Is tenancy agreement needed for tier1 dependant outside uk

Hi
I am living in UK on a tier1 general visa. My wife is applying for first time for dependant visa (outside UK). I do not have tenancy agreement or bills as I am living with a friend in a shared accommodation. Is tenancy agreement needed for dependant visa these days?

I have gone through lots of previous posts about this and found it was not mandatory in the past(before 2014) when UKBA was handling the visas. But now UKVI is handling it, so if anyone has gone through this during the last 1 year can you please advise if tenancy agreement / bills is mandatory for 1st time application?