The 31 May 2026 Information Sheet. The 8-step compliance checklist.
Every existing English tenancy must receive the Government's official Information Sheet by 31 May 2026. Exposure: up to £7,000 per missed breach. Below: the eight steps a letting agent should take to comply — with statutory references, exceptions, and the evidence trail you'll want if a council queries it.
Pull every managed tenancy with a start date before 1 May 2026.
The new tenancy regime came into force on 1 May 2026. The Information Sheet duty applies to existing tenancies — those that began before that date and are still live. Run a report from your property management system. Filter by tenancy commencement date.
Reference: Renters' Rights Act 2025, commencement provisions for existing tenancies.Flag any tenancy where a valid s.21 or s.8 notice was served before 1 May 2026.
If a valid Section 21 (or Section 8) notice was already served on a tenant before 1 May 2026, the duty to serve the Information Sheet operates differently for that tenancy. Hold those aside and check the specific transitional rules — generally these tenancies continue under the previous regime until that notice is enforced or withdrawn.
Reference: Renters' Rights Act 2025 transitional provisions; gov.uk guidance for landlords.Download the official Information Sheet — do not alter.
Download the official MHCLG document titled "The Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026" from gov.uk. Keep the PDF exactly as published. Do not re-format it, do not add your agency branding, do not summarise. The duty is to give tenants the unaltered Government document.
Source document: gov.uk/government/publications/the-renters-rights-act-information-sheet-2026Decide service method per tenancy: digital or printed.
Both digital (email) and printed service are permitted, but the evidence requirements differ:
- Digital: send the unaltered PDF as an attachment to every named tenant's email of record. Keep the sent email — date, time, attachment.
- Printed: hand-deliver, post by recorded delivery, or include in a routine tenancy mailing. Keep evidence: signed acknowledgement, posting record, or a witnessed delivery log.
Send to every named tenant — not just the lead.
The duty is to serve each named tenant on the tenancy agreement. A joint tenancy with three named tenants requires three separate copies, addressed individually. Sending to only the lead tenant does not satisfy the duty.
Reference: Renters' Rights Act 2025; MHCLG guidance.Capture evidence of service at the point of sending.
Don't rely on memory or a vague spreadsheet. For every tenant served, log:
- Tenant full name
- Property address
- Method of service (digital / printed / hand-delivered)
- Date and time
- Evidence reference (email sent timestamp, postal reference number, signed acknowledgement on file)
This is the single most important step. A council audit doesn't ask "did you serve?" — it asks "show me the evidence."
Log the service date in each tenancy file.
Whether your tenancy files live in a PMS, a spreadsheet, or HouseComply, every tenancy record should now carry a verifiable "Information Sheet served on [date], method [x], evidence ref [y]" entry. This survives staff changes, system migrations, and council queries down the line.
Handle exceptions with a documented trail.
For tenants you cannot reach (email bouncing, post returned, tenant abroad, suspected abandonment): document the steps you took to reach them. A documented reasonable-attempt record is your protection if a tenant later claims they never received the sheet.
See the Exceptions section below for the most common edge cases.
Common exceptions and how to handle them
Tenant email bounces or post returns: Try the alternate method (post if email failed, hand delivery if post failed). Log every attempt. Notify the landlord. If still unreachable, mark the tenancy file with the documented reasonable-attempt trail.
Joint tenants where one is abroad: Serve the one(s) in country digitally or by post. For the absent tenant, send to the email of record. The sheet has been "given" once it is sent to the address of record.
Tenancy is in the process of being ended: If you have an enforceable s.21 or s.8 notice served before 1 May 2026, refer back to step 2. Otherwise serve normally — the duty applies until the tenancy actually ends.
HMO / multi-occupancy: Each named tenant on the agreement receives a copy. Posting one to a shared house does not satisfy the duty.
Evidence retention — what to keep for at least 6 years
- The exact PDF version of the Information Sheet served (download a dated reference copy and keep it)
- The list of every tenant served, with date and method per tenant
- For digital: the sent email or system log showing the attachment was included
- For printed: postal records, signed acknowledgements, or hand-delivery witness logs
- For exceptions: the reasonable-attempt trail (email bounces, returned-post records, alternative-method attempts)
- Any landlord correspondence delegating or confirming the duty
Or skip the spreadsheet entirely. HouseComply automates all of this.
Bulk service to every tenant on file. Auto-captured evidence of delivery. Audit-trail per tenancy. Built specifically for letting agents working through the 31 May deadline.
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