Rental Laws by Country: Residential Tenancy Statute and Free Lease Template in 24 Jurisdictions
Residential tenancies are governed by a specific statute in each country — not by general contract law alone. This page lists the primary governing act for 24 jurisdictions, from the UK Housing Act 1988 and Germany's BGB tenancy rules to Brazil's Lei do Inquilinato and Spain's Ley de Arrendamientos Urbanos, and links to a free lease template for each. It does not list deposit caps or notice periods; read the cited statute for those.
Why residential tenancy law differs by country
Unlike commercial leases, residential tenancies are heavily regulated to protect tenants. The governing statute fixes mandatory terms a private contract cannot override — security-deposit caps, minimum notice periods, permitted grounds for eviction, and rent-increase limits. These rules vary sharply between common-law jurisdictions (where the tenancy agreement does most of the work) and civil-law systems (where the civil code or a dedicated rent act prevails). A lease that is valid in one country can be unenforceable in another, which is why the template differs per jurisdiction.
Governing statute & free template by country
| Country | Primary governing statute | Free lease template |
|---|---|---|
| Argentina | Law 27.551 as amended by Law 27.737; CCyC Arts. 1187–1226 | Residential Lease Agreement Argentina (Contrato de Locación de Vivienda) |
| Australia | Residential Tenancies Act 2010 (NSW) and the equivalent Act of each state and territory | Residential Tenancy Agreement (Australia) |
| Austria | Mietrechtsgesetz (MRG) BGBl Nr. 520/1981; ABGB §§1090–1121 | Wohnungsmietvertrag Österreich |
| Brazil | Lei nº 8.245/1991 (Lei do Inquilinato) | Residential Lease Agreement Brazil (Contrato de Locação Residencial) |
| Canada | Provincial and territorial residential tenancy legislation (for example Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 (Ontario); Residential Tenancy Act (British Columbia)) | Residential Tenancy Agreement (Canada) |
| Chile | Ley N° 18.101 sobre Arrendamiento de Predios Urbanos | Residential Lease Agreement Chile (Contrato de Arriendo) |
| Colombia | Ley 820 de 2003; Codigo Civil arts. 1973-2035; Ley 56 de 1985 (Ley de Arrendamientos Urbanos) | Residential Lease Agreement Colombia (Contrato de Arrendamiento de Vivienda) |
| Germany | BGB §575 (Zeitmietvertrag); BGB §550 (Schriftform >1 Jahr); BGB §573c (Kündigungsfristen); BGB §551 (Kaution) | Zeitmietvertrag Deutschland (Befristeter Mietvertrag §575 BGB) |
| Ghana | Rent Act 1963 (Act 220) | Residential Lease Agreement (Ghana) |
| Hong Kong | Landlord and Tenant (Consolidation) Ordinance (Cap. 7) | Residential Tenancy Agreement (Hong Kong) |
| India | Transfer of Property Act, 1882 | Residential Lease Agreement (India) |
| Kenya | Land Act, 2012 (No. 6 of 2012); Rent Restriction Act (Cap. 296); Law of Contract Act (Cap. 23) | Residential Lease Agreement (Kenya) (Leases) |
| Malaysia | National Land Code 1965 (Act 56) | Tenancy Agreement (Malaysia) |
| Mexico | Código Civil Federal art. 2398 | Residential Lease Agreement Mexico (Contrato de Arrendamiento de Vivienda) |
| Nigeria | State tenancy laws (for example Tenancy Law of Lagos State 2011); Land Use Act 1978 (Cap. L5) | Residential Lease Agreement (Nigeria) |
| Pakistan | Punjab Rented Premises Act 2009 (Punjab only; Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan have separate rent laws) | Residential Lease Agreement (Pakistan) |
| Philippines | Rent Control Act (RA 9653) | Residential Lease Agreement (Philippines) |
| Portugal | Novo Regime do Arrendamento Urbano — Lei nº 6/2006 de 27 de fevereiro; Código Civil artigos 1022.º a 1113.º; Lei nº 56/2023 de 6 de outubro (Mais Habitação) | Residential Lease Agreement Portugal (Contrato de Arrendamento Habitacional) |
| Quebec | Civil Code of Québec (CCQ), art. 1851-2000 | Residential Lease (Quebec) |
| Singapore | Common law (no residential tenancy statute); Stamp Duties Act 1929 (stamp duty on leases) | Private Residential Tenancy Agreement (Singapore) |
| Spain | Ley de Arrendamientos Urbanos (Ley 29/1994) | Residential Lease Agreement Spain (Arrendamiento de Vivienda) |
| Switzerland | Schweizer Obligationenrecht (OR) Art. 253-273c (Miete, SR 220); Verordnung über die Miete und Pacht von Wohn- und Geschäftsräumen (VMWG) SR 221.213.11; OR Art. 257e (Kaution); OR Art. 266c (Kündigungsfrist Wohnhäuser) | Mietvertrag Einfamilienhaus Schweiz (OR Art. 253-273c; VMWG) |
| United Kingdom | Landlord and Tenant Act 1985; Housing Act 1988 | Assured Shorthold Tenancy Agreement (England & Wales) |
| United States | Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (URLTA) | Lease Agreement |
Statutes shown are the primary governing act, compiled on 2026-06-11 and not re-checked since. Deposit caps, notice periods and rent-control rules are not listed here; check the current official text of the cited statute.
Frequently asked questions
Which law governs a residential lease in each country?
Residential tenancies are governed by national or sub-national statute, not by general contract law alone. This table lists the primary governing act for 24 jurisdictions — for example the Housing Act 1988 (England & Wales), Lei nº 8.245/1991 (Brazil), the Ley de Arrendamientos Urbanos (Spain) and the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (United States).
Is a written lease legally required?
Most jurisdictions recognise oral residential tenancies, but a written lease is strongly recommended (and in several countries mandatory above a certain term) because it fixes the rent, term, deposit and notice periods that the governing statute would otherwise imply. Each country template refers to that country's tenancy statute.
Do deposit limits and notice periods differ by country?
Yes — statutory caps on security deposits and minimum notice periods for termination vary widely between jurisdictions and are among the most common sources of dispute. This page does not list them: the governing statute in the table is the starting point, and its current official text gives the deposit and notice rules for that jurisdiction.
Are these lease templates free?
Yes. Forms Legal provides a free, jurisdiction-specific residential lease template for every country in this comparison, downloadable as PDF or Word with no signup required.
About this comparison
Each entry maps a jurisdiction to its primary residential-tenancy statute and to the matching free lease template on Forms Legal. The entries come from our 24-jurisdiction legal document library; the linked country pages carry the full agreement for that country. Templates are free to download as PDF or Word with no signup. No individual template is reviewed by a lawyer, and this is reference information, not legal advice.