An information sheet detailing the responsibilities of private landlords and letting agents in England in complying with the Renters Rights Act has been published by the government. The official document must be provided to tenants by 31 May 2026.
The Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 is designed to give tenants helpful, practical advice on each of the changes and what it means for their tenancy agreement. The guide breaks down the key information tenants need to know as part of the implementation of the act, from stronger protections against rent increases to better rights to request pets, scrapping Section 21 evictions, fixed-term assured tenancies and more.
Ben Twomey, chief executive of Generation Rent, described the act as a “major step towards re-balancing power between renters and landlords.” Ben Beadle, Chief Executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, said the association welcomes the document, which would “ensure landlords are fully prepared for the Renters’ Rights Act,” providing vital assurance and clarity about what they need to do next.
Failure to provide the information could result in a fine of up to £7,000. The information sheet must be given out if the tenancy is an assured or assured shorthold tenancy, if it was created before 1 May 2026, or has a wholly or partly written record of terms (including a written tenancy agreement). A copy must be given to every tenant named on the tenancy agreement but it cannot be emailed or texted to the tenant. The information must be provided in hard copy either by hand or posted.
The legislation does not require any change or reissuing of an existing written tenancy agreement. If a tenancy is based entirely on a verbal agreement made before 1 May 2026, the information sheet is not necessary. Instead, landlords or their agent must provide a written statement setting out the key terms of their tenancy and other information, which is separately located on gov.uk, by 31 May 2026.
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The Information Sheet can be sent electronically to the tenants as an attachment to an email or text message. What is not allowed is for it to be sent as a link to the document in an email or text.