Rental Laws by Country: 24-Jurisdiction Residential Tenancy Comparison
Residential tenancies are governed by a specific statute in each country — not by general contract law alone. This reference compares 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, with a free, locally-drafted lease template for each.
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 | Real Property Act 1900 (NSW) | 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 Real Property Acts | 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 | Landlord and Tenant (Shops, Hotels and Catering Establishments) Act Cap. 301 | 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 | Land Use Act 1978 (Cap. L5) | Residential Lease Agreement (Nigeria) |
| Pakistan | Punjab Rented Premises Act 2009 | 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 QuГ©bec (CCQ), art. 1851-2000 | Residential Lease (Quebec) |
| Singapore | Land Titles Act 1993 (Cap. 157) | 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; specific deposit caps, notice periods and rent-control rules are set out on each linked country page. All 24 template links verified live on 2026-06-11.
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). The linked country page sets out the specific drafting requirements.
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 in this comparison is drafted to the local statutory minimums.
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. The governing statute in the table is the starting point; the per-country lease page gives the current deposit cap and notice rules for that jurisdiction.
Are these lease templates free?
Yes. forms-legal.com 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.com. The data is curated from our 24-jurisdiction legal document library; the linked country pages carry the full, locally-drafted agreement and the current statutory detail. Templates are free to download as PDF or Word with no signup.