The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 – Information Sheets and Written Statements published with a deadline: 31 May 2026

Our guide to the Renters' Rights Act 2025 can be downloaded for free:  The Renters' Rights Act 2025

Our webinar on the Renters' Rights Act 2025 can be watched here:  Renters Rights Act 2025 - what you need to know.   

Our hub bringing together all of our Renters' Rights Act 2025 material is here:  The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 hub

From 1 May 2026 landlords will need to give tenants certain written information about key terms of the tenancy.   Our deeper dive into that is here and makes important suggestions about how Information Sheets, Written Information and Prior Notices should be dealt with:  The Renters' Rights Act 2025 - the new requirement to provide an Information Sheet or Written Statement - Burges Salmon

The Information Sheet

The Government has now published the Information Sheet which landlords must provide to their tenants under existing written tenancies by 31 May 2026.  The Information Sheet can be found here:   The Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026

The key points from the Government guidance on the Information Sheet are:

• A landlord must give the Information Sheet to the tenant if the tenancy:

  • is an assured or assured shorthold tenancy

  • was created before 1 May 2026

  • has a wholly or partly written record of terms (including a written tenancy agreement)

• The Information Sheet must be given by 31 May 2026, and defaulting landlords could be fined up to £7,000.

• For landlords who have letting agents managing the property on their behalf, then the agent must also provide the Information Sheet to the tenant, even if the landlord has provided it.

• It does not need to be given to lodgers.

• A copy must be given to every tenant named on the tenancy agreement.

• The Information Sheet is only valid when downloaded from the Government page.  Landlords must give the exact PDF found on the Government website:  The Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026

• Landlords can provide this to tenants by either:

  • printing a hard copy, which is posted or given to the tenant by hand

  • sending the PDF electronically to an email address

  • emailing or texting a link to the PDF to the tenant is not enough - a copy needs to be sent.

• Landlords do not need to change or re-issue existing written tenancy agreements.     

• If there is a tenancy based entirely on a verbal agreement then the Inforamtion Sheet should not be given.  Instead, a landlord must provide a Written Statement.

I have lots of part-written tenancies - am I ok?

• Under the current rules, you will only need to serve an Information Sheet.  Remember - rules can change.
• But - in those circumstances we suggest that you over-comply.  Serve both an Information Sheet and a Written Statement.  Having gaps in the documentation around residential tenancies is not helpful if you want to rely upon those terms, so this is an opportunity to get partly-documented tenancies sorted out.

The Written Statement

• The Government also finalised the list of information that landlords will need to include in the Written Statement, which can be found here: Written_information_that_must_be_given_to_tenants-_landlord_guidance.pdf

• Landlords will need to give this information: 

  • no later than 31 May 2026, for any existing unwritten tenancies

  • when they create a new tenancy on or after 1 May 2026. 

• This will need to be done before the tenancy agreement is signed or otherwise agreed.  

• Failing to provide the required Written Information could result in a fine of up to £7000.

How should I deal with Prior Notices?

Look out for and read our forthcoming deeper dive on Prior Notices.

A Prior Notice is advance notice to a tenant that the landlord may rely on certain special Grounds to seek possession of the property.  They are frequently relevant in rural lettings and lettings to employees.  Landlords should serve a Prior Notice stating the special Grounds they might rely on before the tenancy is entered into.

If a Prior Notice is not served, then the landlord can still reply on the special Grounds, but can be subject to a fine for not having served the Notice.

Our reading of the current legislation is that it contains a gap, as there is nothing obliging a landlord to serve a Prior Notice if an Information Sheet is being served, but Prior Notices are required as part of a Written Statement.

To avoid potential problems further down the line, and to make sure that the position is very clear to a tenant, we suggest:

• All landlords who might rely on Prior Notice grounds should serve their Prior Notices before 31 May 2026.
• These should be served with Information Sheets for written tenancies.
• Where a Written Statement is being served, the Prior Notices should be referred to and served with the Written Statement. 

 

Written with Ryan Small and Lucy Mostyn

Don't miss the deadline for this: 31 May 2026