Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet Deadline: What Landlords Must Do by 31 May 2026

What Is the Information Sheet and Who Gets It?

The Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 is a government-published document that landlords had to serve on tenants whose assured tenancy immediately before 1 May 2026 had a wholly or partly written record of terms. A tenancy based entirely on a verbal agreement instead required the statutory Written Statement of Terms. The Information Sheet explains how the periodic conversion works and what changed on 1 May 2026.

The duty to serve it comes from Schedule 6, Paragraph 7(2) of the Renters' Rights Act 2025. For tenancies with a wholly or partly written record of terms, it applies whether the tenancy was still within a fixed term or already running as a periodic.

New tenancies created on or after 1 May 2026 are not covered. Those tenants receive a Written Statement of Terms instead.

The Deadline: 31 May 2026

The general statutory deadline was 31 May 2026. A landlord who served a valid Section 8 or Section 21 notice before 1 May has one month after the notice is no longer valid or court proceedings end to give the sheet. There was no general extension or grace period beyond that statutory exception.

The document itself is a specific PDF published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). Landlords could not substitute their own version or use a summary — the requirement was to serve the official document.

How to Serve It (and Prove You Did)

Three delivery methods are accepted under the statutory rules:

• Personal hand delivery — handing the document directly to the tenant
• First-class post — standard Royal Mail to the tenant's address at the property
• Email — but only where the tenant has previously given written consent to receive legal notices electronically

The critical step most landlords overlook is proof of service. The legislation does not just require you to send the document — it expects you to be able to demonstrate that you did. Practical options include:

• A signed and dated receipt from the tenant acknowledging they received the document
• A Certificate of Service (Form N215) completed at the time of delivery
• Recorded delivery receipt if sent by post
• Email delivery confirmation logs with timestamps

Keep this proof indefinitely. If a local housing authority investigates or you need to serve a Section 8 notice later, you may be asked to produce evidence that the Information Sheet was served on time.

What Happens If You Missed It?

If you were subject to the general deadline and failed to serve the Information Sheet by 31 May 2026, two consequences apply:

First, you face a civil penalty of up to £7,000 from your local housing authority. This is an administrative fine — it does not require a court conviction.

Second, a notice restriction kicks in. Until you actually serve the Information Sheet, you cannot issue valid Section 8 possession notices on certain grounds. This means that even if you have a legitimate reason to seek possession, missing the Information Sheet deadline can block your ability to start proceedings.

The good news: serving the document late cures the notice restriction going forward. Once it has been delivered, you regain the ability to serve possession notices. But serving late does not erase the administrative liability for having missed the statutory deadline. The local authority can still impose the financial penalty.

What to Do Right Now If You Are Late

If you have not yet served the Information Sheet, do it immediately:

1. Download the official document from GOV.UK (search for "Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026")
2. Serve it on each tenant using one of the accepted methods above
3. Record the date, method of delivery, and retain proof
4. Keep a copy in your tenancy file

Serving late is always better than not serving at all. It removes the ongoing notice restriction and demonstrates good faith if the local authority does investigate.

How This Fits Into the Bigger Picture

The Information Sheet is just one of several statutory documents the Renters' Rights Act requires. Alongside it, landlords with unwritten or oral tenancies needed to issue a Written Statement of Terms by the same 31 May 2026 deadline. New tenancies need the Written Statement before the tenant moves in, plus the How to Rent guide, EPC, EICR, and gas safety certificate.

Our Renters' Rights Act guide for landlords in England walks through every document, deadline, and form in the order you need them — from the Phase 1 duties already in force through to the PRS Database and Ombudsman registration coming in Phase 2.

See more England guides →