreement, or document you need signed. Any standard PDF works.

02

Place signature fields

Add your signers and click where each person needs to sign. Assign fields to the right people.

03

Pay and send

Pay and your signers receive an email with a secure link. They sign in their browser — no account needed.

Pricing

£1.99 per document

No subscription. No monthly fee. No account balance. You pay when you send, and only when you send.

  • Up to 10 signers per document
  • Legally binding in the UK, EU, and US
  • Full audit trail with timestamps
  • Signed PDF emailed to all parties
  • 30-day signing window
  • SHA-256 tamper-evidence hash

Legal validity

Legally binding in the UK, EU, and US

Quill produces Simple Electronic Signatures (SES), recognised under the Electronic Communications Act 2000 (UK), EU eIDAS Regulation, and the US ESIGN Act. SES are legally valid for the vast majority of commercial contracts and agreements.

Audit trail

Every signed document includes a certificate page recording signer names, emails, timestamps, IP addresses, and consent records.

Tamper evidence

A SHA-256 hash of the completed PDF is computed and stored. Any modification to the document after signing is detectable.

6-year retention

Audit data and signed documents are retained for 6 years, then permanently deleted.

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