The Information Sheet's Fate: What Landlords Must Still Serve Tenants (and When)

The Information Sheet deadline has passed. Here's what landlords must still serve a tenant — and when — under the Renters' Rights Act, plus what's gone.

The Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet came with a hard deadline — 31 May 2026 — and that date has now been and gone. So landlords are reasonably asking: is that it? What do I actually still have to serve a tenant, and when?

The honest answer is that the Act didn't just add a document to the pile — it reshuffled the whole pack. One document has quietly retired, one was a one-off that's now done, one is a new permanent fixture, and the rest of your compliance paperwork carries on unchanged. Here is the clean picture.

What happened to the Information Sheet

"The Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026" is the government-produced document that explains to existing tenants how the Act changes their tenancy. It was a transitional, one-off requirement: if you had an existing tenancy (created before 1 May 2026) with a written agreement, you had to give your tenants this sheet by 31 May 2026. That deadline has passed, so for most landlords it is a completed obligation — not something you keep doing.

Two things to hold onto:

It is not required for new tenancies. Sign a tenant up today and the Information Sheet is not the document you serve.
One narrow trigger survives. If you served a valid Section 21 or Section 8 notice before 1 May 2026 and that notice later lapses, or court proceedings end without possession, the tenancy becomes periodic — and you then have one month to give that tenant the Information Sheet.

And if you missed the 31 May deadline? You are exposed to a fine of up to £7,000. Serve it now to limit the damage and take advice.

The document that quietly disappeared: How to Rent

For years, the "How to Rent" checklist was a must-serve at the start of every assured shorthold tenancy — and the penalty for getting it wrong was a void Section 21 notice. With assured shorthold tenancies and Section 21 both abolished on 1 May 2026, that requirement has gone with them. GOV.UK formally withdrew the How to Rent guide on 1 May 2026 "due to changes from the Renters' Rights Act", so you no longer need to serve it (it is retained only for the narrow case of a Section 21 notice served before that date). Everything it used to tell tenants now lives inside the new written statement of terms (which is part of why tenancy agreements have grown noticeably longer).

The new permanent fixture: the written statement of key terms

This is the one that replaces the Information Sheet and How to Rent in your day-to-day lettings. For every new tenancy from 1 May 2026, you must give the tenant a written statement of the key terms — and you must do it before the tenancy is entered into, meaning before you sign or otherwise agree it.

It must set out, at minimum:

your name and a postal address where the tenant can serve notices on you;
the property address and the tenancy start date;
the rent, and when it is due;
the tenant's notice period (which can be no more than two months);
the deposit; and
your statutory duties, including gas safety.

The full list is in the schedule to the regulations. You can fold it into the tenancy agreement itself or give it separately — but if you don't provide it, your tenant can complain to the council and you can be fined up to £7,000.

What hasn't changed — the rest of the pack

The Act adds to your obligations; it doesn't sweep the existing ones away. So alongside the written statement, you still serve and maintain, exactly as before:

a valid Gas Safety Certificate;
a valid EPC (rating E or above);
an EICR electrical safety report;
deposit protection in an approved scheme, with the prescribed information given within 30 days; and
a Right to Rent check before the tenancy begins.

The serve checklist, at a glance

What you serve	When	Status now
Written statement of key terms	Before the new tenancy is entered into	New — up to £7,000 if missed
"How to Rent" guide	—	Retired — no longer served
RRA Information Sheet 2026	Existing written tenancies, by 31 May 2026	Done — deadline passed (one narrow s21/s8 trigger remains)
Gas Safety Certificate, EPC, EICR	Start of tenancy, as before	Unchanged
Deposit protection + prescribed info	Within 30 days of taking the deposit	Unchanged
Right to Rent check	Before the tenancy starts	Unchanged

Keeping it straight

The risk now is not a single missed document — it is losing track of which document applies to which tenancy, and when. A new let needs the written statement up front; an old written tenancy needed the Information Sheet by 31 May; a wholly verbal pre-May tenancy needed the written terms by the same date. Get the timing wrong and the £7,000 exposure is the same.

That is the bookkeeping mypy takes off your hands: every tenancy carries its own record of what has been served and when, the written statement is generated to the current regulations, and the audit trail is kept for you — so a council complaint is answered with a date, not a shrug.

Check exactly where your portfolio stands — mypy is free for your first two properties.

Frequently asked questions

Do I still need to send the Information Sheet to tenants?

For most landlords, no — it was a one-off for existing tenants with a deadline of 31 May 2026, which has passed, and it is not required for new tenancies. The one exception is where you served a valid Section 21 or Section 8 notice before 1 May 2026 that later becomes invalid (or proceedings end without possession): the tenancy becomes periodic and you then have one month to serve the Information Sheet.

Do I still have to serve the How to Rent guide?

No. The How to Rent guide is no longer required. Its requirement was tied to assured shorthold tenancies and Section 21, both abolished on 1 May 2026, and its information is now part of the mandatory written statement of terms.

What must I give a new tenant now?

Before the tenancy is entered into, the written statement of key terms. Alongside it, the established documents still apply: a gas safety certificate, a valid EPC, an EICR, deposit protection with prescribed information, and a Right to Rent check.

When must the written statement be given?

Before the tenancy is entered into — that is, before you sign or otherwise agree the tenancy. Failing to provide it can lead to a fine of up to £7,000.

I missed the 31 May 2026 Information Sheet deadline — what now?

You are exposed to a fine of up to £7,000. Serve the Information Sheet to your affected tenants as soon as possible to limit your exposure, and seek advice on your position.

Sources

This article is general guidance, not legal advice. Verify your obligations against current GOV.UK guidance or seek professional advice for your circumstances. Last reviewed 2026-06-29.