Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet: The 31 May 2026 Deadline

The UK Government published the Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet on 20 March 2026. Private landlords in England with an existing written tenancy had to give it to every named tenant by 31 May 2026, on pain of a civil penalty of up to £7,000. That date has passed. If you served it, keep your evidence. If you did not, serve it now: the obligation has not lapsed, and a late copy on file is a much better position than none.

This guide covers what the sheet is, whether it applies to your tenancy, and how to serve it correctly, including the email attachment rule that most landlords get wrong.

For the full picture of what changed, see our Renters' Rights Act overview and the action plan for landlords.

⚠️ The deadline was 31 May 2026. Failure to issue the Information Sheet to existing tenants carries a civil penalty of up to £7,000.

What Is the Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet?

The Information Sheet is a 4-page PDF published by the UK Government on 20 March 2026 and available to download from gov.uk. Its legal basis is Schedule 6, Paragraph 7 of the Renters' Rights Act 2025.

The document explains to tenants what changed under the Act on 1 May 2026: the abolition of the fixed term, the end of Section 21 'no-fault' evictions, new notice periods, updated rent increase rules, and tenants' new right to request a pet. Think of it as a replacement for the How to Rent booklet, but specific to the RRA transition.

You must use the official PDF from gov.uk. You cannot modify it, adapt it, or substitute a third-party version.

The document gives a plain-English summary of what changed on 1 May 2026 so that tenants understand their rights under the new framework.

Do You Need to Send It?

Run through this checklist first. You must send the Information Sheet if all of the following apply:

✅ You are a private landlord in England ✅ The tenancy is an assured or assured shorthold tenancy (AST) ✅ The tenancy was created before 1 May 2026 ✅ There is a wholly or partly written record of the tenancy terms

You do not need to send it if:

• The tenancy is based entirely on a verbal/oral agreement made before 1 May 2026 (see FAQ below, you have a different obligation)
• Your tenant is a lodger and not an assured tenant
• You let purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA)
• Your tenancy was created on or after 1 May 2026, in which case a Written Statement of Terms applies instead

One copy per property is not enough. You must send a copy to every individual named on the tenancy agreement. If four tenants are named, four copies must be issued (source: NRLA).

How to Serve the Information Sheet, Step by Step

Step 1, Download the Official PDF

Download the Information Sheet directly from the official gov.uk publication page: 👉 gov.uk/government/publications/the-renters-rights-act-information-sheet-2026

The file is 282KB and runs to 4 pages. Do not send a third-party hosted version, a reformatted copy, or a screenshot. If the document has been updated since you last downloaded it, download a fresh copy.

Step 2, Serving in Person or by Post

You can print a hard copy and either:

• Hand-deliver it directly to the tenant at the property, or
• Post it to the tenancy address

If you post it, use Royal Mail Tracked or Signed For so you have proof of delivery. A standard second-class letter with no tracking record is risky, if a tenant later denies receiving it, you have no evidence. Keep the proof of postage receipt with your property records.

Step 3, Serving by Email or Text, The Rules

⚠️ Attachment, not link. This is the rule most landlords get wrong.

If you serve electronically, email or text, you must attach the PDF directly to the message. Sending a link to the document (even a gov.uk link) is not valid electronic service. The legislation requires that you give the tenant the document, and a link does not constitute giving it to them (source: NRLA, gov.uk publication page).

There is a second requirement for electronic service: either

• the tenant must respond to confirm receipt, or
• your tenancy agreement must contain a clause expressly permitting electronic service

If neither condition is met, electronic service is not valid.

Step 4, Confirm and Document Compliance

Documentation is what separates a defended position from an undefended one if a penalty notice arrives.

Recommended covering email:

Dear [Tenant Name],

As required by the Renters' Rights Act 2025, please find attached the official Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet published by the UK Government on 20 March 2026.

Please reply to this email to confirm you have received it. If you have any questions about the changes described in the document, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

[Your name]

After sending:

• Save the sent email including the attached PDF, with a timestamp
• Chase for confirmation, if no reply within 7 days, follow up. If still no reply, send a hard copy by tracked post as a backup
• Log the send in your property management records: date sent, method used, whether confirmation received
• If you use a letting agent: confirm in writing that they have also issued the sheet (see FAQ below)

What Happens If You Missed the 31 May 2026 Deadline?

Missing the deadline exposes you to a civil penalty issued by your local council:

• First breach: up to £7,000
• Continuing non-compliance more than 28 days after the first penalty: up to £40,000, or criminal prosecution

These figures are confirmed by both the gov.uk press release and the NRLA. The enforcement mechanism is the same as for EPC non-compliance, local council civil penalties, so if you've been following the EPC compliance space, you know how EPC fines are enforced by local councils.

There is no published guidance confirming whether issuing the sheet late, after a penalty notice but before 28 days, eliminates further liability. Do not treat lateness as a safe position. If the sheet is still not served, serve it today and document it.

FAQs

Does This Apply to HMOs?

Yes. If you have a written HMO tenancy created before 1 May 2026, every tenant named on the agreement must receive a copy. If five tenants are named, five copies must be served.

I Have a Verbal Tenancy, What Should I Do?

If your tenancy before 1 May 2026 is based entirely on an oral agreement, no written record at all, you are exempt from issuing the Information Sheet. However, this does not mean you have no obligation. You must instead provide a Written Statement of Terms covering the minimum tenancy information required under the Act. This is a distinct requirement from the Information Sheet and has its own documentation standards. Check the NRLA guidance for the required content.

I Use a Letting Agent, Do I Still Need to Send It?

The obligation is dual. If your agent manages the property, the agent also has a legal duty to issue the Information Sheet, even if you have already issued it yourself. This does not mean you are off the hook. If your agent fails to issue it, you remain exposed to the civil penalty as the landlord. Confirm with your agent in writing that they will issue the document and ask for evidence that it has been served.

My New Tenant Signed After 1 May 2026, Do I Need to Send It?

No. Tenancies created from 1 May 2026 operate under the new Assured Periodic Tenancy (APT) framework. Instead of the Information Sheet, you must provide a Written Statement of Terms, the APT equivalent of the old AST agreement. The Information Sheet applies only to tenancies created before 1 May 2026.

What Does the Information Sheet Say About EPCs?

Nothing that changes your EPC duties. The Information Sheet is about tenancy rights: fixed terms, possession grounds, notice periods, rent increases and pets. The Renters' Rights Act sets no EPC standard at all. Energy efficiency in the private rented sector is governed by a separate regime, the MEES regulations, under which the minimum band to let is E and has been since 1 April 2020.

How This Sits Alongside Your EPC Position

The two regimes are separate, and it is worth not confusing them when a tenant asks. Your EPC duty today is band E. Government has said it intends to require band C in the private rented sector from 1 October 2030, but that needs an Act of Parliament and then a statutory instrument, neither of which has happened, so it is policy rather than law.

That said, the sheet is a reasonable prompt to check where your property stands. If you have not assessed your current EPC rating or estimated what it would cost to reach band C, doing both now gives you a real number to plan against instead of a deadline anxiety. Mortgage lenders are already factoring EPC ratings into buy-to-let lending decisions, which is a live commercial reason to know your rating regardless of what Parliament does. Start with our EPC predictor tool.

Next Steps

1. Download the official Information Sheet: 👉 gov.uk/government/publications/the-renters-rights-act-information-sheet-2026

2. Check your EPC position: Use the EPCGuide EPC checker to find out where your property stands and use our cost calculator to estimate what it would cost to reach band C. 👉 Check your EPC rating →