What the Deadline Was
Under Section 14 of the Renters' Rights Act 2025, landlords with existing assured or assured shorthold tenancies in England were required to serve the official Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet on every named tenant by 31 May 2026. This gave landlords 31 days from the Act's commencement date of 1 May 2026.
The Information Sheet is an official government document explaining the key changes introduced by the Act to tenants — the end of fixed-term tenancies, Section 21 abolition, new rent increase rules, and tenants' new rights. It must be provided as an unaltered PDF — emailed as an attachment or printed and handed over. A link to the document is not sufficient.
Your Penalty Exposure
The penalty structure for non-compliance is:
- First offence: Civil penalty of up to £7,000 per tenancy
- Continuing offence (more than 28 days after receiving a first penalty notice): up to £40,000
The penalty is per tenancy — not per landlord. Every named tenancy where the sheet was not served on every named tenant is a separate potential offence.
No penalty has been issued to you yet unless you have received a formal notice from your local authority. The first-offence penalty only becomes payable once a penalty notice is served. The most important thing you can do right now is serve the sheet — which ends the continuing breach and demonstrates good faith before any investigation begins.
Serve It Now — Step by Step
- Download the current Information Sheet from gov.uk — search "Renters Rights Act Information Sheet" on gov.uk. Download the official PDF. Do not edit or alter it in any way.
- Email it to every named tenant — attach the PDF to an email. Send it to every adult named on each tenancy agreement individually. Do not just send a link to the document — the PDF must be attached.
- Note the date and time of each email sent — your sent email is your evidence of service. Keep the sent email permanently in your records.
- For tenants without email — print the document and deliver by hand with a signed acknowledgement, or post by recorded delivery.
- Keep evidence for every tenancy — in any investigation, you need to show which tenants received the sheet and when. A simple log of property address, tenant name, date served, and method is sufficient.
Does Late Service Actually Help?
Yes — meaningfully so, in two ways.
First, it stops the continuing breach. The escalating penalty (up to £40,000) applies to landlords who continue to be in breach after receiving a first penalty notice. Once you have served the sheet, you are no longer in breach. An investigation that finds you have already served the sheet has nothing to pursue on a continuing basis.
Second, it is a mitigating factor. Local authorities have discretion over the penalty amount within the £7,000 cap for a first offence. Guidance to local authorities directs them to consider the landlord's conduct — including whether they acted promptly to remedy the breach once they became aware of it. A landlord who served the sheet immediately upon realising they had missed the deadline is in a considerably better position than one who ignored the obligation entirely.
Late service does not eliminate the original breach — if you are investigated, the local authority may still issue a penalty for the period of non-compliance. But the penalty is likely to be lower, and the continuing breach escalation is prevented.
The Continuing Breach Escalation
This is the most important thing to understand about the penalty structure. A landlord who receives a first penalty notice and still does not serve the sheet within 28 days becomes liable for a continuing offence penalty of up to £40,000. This is separate from and additional to the first penalty.
The way to avoid the continuing breach penalty is simple: serve the sheet now. Do not wait to see whether an investigation is coming. Every day you remain in breach without having served the sheet is a day the continuing breach risk increases.
If You Have Multiple Properties
Work through your portfolio systematically today. For each tenancy:
- Identify every named tenant on the agreement
- Email the Information Sheet PDF to each one individually
- Log the date, property, and tenant name
If you manage ten properties, this takes an hour. The penalty exposure it prevents could be tens of thousands of pounds. Prioritise it above everything else today.
If a letting agent manages some properties on your behalf, contact them immediately and confirm whether they have served the sheet. Even where a letting agent has a delegated duty, you remain ultimately liable if they have not complied.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I tell my tenants I missed the deadline?
You do not need to draw attention to the fact that the sheet is late — simply send it with a covering note explaining what it is and why they are receiving it. Something like: "Please find attached the Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet which explains the changes to your tenancy rights that came into force on 1 May 2026." Straightforward, factual, no admission of breach required.
What if my tenant asks why they are only getting this now?
Be honest without being alarmist. "This is the official government information sheet about recent changes to tenancy law — it should have been sent earlier and I'm sending it now." Most tenants will simply file it. The tenants most likely to escalate a missing Information Sheet are those who are already in dispute with their landlord about something else.
Do I need to serve it again for future tenancies?
Yes. For any new tenancy created after 1 May 2026, the Information Sheet must be provided before the tenancy begins — not after. Build this into your standard new tenancy checklist alongside the Gas Safety Certificate, EICR, EPC, and How to Rent guide.
Get the Complete Compliance Pack
The free pack includes a compliance checklist that covers the RRA Information Sheet alongside every other document that must be served — so nothing gets missed again.
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