How to Rent guide
The "How to Rent: the checklist for renting in England" is an official government document that landlords in England were previously required to give to tenants at the start of every assured shorthold tenancy, and again on renewal whenever a new version had been published. It set out tenant and landlord rights and responsibilities in plain language and was a prescribed requirement under the Deregulation Act 2015.
Important: the original How to Rent guide was formally withdrawn by the government on 1 May 2026. It has been retained on gov.uk solely for legacy purposes, specifically, for possession proceedings where a valid Section 21 notice was served before 1 May 2026. For all new tenancies and most ongoing tenancies, different documentation requirements now apply.
What changed on 1 May 2026
The Renters' Rights Act 2025 abolished assured shorthold tenancies (ASTs) and Section 21 no-fault evictions on 1 May 2026. With ASTs gone, the statutory framework that made the How to Rent guide a prescribed requirement for Section 21 validity no longer applies to new tenancies. In its place, two new document requirements exist:
For existing tenancies in place before 1 May 2026 - landlords were required to serve the Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 on every assured tenant by 31 May 2026. This is a separate, government-produced four-page document explaining how the Renters' Rights Act affects the tenancy. It must be downloaded from gov.uk and is only valid when obtained from that source. Failure to serve it by the deadline could result in a civil penalty of up to £7,000 and may affect the validity of certain Section 8 possession notices, including Ground 1 and Ground 1A.
For new tenancies starting on or after 1 May 2026 - landlords must provide a Written Statement of Terms before the tenancy is agreed. This covers the landlord's name and address, the rent amount and payment dates, and the deposit details. The How to Rent guide itself is not required for these new tenancies.
Why the guide still matters for legacy claims
For any landlord who served a Section 21 notice before 1 May 2026 and has not yet completed possession proceedings, the How to Rent guide remains relevant. Court proceedings based on those pre-1 May notices must have been started by 31 July 2026. A landlord who failed to serve the correct version of the guide before serving the Section 21 notice may find their notice is invalid. The archived version of the guide is available on gov.uk for these legacy cases.
How to serve the guide (for landlords with legacy Section 21 cases)
For any landlord still relying on a pre-May 2026 Section 21 notice, the following service rules applied and still govern validity:
Version - only the edition current at the time of service is valid; serving an out-of-date version is the same as not serving it at all
Format - hard copy, or PDF by email if the tenant has agreed to receive documents electronically
Recipients - all named tenants on the tenancy agreement must each receive a copy
Proof of service - a signed receipt, an email with a delivery and read receipt, or a dated record of personal service; without proof, a landlord cannot demonstrate compliance if challenged in court.
The How to Rent guide is one of several documents that must be served before or at the start of a tenancy, for a full list, see the August entry on prescribed information.
Proof of service and record-keeping
Whether you are managing a legacy Section 21 claim or tracking compliance under the new regime, keeping a dated record of every document served is non-negotiable. Landlords who use August's compliance checklist can log the date and method of service against each tenancy, creating a timestamped record that is available on demand if a possession notice is ever challenged.
From working with self-managing landlords across the UK, the most common compliance failure we see is not a refusal to serve the guide, it is landlords who cannot prove they served it. A hard copy pushed through a letterbox without a record, or an email forwarded without checking the attachment sent, leaves a landlord unable to defend the service in court. Proof of service is as important as service itself.
For the full landlord move-in sequence, including when to serve the guide, how to record proof of service, and what else must be provided on day one, see the landlord checklist for renting a house.
Statutory context
The How to Rent guide was a prescribed requirement under regulation 2 of the Assured Shorthold Tenancy Notices and Prescribed Requirements (England) Regulations 2015, made under the Deregulation Act 2015. From 1 May 2026, the Renters' Rights Act 2025 removed the statutory basis for this requirement for new tenancies by abolishing ASTs. The Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 is the successor document for existing tenancies. Official guidance, including the withdrawn How to Rent guide archive and the current Information Sheet, is published at gov.uk/private-renting.
Frequently asked questions
Do landlords still need to give the How to Rent guide for new tenancies after May 2026?
No, not in the form in which it previously existed. The original How to Rent guide has been withdrawn and applies only to legacy Section 21 cases. For new tenancies starting on or after 1 May 2026, the statutory requirement is to provide a Written Statement of Terms before the tenancy is agreed, not the old How to Rent guide. Landlords with existing tenancies were required to serve the Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 by 31 May 2026.
Is the Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 the same as the How to Rent guide?
No. They are separate documents serving different purposes. The How to Rent guide explained the general renting process and rights; the Information Sheet explains specifically how the Renters' Rights Act 2025 changes an existing tenancy, including the abolition of Section 21, the move to assured periodic tenancies, and the new rent increase procedure. Both documents must be downloaded from gov.uk; a landlord-produced summary does not satisfy the requirement for either.
Can the How to Rent guide (for legacy cases) be sent by email?
Yes, provided the tenant has agreed in writing to receive tenancy documents electronically. The guide must be sent as a PDF attachment, not a link, unless the link points directly to the current version on gov.uk and the tenant has specifically agreed to receive it that way. Always keep evidence of the email, including the attachment, the send date, and, where possible, a read receipt.
All statutory references reflect the law in England as of 1 May 2026. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 fundamentally changed tenancy documentation requirements from that date. Landlords in Wales should note that renting is governed by the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, which operates a separate framework. This definition does not constitute legal advice.
