Every private landlord in England with an existing written tenancy was required to serve the official Information Sheet on each tenant by 31 May 2026. Penalty for non-compliance: up to £7,000 per tenancy.
⚠️ Deadline passed: The 31 May 2026 deadline for serving the Information Sheet on existing tenants has passed. If you have not yet served it, do so immediately. The obligation does not disappear after the deadline — it remains in force and local authorities can penalise non-compliant landlords. Serve it now and keep proof of service.
The Renters' Rights Act 2025 Information Sheet is an official government document published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). It is a prescribed document — meaning the government specifies exactly what it must say and what form it must take.
The Information Sheet explains to tenants, in plain language, how their tenancy has changed under the Renters' Rights Act 2025 from 1 May 2026. It covers the abolition of Section 21, the conversion of their AST to a Periodic Assured Tenancy, new rent increase rules, pet request rights, and other key changes.
Important: The Information Sheet is a Crown Copyright document. You must serve the actual PDF published by MHCLG — you cannot rewrite it, summarise it, or substitute your own version. A link to the document does not count as valid service. You must serve the PDF itself, either as a printed hard copy or as an email attachment.
The document is freely available to download from GOV.UK. Search "Renters' Rights Act 2025 Information Sheet" on GOV.UK to find the current version. Always use the GOV.UK version — do not use copies hosted by third parties, as these may not be the current prescribed version.
You must serve the Information Sheet if all of the following apply:
You do not need to serve the Information Sheet if:
Letting agents: If a letting agent manages the property on your behalf, the agent also has an independent obligation to serve the Information Sheet. Both the landlord and the agent can be penalised for non-compliance. Do not assume your agent has done this — confirm it in writing.
The prescribed methods of service are:
Methods that do NOT count as valid service:
Where there are multiple tenants named on the tenancy agreement, you must serve the Information Sheet on each named tenant individually — one copy to the household is not sufficient.
Keeping clear evidence that you served the Information Sheet is essential. Local authorities can investigate compliance, and if a dispute arises you need to be able to demonstrate that service took place.
| Method of service | Evidence to keep |
|---|---|
| Email attachment | A copy of the sent email in your email client, showing the attachment, the recipient address, and the date sent. Screenshot or print to PDF and save. |
| Recorded post | Royal Mail tracking confirmation showing delivery to the property. Keep the Post Office receipt and the online tracking confirmation. |
| Hand delivery | A signed acknowledgement from the tenant, or a witness statement if the tenant refuses to sign. A dated photograph of the document being delivered can support your position. |
DocPilot tip: Create a simple record for each tenancy: date served, method of service, tenant name, evidence reference. Store alongside your tenancy documents. If you are a DocPilot Pro subscriber, your compliance calendar includes a reminder to check and update your Information Sheet service records.
Failure to serve the Information Sheet within the required period carries a civil penalty of up to £7,000 per tenancy. This is imposed by the local housing authority, not the courts.
The penalty applies per tenancy — so if you have three properties with three separate tenancies, the maximum exposure is £21,000. There is no overall cap per landlord.
Local authorities have discretion over the amount and whether to impose a penalty at all. Factors they will consider include:
If you have not yet served the Information Sheet, the right course of action is to do so immediately, keep clear proof of service, and be ready to demonstrate that the failure was an oversight that you rectified as soon as possible.
For tenancies granted on or after 1 May 2026, there is no obligation to serve the Information Sheet specifically. However, new tenancies carry their own prescribed documentation requirements:
Serving the Information Sheet was a one-time obligation triggered by the 1 May 2026 commencement of Phase 1 of the Renters' Rights Act 2025. Once served, there is no recurring obligation to re-serve it to the same tenant.
However, your other landlord compliance obligations are ongoing and expanding. Phase 2 of the Renters' Rights Act 2025 — expected from late 2026 — will introduce:
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