Information Sheet Under the Renters' Rights Act: What Landlords Must Serve

What the Information Sheet Is

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 creates two written-information duties. For new assured tenancies created on or after 1 May 2026, landlords must give prescribed information about key terms before signing or otherwise agreeing the tenancy; it can be included in the tenancy agreement. For most existing written tenancies, landlords must give the official "The Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026" to every named tenant by 31 May 2026. An existing tenancy based entirely on a verbal agreement requires the written information instead. The requirements are set out in Statutory Instrument 2026/324.

The Information Sheet explains the tenant's rights and the landlord's obligations under the new periodic tenancy framework. It covers the tenant's right to end the tenancy with two months' notice, the landlord's possession grounds under Section 8, rent increase rules, the bidding ban, deposit protection requirements, and where to get advice.

For an existing tenant who is due the Information Sheet, use the exact current PDF from GOV.UK. For a new tenancy, provide the prescribed written information about the terms; the Information Sheet does not replace it.

The Statement of Terms

For a new tenancy, provide the prescribed written information about its key terms. It may be included in the tenancy agreement or given separately. The required information includes:

• The names of the landlord and tenant
• The address of the property
• The rent amount and payment frequency (monthly, weekly, or other)
• The date the tenancy starts
• Whether any furnished items are included

The written information does not have to be a separate document. If the tenancy agreement contains all the prescribed information, no standalone Statement of Terms is needed. This does not replace the Information Sheet for an existing written tenancy that is subject to that duty.

When to Serve It

For a new tenancy, the written information must be given before you sign the tenancy agreement or otherwise agree to the tenancy. Most existing written tenancies had to receive the Information Sheet by 31 May 2026. If a valid section 8 or section 21 notice was given before 1 May 2026, a later deadline of one month after the notice expires or the court process ends can apply. An existing verbal tenancy requires written information by 31 May 2026.

For practical purposes, give new tenants the written terms before agreeing the tenancy. For an existing tenant due the Information Sheet, provide the exact PDF by an allowed method and keep a dated acknowledgment or other proof of delivery.

What Happens If You Don't Serve It

If you fail to provide required written information or the Information Sheet, the tenant can complain to the local council and you could receive a fine of up to £7,000. The relevant deadline depends on whether the tenancy is new, existing and written, or existing and verbal.

This information duty is separate from other pre-tenancy requirements, including the Energy Performance Certificate, gas safety record, and deposit protection prescribed information. Those documents have their own service rules and may affect possession procedures.

Proving Service

Keep evidence that you served the Information Sheet or written terms. If a possession claim reaches the County Court and service is disputed, that record may be important.

Methods that create a provable record:

• Email with the exact PDF attached, not just a link, sent to the tenant's email address with a read receipt or reply confirming receipt
• A signed acknowledgment form listing the documents applicable to the tenancy (such as the Information Sheet or new tenancy written terms, EPC, gas safety record, and deposit protection prescribed information) with the tenant's dated signature
• Recorded delivery if serving by post — keep the proof-of-delivery receipt

Handing the document to the tenant at a viewing or a key handover without a written acknowledgment makes service harder to prove. If the tenant later disputes receiving it, a dated acknowledgment or other reliable record can help show when and how it was given.

Keeping the Document Current

The Information Sheet is a one-off transitional document for eligible existing tenancies. If the government publishes an updated version during a tenancy, you do not need to re-serve it. If a change creates a new tenancy after 1 May 2026, provide the prescribed written information about the new tenancy's terms before agreeing to it; the Information Sheet does not apply to that new tenancy.

The Advertising and Choosing Tenants in England guide includes a Pre-Tenancy Document Record that tracks the documents applicable to each tenancy — the Information Sheet or new tenancy written terms, EPC, gas safety record, EICR, and deposit protection information — with date-of-service fields and a tenant acknowledgment section.

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