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The Renters' Rights Act Document You Might Have Missed (and Still Must Serve)

Renters' Rights Act · 5 min read

While everyone focused on the end of Section 21, a small, easily-missed paperwork duty slipped past a lot of landlords. Under the Renters' Rights Act, you had to give your existing tenants a specific official document explaining the new rules — the Information Sheet, or in some cases a written Statement of Terms — by 31 May 2026. If you're now thinking "did I actually do that?", you're not alone. And here's the important part: the deadline has passed, but the duty hasn't. If you never served the right document, you still need to — and the exposure for not doing so grows the longer it's left. Here's what it is and how to put it right. This is general guidance, not legal advice — confirm the current requirement on GOV.UK.

What the document actually is

There are two related things, and which one applied depends on how your tenancy was set up:

The Information Sheet. For an existing assured or assured shorthold tenancy created before 1 May 2026 that has a written record of its terms, the government published an official "Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet" to give the tenant — a plain-English summary of how the reforms affect them.
A written Statement of Terms. Where a pre-1 May tenancy was verbal only, with no written agreement, the Information Sheet couldn't do the job — so instead you had to give the tenant a written statement setting out the key terms and the required prescribed information.

In both cases the point is the same: every existing tenant should have received, in writing, either the official summary of the new regime or a proper written statement of their tenancy terms — and the deadline for doing so was 31 May 2026.

The deadline passed — the duty didn't: if you missed it, the fix is not to hope it's forgotten. Serve the correct document now, and keep a record of exactly what you served, to whom, and on what date. A continuing failure to have provided it can carry a financial penalty that escalates the longer it goes unaddressed — treat it as significant and check the current requirement and penalty levels on GOV.UK, where the official Information Sheet is also published.

Why it still matters now

Two reasons. First, the penalty exposure is real and ongoing — this isn't a one-off deadline that lapses harmlessly; a continuing breach can be enforced, and the reported penalties rise for persistent non-compliance. Second, and more practically, it's the kind of gap that surfaces at the worst possible moment: if a tenant complains, or you later need to rely on your paperwork, "I'm not sure I ever gave them that" is exactly the weakness you don't want. Serving it now closes the exposure and tidies your file.

The record that protects you

With this kind of duty, doing the thing is only half of it — being able to prove you did it is the other half, which comes down to how you serve a document and evidence it. Whether you served the document in spring or you're serving it late today, keep:

A copy of exactly what you served — the Information Sheet or the Statement of Terms.
Who you served it on — each tenant named on the tenancy.
The date and method — email, post or in person — so service is evidenced, not assumed.

This is the same discipline that underpins every other document you serve — deposit prescribed information, the gas record, Right to Rent — where proof of service can decide a case. A dated log of what went to whom, and when, is the cheapest insurance you can hold.

What landlords should do now

Check each existing tenancy — did that tenant receive the Information Sheet, or a written Statement of Terms if the tenancy was verbal?
Serve the correct document to anyone who didn't — don't leave a known gap open.
Record what you served, to whom, and when, and keep the copy on file.
Build it into your onboarding so new tenants get the right documents as a matter of routine.
Verify the current requirement on GOV.UK, where the official Information Sheet is published, and take advice if a tenancy's status is unclear.

It's a small task with an outsized downside if ignored — and it fits the pattern of the whole reform: the landlords who stay safe are the ones who serve the right paperwork and can prove it. If you're not sure what else you should have done by now, run our Renters' Rights Act compliance check, and see the wider set of rules already in force.

Serve it once — and keep the proof forever

LandlordProof keeps your tenancy documents and a dated record of what you served, to whom and when, per property — so the Information Sheet, prescribed information and every other notice are logged and retrievable if a tenant or council ever asks. Free for your first property.

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General guidance for UK landlords, not legal advice. The Renters' Rights Act information requirements, who must receive which document, deadlines and penalty levels are set by government and can change; penalty-escalation figures reported by commentators may differ from the current position — always verify the requirement and download the official Information Sheet at GOV.UK, and take professional advice where a tenancy's status is unclear.