What Is the How to Rent Guide?
The How to Rent guide is a government-published booklet that explains tenants' rights and responsibilities during a private rental tenancy in England. It covers everything from finding a property, what to expect at the start of a tenancy, repairs and maintenance, and what happens at the end.
It is produced by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and is freely available at gov.uk. The guide is updated periodically — when legislation changes or when guidance is improved. This is the detail that catches most landlords out.
The Legal Requirement
Landlords are required to provide a copy of the current How to Rent guide to tenants under the Assured Shorthold Tenancy Notices and Prescribed Requirements (England) Regulations 2015. It must be given before or at the start of the tenancy. Failure to comply with this requirement affects the landlord's ability to serve a valid Section 21 notice (where still applicable) and may affect Section 8 proceedings.
Which Version to Use
You must use the version that is current at the date you serve it — not the version that was current when you started managing the property, or the version saved on your computer from a previous tenancy. Go to gov.uk and download the guide fresh each time.
The guide is updated when legislation or guidance changes. You cannot know whether your saved copy is current unless you check gov.uk directly. This is the single most common error — landlords serving a version that was superseded months earlier.
Create a process: each time you start a new tenancy, go to gov.uk and download the guide. Do not rely on a saved copy. The few minutes this takes eliminates one of the most common possession-blocking errors.
When to Serve the Guide
The guide must be served before or at the start of the tenancy. In practice, most landlords include it in the tenancy pack along with the gas safety certificate, EPC, and prescribed deposit information at or before the move-in date.
Do not serve it days or weeks after the tenancy has started. If you have already started a tenancy without serving the guide, serve it immediately and note the date. While late service does not remedy the original breach, acting promptly demonstrates good faith.
How to Serve It Correctly
- By hand — give a printed copy directly to each tenant and ask for a signed acknowledgement. Keep the signed copy.
- By post — send by recorded delivery and retain the proof of postage. Keep a copy of the document sent.
- By email — email the guide as an attachment to each tenant's email address. Keep the sent email. Request a read receipt or ask the tenant to confirm receipt by reply.
Email is the most practical method for most landlords. Ensure you are emailing every named tenant, not just the lead tenant. For joint tenancies, each tenant must receive their own copy.
Re-Serving on Renewal
When a tenancy renews — either as a new fixed-term agreement or as a statutory periodic tenancy — you must re-serve the How to Rent guide if a new version has been published since the last time you served it.
To check: compare the version date on your last served copy with the current version on gov.uk. If they are the same, no action is required. If the gov.uk version is newer, download and serve the new version at or before the renewal date.
Many landlords set up a reminder to serve the How to Rent guide on renewal but serve a saved copy rather than the current version. If the guide has been updated in the intervening period, this is equivalent to not serving it at all.
Consequences of Non-Service
Failing to serve the correct version of the How to Rent guide at the start of a tenancy prevents a landlord from serving a valid Section 21 notice until the omission is remedied — and even then, remedy typically only becomes effective at the next tenancy renewal. Under the current Section 8 regime, courts consider the overall compliance record, and a missing or incorrectly versioned How to Rent guide is a straightforward gap that tenants or their legal advisers will identify.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the How to Rent guide apply to all tenancies in England?
It applies to assured shorthold tenancies (and their successors under the Renters' Rights Act 2025). It does not apply to lodger arrangements, company lets, or properties with high annual rents above the assured tenancy threshold.
How do I know if the guide has been updated?
The guide on gov.uk shows a publication date and version date. Compare this with the date shown on the copy you most recently served. If the dates differ, a new version has been published and should be re-served on the next renewal.
What if the tenant refuses to acknowledge receipt?
Serve it in writing anyway and retain evidence of your attempt. A sent email is evidence of service — the tenant's failure to acknowledge does not negate your compliance. For particularly difficult situations, serving by recorded post provides the strongest evidence trail.
Get the Pre-Tenancy Checklist
The free compliance pack includes a Pre-Tenancy Checklist covering the How to Rent guide alongside every other document required before a tenancy starts — including which version to download and how to evidence service.
Get the Free Compliance Pack →