A new piece of computer software could stop thousands of landlords from falling foul of the law.

It's part of a determined initiative to provide a jargon-free, plain English tenancy agreement for all the country's 820,000 landlords to use as standard practice.

Most landlords pay high prices to have a Shorthold Tenancy Agreement drawn up - which records the precise terms of a let, agreed by both parties - and some don't use one at all.

So the Residential Landlords Association is giving away their specially developed award-winning agreement - free of charge.

"At best too many landlords are paying a lot of money for something they can now get free," says Alan Ward, Chairman of the Residential Landlords Association.

"At worst, the ones who still don't use any form of tenancy agreement are leaving themselves unnecessarily exposed and vulnerable to legal action that could cost them a lot of time and money.

"And it's disrespectful to deprive tenants of the fair treatment that they have every right to expect.

The RLA - whose members are responsible for over 100,000 rented properties in the UK - teamed up with specialist solicitors and barristers to develop the UK and Euro-friendly agreement in consultation with the Office of Fair Trading. It complies with all legislation to protect the best interests of both landlords and tenants.

And it's been praised by the Plain English Campaign who made it the first such agreement to receive their prestigious Crystal Mark for clarity.

Now it's included in a groundbreaking new piece of user-friendly computer software - and both can be downloaded free from the RLA web site - www.rla.org.uk.

"No-one has ever devoted so much time and money to solve a problem, give total all-round protection and peace of mind and then offer it free of charge," says Alan Ward.

"The quality agreement is a fair, plain English document that defines expectations and obligations so everyone has a clear understanding of their agreement in case a problem arises."

The software programme - which can be updated through the Internet as new legislation comes into force - electronically stores printable agreements for each tenancy ... and even provides a reminder when one is due for renewal.

"The fact that 20% of landlords still don't use any form of tenancy agreement is just not acceptable," says Alan Ward.

"This one is easy, saves time and money ... and it's free. There is no need to go to solicitors, who may not specialise in tenancy or landlord issues, to expensive stationers or do-it-yourself Internet sites.

"So all landlords have every reason to use it."

The agreement and the software will be promoted by the Residential Landlords Association at the Property Investor Show North at Manchester's G-Mex Exhibition Centre next month.

• A range of support services is available to RLA members - including legal advice, credit referencing, training courses, computer software and useful document downloads - on www.rla.org.uk. Tel: 0845 666 5000.

NOTE TO NEWS EDITORS

A COPY OF THE SHORTHOLD TENANCY AGREEMENT AND THE SOFTWARE IS AVAILABLE ON REQUEST.