Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet
The Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet is an official government document that landlords and letting agents must give to existing tenants to explain how the Renters' Rights Act 2025 changes their tenancy. It applies to assured and assured shorthold tenancies created before 1 May 2026 that have a written record of terms, and its legal basis is Schedule 6, paragraph 7 of the Act. The official version is published on GOV.UK.
Who must receive it
A copy goes to every tenant named on the agreement where the tenancy is an assured or assured shorthold tenancy, was created before 1 May 2026, and has a wholly or partly written record of terms. Lodgers do not receive it, and a tenancy that was only ever verbal takes a written statement of key terms instead. Where a letting agent manages the property, the agent holds the same duty independently of the landlord.
Why the Information Sheet exists
The sheet is a transitional measure. It tells tenants who were already renting when the Act commenced on 1 May 2026 what is changing, covering the move to periodic tenancies, the abolition of fixed terms and Section 21, the new rules on rent increases, and the right to request a pet. New tenancies granted on or after that date start on the new regime, so they do not need the sheet. From working with self-managing landlords through commencement, the point most often missed is that the duty rests on the document being the exact GOV.UK PDF, served as an attachment or on paper rather than as a link.
Failing to provide it is a breach of a landlord's legal duties and can attract a civil penalty from the local authority, so keeping evidence of what was served and when matters as much as serving it. Our full guide to serving the Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 sets out the deadline, the serving methods, the penalties, and what to do if it has not yet been served.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Information Sheet the same as a written statement?
No. The Information Sheet is the standard government document for existing written tenancies. A tenancy that was based entirely on a verbal agreement before 1 May 2026 takes a written statement of the key terms instead, which is closer to a short-form tenancy agreement.
Did landlords have to serve it by a particular date?
Yes. The sheet had to be served to eligible existing tenants by 31 May 2026. The duty does not lapse for landlords who missed that date, and our blog guide explains the position for late service.
Statutory position stated as at June 2026, following commencement of the Renters' Rights Act 2025 on 1 May 2026.
