How to rent guide
The “How to rent” guide is an official government leaflet (“How to rent: the checklist for renting in England”) that landlords in England must give to most new assured shorthold tenants at the start of a tenancy, and again when it renews if a new version has been published. It explains tenants’ and landlords’ rights and responsibilities in plain language.
From a landlord’s perspective, serving the current version of the guide is more than good practice – it is a legal pre-condition for using certain possession routes. Under the Renters’ Rights Act framework and earlier legislation. Failure to provide it in the correct way can restrict or delay the landlord’s ability to regain possession and may be raised in a defence to eviction. You can provide this to tenants as a hard copy or PDF by email, with the tenant's agreement.
Landlords should:
Download the latest edition from GOV.UK before each new tenancy.
Record how and when it was given, for example, email with read receipt or a signed receipt.
Make sure any joint tenants all receive it.
Providing the “How to rent” guide does not replace the tenancy agreement or other prescribed information documents, such as deposit protection and safety information, but it is a key part of a compliant tenancy set-up.
