What to Keep on the Guarantor File (Deed, Witness, Copy They Were Given)

Keys are out, and the only “guarantor file” is a chat, an unsigned template, or a parent’s email. File the signed deed — a witnessed instrument — or written guarantee, check the witness block if it is a deed, keep dated proof you sent the tenancy they guaranteed, and store a contact card that is not the tenant’s. Tick if they also paid the deposit. That clip sits in this tenancy’s folder.

Saturday at Elsa’s one let in Exeter. On Thursday a parent emailed “I’ll guarantee the rent — go ahead.” Keys went out Monday. She files that email under the tenant’s name. The risk is November: rent two weeks late, and no signed deed, no witness address, no sent-item with the tenancy PDF.

The problem is not that someone offered to guarantee. It is that an email “I’ll guarantee” is not the keep-file once keys are out. Shelter Legal, last updated 1 May 2026: writing plus signature, and a witnessed deed if the tenancy already exists. Typical mistake: treating Thursday’s email as the file.

Disclaimer: IziRento is operations software, not legal advice. Local tenancy rules vary; check a qualified adviser for binding decisions.

How do you file the signed deed instead of the email?

File the signed instrument, not the chat. A verbal “of course I’ll cover it” is not a file. English law treats a guarantee as unenforceable unless it is in writing and signed by the guarantor. If the tenancy already exists, that writing needs to be a deed with a witness at signing.

Do file the original plus a scan labelled guarantor-deed-YYYY-MM-DD.pdf. Write the date signed and whether that was before or after the tenancy was granted. NRLA guidance (updated 1 April 2026): no statutory form; a separate wet-ink deed is best practice. Do not type a new deed here.

For example, Elsa needed that signed page in the tenancy folder, not a mail tag called Tenant. What to keep in a tenancy agreement folder owns the AST versions. This clip sits there labelled on its own. If more than one person is named, all must sign or it binds none. Do not treat a credit-check portal as this file.

What to check on the witness block if it is a deed?

If it was executed as a deed — signed in front of a witness who attests — check the page you keep. The document must say it is a deed. The guarantor signed. The witness signed at the point of signing, physically present, with a legible full name and address including postcode.

Do check those five fields on the face of the page. Law of Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1989 section 1: it must say it is a deed; the individual signs in the presence of a witness who attests. GOV.UK Practice guide 8 (updated 14 September 2026): name and address including postcode must be legible, and a party cannot witness.

Do not let the tenant witness. Do not witness it yourself if you are a party. A safer file is an independent adult, 18 or over, physically in the room. Video-link witnessing is the gap NRLA and the Land Registry flag. If the line is blank, get the document executed properly, then file that page.

How do you prove they were given the tenancy terms?

Keep dated proof you sent the tenancy they guaranteed. They should see both the tenancy and the guarantor agreement before they sign. Save the dated email, or a signed acknowledgement, attaching that tenancy PDF. File the same version that was live when they signed.

Do write the send date on the clip. Shelter’s tenant page (updated 8 June 2026): copies of both documents, read before signing. NRLA: a draft tenancy alongside the deed, and time to read. A later AST in the folder is not proof they saw these terms. Pressure to rush keys is not a reason to skip the send.

Do not rely on “they must have known”. November needs a sent-item, not a hope. LLCR’s keep list (August 2026): keep the version then in force, plus any later written yes. Give them time to read.

Why does a separate contact card beat the tenant’s application?

Store name, postal address, phone and email on a card that is not the tenant’s. When the tenant has left, their inbox is not a service address. Update the card if they move. You need details you will actually use.

Do write a current postal address, not only a mobile. The prescribed-information Order already lists name, address, telephone and email for anyone who paid the deposit. The same four fields are the useful card. Do not park them only inside the tenant’s application form.

Typical mistake: one number from the tenant’s form, then a bounced email in November. Do set a reminder if they move. The deed names a person. The card is how you still reach them.

What to note if they also paid the deposit?

If they paid the deposit, they are a relevant person — anyone who paid the deposit on the tenant’s behalf — and they need the prescribed-information pack, the statutory deposit notice. Tick that on this clip. A guarantor who only guaranteed rent is not automatically a relevant person.

Do file the tick, then open the neighbour. Housing Act 2004 section 213 gives 30 days to serve that pack. How to complete the prescribed-information form owns the send. Do not serve the pack “to be safe” as a substitute for a missing deed.

Which folder should hold the guarantor clip?

Keep this clip in the tenancy folder, labelled separately from the current agreement. Do not start a new AST version to “include” a guarantor. Archive it with that folder when they leave. Success is one labelled file November can open.

Do file later addenda the same way: send a copy and keep the send. A variation should be agreed by them, or it only survives if insubstantial. If rent later rises, keep a copy of what you sent them.

If a guarantee was entered on or after 1 May 2026 and a relevant tenant dies, write a file-note: rent from the death is not guaranteed. Then stop. Limitation Act 1980 gives claim windows — six years for a simple contract, twelve for a specialty, commonly a deed — not a keep-forever duty. In practice: justify, review, then delete or anonymise.

Do file the clip on this let. Success bar: Saturday opens one card — signed deed, witness block, dated send of that tenancy PDF, separate contact card, deposit-payer tick if they paid. Verify that checklist, then stop. Workflow: signed deed → witness block → send-proof → contact card → deposit-payer tick. An IziRento workspace can hold those records next to the lease.