---
title: "Farm lease: instructions sheet, key terms and drafting checklist (with NSW Agricultural Tenancies Act terms)"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/precedents/agribusiness-and-rural-law/farm-lease-instructions-and-drafting-checklist"
type: "precedent"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "a38-farm-lease-instructions-and-drafting-checklist"
area_id: "A38"
kind: "checklist"
ai_level: "yellow"
version: 1
task_ids: ["A38-T1-R7", "A38-B7-2"]
law_stated_as_at: "2026-10-18"
---

# Farm lease: instructions sheet, key terms and drafting checklist (with NSW Agricultural Tenancies Act terms)

> An instructions sheet and drafting checklist for a lease of farming land: land and water, term and rent review, use restrictions, condition records, improvements, fixtures, entry, termination, and the NSW implied terms…

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/precedents/agribusiness-and-rural-law/farm-lease-instructions-and-drafting-checklist  
Law stated as at: 2026-10-18

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

An instructions sheet and drafting checklist for a lease of farming land: land and water, term and rent review, use restrictions, condition records, improvements, fixtures, entry, termination, and the NSW implied terms that cannot be excluded.

## Key facts

- Kind: Checklist. Steps or checks to work through and tick off.
- Practice area: [Agribusiness & Rural Law](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/agribusiness-and-rural-law.md)
- Jurisdictions: New South Wales, Australia
- AI level: Yellow. AI can help in set ways. A lawyer checks specific points before use.
- Law stated as at: 2026-10-18
- Status: Maintained. Checked on 2026-10-18 against the 4 authorities it cites, for New South Wales and Australia.

## When to use it

Use when taking instructions for, drafting or reviewing a lease or licence of agricultural land. In NSW the Agricultural Tenancies Act 1990 applies to a tenancy of a farm of at least 1 hectare, so check the draft against its implied terms before it goes to the other side.

## Used for these tasks

- [Draft or review a farm lease](https://ailawframework.com/practice/agribusiness-and-rural-law.md#A38-T1-R7)
- [Draft a rural lease from structured instructions](https://ailawframework.com/practice/agribusiness-and-rural-law.md#A38-B7-2)

## How AI may be used

AI may turn completed instructions into a first draft and check a draft against this list; the lawyer checks every term against the instructions, the searches and the Act before the lease is issued or signed.

**AI may:**

- Populate the instructions sheet from emails, the term sheet and title searches
- Compare a draft or the other side's lease against each checklist item and list gaps
- Extract lot and DP numbers, areas, water licences and encumbrances from searches into the schedule

**AI must not:**

- Must not fill missing commercial terms (rent, review method, term, restrictions) with assumed or typical figures
- Must not draft a term that excludes the tenant's compensation, fixtures or notice rights under the NSW Act
- Must not advise on stamp duty, land tax or primary production tax status

**The lawyer checks:**

- Whether the Act applies (farm of at least 1 hectare used mostly for agricultural purposes) and whether the arrangement is a lease or a licence
- Termination and notice terms align with s 14, including year-to-year tenancies and the end of the annual cropping program
- Water entitlements, bores and infrastructure are expressly included or excluded, and any mortgagee consent is obtained
- Improvements, compensation and fixtures terms are fair and consistent with the Act

## Authorities

- [Agricultural Tenancies Act 1990 (NSW) ss 4 to 13 (definitions; improvements with and without consent; tenant's fixtures; owner's entry; condition records; accounts)](https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-1990-064)
- [Agricultural Tenancies Act 1990 (NSW) s 14 (termination of fixed-term, periodic and year-to-year tenancies)](https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-1990-064)
- [Agricultural Tenancies Act 1990 (NSW) Part 3 (compensation) and s 27 (contracting out void)](https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-1990-064)
- [GRDC, Leasing and share farming land fact sheet (February 2025)](https://grdc.com.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0029/618806/leasing-and-share-farming-land-grdc-20250221.pdf)

## Full text and drafting notes

The full text and the drafting notes are not part of this public page. Signed-in firm accounts can read them at https://ailawframework.com/precedents/agribusiness-and-rural-law/farm-lease-instructions-and-drafting-checklist and through the signed-in MCP connector https://ailawframework.com/mcp/firm.

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*