Landlord documents checklist
4 templates
Free
Landlord documents checklist templates
England
Wales
Scotland
Northern Ireland
Fillable PDF
Complete on screen or print and sign
A signed record of documents given
Checked October 2026
Choose your nation
Choose the template for your nation below. Each is a fillable PDF you can complete on screen or print and sign.
England
Move-in Documents Record
A signed record of the documents you give the tenant at the start of a tenancy in England, when you gave them and how. Several carry penalties if you can’t show they were given, so keep this with the tenancy in August. It complements the inventory and the deposit information form; it doesn’t replace them. This checklist is intended for new private rented sector assured tenancies in England entered into on or after 1 May 2026. Other types of letting and existing tenancies may have different requirements.
Written statement
Before the tenancy
Gas and electrical
Before move-in
Deposit information
30 days
Wales
Move-in Documents Record
A signed record of the documents you give the contract-holder at the start of an occupation contract in Wales, when you gave them and how. Several carry penalties if you can’t show they were given, so keep this with the occupation contract in August. It complements the inventory and the deposit information form; it doesn’t replace them. This checklist is intended for new standard occupation contracts with a private landlord in Wales. Other types of letting may have different requirements.
Written statement
14 days
Electrical report
14 days
Possession notices
Barred
Scotland
Move-in Documents Record
A signed record of the documents you give the tenant at the start of a tenancy in Scotland, when you gave them and how. Several carry penalties if you can’t show they were given, so keep this with the tenancy in August. It complements the inventory and the deposit information form; it doesn’t replace them. This checklist is intended for new private residential tenancies in Scotland. Other types of letting may have different requirements.
Written terms and notes
Day 1
Tribunal award
Up to 6 months
Deposit information
30 working days
Northern Ireland
Move-in Documents Record
A signed record of the documents you give the tenant at the start of a tenancy in Northern Ireland, when you gave them and how. Several carry penalties if you can’t show they were given, so keep this with the tenancy in August. It complements the inventory and the deposit information form; it doesn’t replace them. This checklist is intended for new private tenancies in Northern Ireland. Other types of letting may have different requirements.
Tenancy information notice
28 days
Deposit
28 / 35 days
Before move-in
Gas, EICR
Documents to give a new tenant in England
Documents to give a new tenant in England
Written statement of terms: before the tenancy is entered into. Penalty up to £7,000.
Gas safety record: before the tenant moves in, if there is a gas appliance. See our gas safety certificate guide.
Electrical safety report: before the tenant moves in. See EICR.
Energy performance certificate: free, at the earliest opportunity. See EPC.
Prior notice of possession grounds: before the tenancy begins, where a ground requires it.
Deposit prescribed information: within 30 days of receiving the deposit, using our prescribed information template.
Licence documents: anything an HMO or selective licence requires.
The written statement must include an address in England or Wales where the tenant can serve notices on you, which usually covers your section 48 notice.
Is the How to Rent guide still required?
No. The government withdrew the How to Rent guide on 1 May 2026, when the Renters’ Rights Act reforms began. The Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet was only for tenancies that already existed on that date. For a new tenancy, the written statement of terms does that job.
Documents to give a new contract-holder in Wales
Written statement of the occupation contract: within 14 days of the occupation date. Compensation of a day’s rent for each day late, generally capped at two months.
Notice of the landlord’s address: within 14 days, on form RHW2.
Electrical condition report: a valid report from the occupation date, with a copy within 14 days.
EPC and gas safety record: before the contract and before occupation.
Inventory: within 14 days, unless that supplementary term has been omitted or modified.
Prescribed information: within 30 days of the deposit being paid.
Missing documents can stop you giving a no-fault notice under section 173 or 186, and a late written statement keeps that bar in place for six months.
Documents to give a new tenant in Scotland
Written terms and the required notes: by the end of the day the tenancy starts. Use the Easy Read Notes with the Scottish Government model agreement, or the Statutory Terms Supporting Notes with your own.
EICR and PAT record: before or at the start of the tenancy, where you supply appliances.
Gas safety record and EPC: before the tenant moves in.
Repairing Standard information: including any outstanding work needed to meet it. See Repairing Standard.
Legionella risk assessment information: evidence you assessed the risk, with any control measures. See legionella risk assessment.
Deposit required information: within 30 working days of the start.
Our Scotland landlord guide covers the private residential tenancy in full.
Documents to give a new tenant in Northern Ireland
Tenancy information notice: free, on the prescribed form, within 28 days of granting the tenancy.
Gas safety record and electrical safety report: before the tenant moves in.
EPC: at the marketing or viewing stage, and to the successful tenant before the tenancy.
Deposit prescribed information: within 35 days of receiving the deposit.
If the tenant pays in cash, you must give a written receipt for every payment, since rent books are no longer required.
What the checklist covers
1
The tenancy or occupation contract: who and where
2
Documents given: tick each one as it is given
3
Receiving documents by email: optional
4
Acknowledgement: confirms receipt only
Each nation’s checklist lists its required documents with the deadline beside each one. For every document, tick either given or not applicable, then record the date, how you gave it and the tenant’s initials. An optional section records the tenant’s agreement to receive documents by email, and both sides sign to confirm receipt.
Uploading a document to your own records does not prove you gave it. The checklist asks how each document was provided: handed over, posted, emailed as an attachment, or shared through August with the tenant given access and notified.
Keep every certificate current
The documents on this checklist have their own renewal dates: gas safety every year, electrical reports every five years and EPCs every ten. August’s compliance tracking records each certificate against the property and sends reminders before it expires. At move-in, pair this checklist with our inventory template and tenant welcome pack.
Frequently asked questions
Can I give tenancy documents by email?
Yes, for most documents, if the tenant has agreed to receive them electronically. Send them as attachments and keep the sent emails. Documents that require a particular method of service must still be served that way.
Does the tenant have to sign the checklist?
No. A signature is useful evidence of receipt, but not the only proof. If the tenant won’t sign, keep other evidence, such as the sent email or an access record.
What if a gas safety record expires during the tenancy?
Arrange the annual check before the record expires and give the tenant a copy of the new record within 28 days of the check.
Do I have to give the tenant an inventory?
In Wales, usually yes, within 14 days of the occupation date. In England, Scotland and Northern Ireland it is not required by law, but it is the main evidence in any deposit dispute.
Templates checked against legislation in October 2026. They are provided for general information and are not legal advice.
