Important deadline 31 May 2026 - Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet

For landlords whose tenants occupy under assured shorthold tenancies (AST) or assured tenancies (AT), the Government has now issued the “Information Sheet” which must be sent by landlords to their tenants on or before 31 May 2026 (i.e. within one month of the new assured tenancy regime coming into force).

Key points to note:

• The Information Sheet must be sent in hard copy (by post or personal delivery) or by attaching the pdf (taken from the Government website) to an email. Sending an email with a link to the pdf/website will not suffice. See link below to the relevant webpage which takes you to the Information Sheet.
• The Information Sheet must be sent by the landlord. Agents also have an obligation but even if the same tenant in relation to the same tenancy has been sent the document by the agent, the landlord MUST still send the Information Sheet.
• Landlords should keep a careful and contemporaneous record/proof of providing the Information Sheet. Failure to comply with this obligation is an offence, punishable by a fine of up to £7,000 (for each offence ie each tenancy in question).
• Keep in mind that where you have a “propco/opco” lease in place, the landlord for these purposes is very likely to be the opco.
• The Information Sheet obligation only applies to tenants of ATs or ASTs. There are many aspects to how that is defined - too many to summarise. Here are some common examples of certain features which, if they apply, would mean the tenancy is not an AT or AST and, therefore, do not fall within these Information Sheet requirements:
  • A tenancy granted to corporate entities (or any non-natural person/individual).
  • A tenancy which is not the tenant’s only or principal home.
  • Certain student lettings (eg where a relevant manager is a member of ANUK). The relevant conditions are very convoluted, so care needs to be taken to ensure whether all of the conditions for exemption apply.
  • Licences (if they are, in fact, licences and not tenancies) – but the mere label of “licence” is not conclusive.
  • A tenancy with an annual rent exceeding £100k per annum.
  • A tenancy for a term of 21 years or less but more than 7 years.
• If an AST has come to the end of the fixed term and the tenancy in question is now a statutory periodic tenancy, that still qualifies and those tenants must also receive an Information Sheet.

Further reading:

• The legal requirement relating to the provision of the Information Sheet stems from paragraph 7, schedule 6 of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025. The regulations referred to in that part of the RRA is The Assured Tenancies (Private Rented Sector) (Written Statement of Terms etc and Information Sheet) (England) Regulations 2026.
• The Information Sheet document can be found here. A hard copy can be obtained by contacting the Private Rented Sector team at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, 2 Marsham Street, London, SW1P 4DF.