Taking a guarantor in Wales

What is a guarantor?

A guarantor is someone who agrees to pay the rent or damages relating to an occupation contract if the contract-holder is unable to pay. Normally they will be a family member or close personal friend of the contract-holder. Typically they will also be a homeowner in the UK.

In most contracts, a guarantor will not be necessary as most contract-holders pay their rent on time and leave the property in a good state when they leave. However, by securing a guarantor, landlords can have peace of mind that if their contract-holder does breach their obligations they will be able to recoup their losses later on.

Signing up a guarantor

To ensure the guarantor is legally bound to guarantee the terms of the occupation contract, the NRLA provides a deed of guarantee form on this page.

You should ensure that this deed is signed and witnessed prior to signing the occupation contract and issuing it to your contract-holders. You should also ensure that an unsigned, draft copy of the occupation contract has been provided to the guarantors before they sign this agreement.

Renting Homes Wales

As of 1 December 2022, most landlords in Wales can no longer issue a tenancy agreement to tenants. Instead, landlords in Wales must give an occupation contract to their contract-holders. This change comes with new rights and responsibilities, new required clauses, and changes to the ways a contract might end.

As a result, any older guarantor forms you previously used should no longer be used for new occupation contracts. Instead you should use the form below as it has been specifically designed for use with contracts started under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016.