What to Keep in a Tenancy Agreement Folder So Versions Do Not Get Lost

The problem is one WhatsApp “final PDF”, a half-scan of the signature page, and an unsigned rent-change email in a mixed property drawer. When someone asks which version is current, you open three inboxes. Open one folder for this letting: signed current agreement, dated superseded versions, addenda next to the clause they change, and dated proof the current pack left the building.

Saturday. Sadie’s one let in Bristol. The 2024 AST — an assured shorthold tenancy, the written agreement for this letting — lives as contract-final.pdf in a property Dropbox that also holds the CP12. In March 2025 she emailed a rent-change letter; nobody signed it. November: the tenant says the rent on the 2024 PDF is still the rent.

After 1 May 2026 you do not reissue a pre-existing written AST just because it became periodic. GOV.UK Information Sheet (updated 8 June 2026): the legislation does not require you to change or re-issue any existing written tenancy agreement. In practice the How to Rent guide was withdrawn on 1 May 2026. Typical mistake — and a risk: treating a rewrite, or that old booklet, as this Saturday’s job.

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

Why does one folder per tenancy beat a mixed property drawer?

A tenancy file is one letting: address, named tenant or tenants, start year. Certificates and last year’s other occupant stay out of this how-to. If a previous folder is still mixed in, archive it first. November should open this pack, not a property junk drawer.

Do name the folder by address, tenant and year. Do not overwrite the last tenant when the next one moves in. Essential Property Options (updated September 2026): a separate folder for every tenancy; archive the previous file. Renters Rights Toolkit (reviewed 8 August 2026): property file for the house; tenancy file for the written agreement, Information Sheet and updates.

For example, Sadie needed 12-Bristol-Terrace_Jones_2024, not a Dropbox labelled Certificates that also held the gas record.

How do you store signed tenancy agreement versions so none get overwritten?

Keep the signed current PDF labelled current plus its date. Keep every earlier signed PDF as superseded with the date it stopped being live. A draft, an unsigned v2, and the executed file are three different things. Do not leave them as AST-final-final.pdf.

Do keep the version date, the signed copy, and any later acknowledgement. Do not overwrite the live file. LandlordReady (30 March 2026): keep the original signed version, including addendums. After conversion, keep the old AST with later written information — it still shows parties, rent and signatures.

A last-page scan is a signature fragment, not the agreement. Date it incomplete and chase the full signed PDF the same sitting.

What to file next to the clause: addendum or side letter?

An addendum is a signed paper attached to the existing agreement that changes one clause. A side letter is a short signed note next to a clause without rewriting the whole contract. File it on this tenancy, next to the clause it changes, with the effective date.

Do attach, sign and date. Do not rewrite the whole AST for a minor change. Alan Boswell (2 June 2026): attach the addendum; both sides sign and date; the 1 May 2026 change was automatic. Identify the original, the clause, the new wording, the effective date. Rentila (13 September 2026): several addenda can sit on the same agreement.

A rent-change letter sits next to the rent clause. File a later Form 4A here too — then stop. An unsigned “we’ll put it up in April” email is a draft.

How do you prove the tenant received the current pack?

Proof is a dated send of the current pack: exact PDF attached, every named tenant, sent-item or signed acknowledgement in the same folder. A WhatsApp “cheers” or a portal login is not the send. Write five fields when the copy goes out: document, who, method, time, evidence.

Do attach the PDF. Do not send only a link. GOV.UK: exact PDF to every named tenant, hard copy or attached — a link is not valid. Same habit for the agreement pack. Borrow the send-log from the safety-certificate proof file — not the gas clocks.

For a new tenancy from 1 May 2026, GOV.UK written-information guidance (published 1 May 2026): written key terms before you sign or otherwise agree. For a pre-1 May written AST, keep it; file the Information Sheet send if you have it. Shelter (updated 1 May 2026): no standard form; a council fine of up to £7,000 is cite-only here.

What to leave out of this folder?

This card is storage and versions, not a drafting school or a certificate cupboard. Gas, EICR and EPC have their own how-tos. Right to Rent is a different file — not this H1. Link those neighbours and stop.

Do link the neighbour and stop. The day-one welcome pack is contacts, boiler, bins. The deposit scheme reference and prescribed-information form sit next door. The check-in inventory is not this folder’s job. How to Rent is withdrawn. This card is England. Then stop.

When to archive the folder after they leave?

Archive the whole folder on move-out. Do not overwrite it with the next tenant. Keep it while you still have a reason — tax records and a possible contract claim — then review and delete. Do not invent one statutory “keep every AST for six years” clock.

Do keep supporting rental records while HMRC still needs that tax year. HMRC (updated 19 March 2025): at least 5 years after the 31 January deadline — 2022–23 filed by 31 January 2024 → end of January 2029. Limitation Act 1980 s.5: six years from the cause of action is a claim window, not a keep-forever duty. ICO: no fixed GDPR period; justify, review, then delete.

Success bar: Saturday opens one folder, names the current signed PDF, sees dated superseded versions, finds the rent-change letter next to the rent clause, and has a dated send for the current pack. Verify that checklist, then stop. Workflow: Open one tenancy folder → File signed current + dated superseded → File each addendum next to the clause → Attach PDF and log the send → Archive on move-out → Stop. An IziRento workspace can hold those PDFs and the sent-item path on the same lease.