Is the How to Rent guide still required?

No: for almost every landlord, the How to Rent guide is no longer required. GOV.UK withdrew the How to Rent guide on 1 May 2026 because of the Renters' Rights Act 2025, and keeps it only for tenancies where a section 21 notice was served before that date. In its place, existing tenants needed the Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026, and new tenants get a written statement of terms.

This page explains what changed and what you need to give tenants now. It is part of our landlord compliance checklist.

Why the How to Rent guide was withdrawn

Giving the How to Rent guide was a condition of a valid section 21 notice. It came from section 21A of the Housing Act 1988 and the Assured Shorthold Tenancy Notices and Prescribed Requirements (England) Regulations 2015. When section 21 was abolished for private tenancies on 1 May 2026, the requirement fell away with it.

The government's Housing Hub now tells landlords that in most cases they don't need to provide the How to Rent guide. The only exception is a tenancy where a section 21 notice was served before 1 May 2026.

What replaced the How to Rent guide?

Your situation	What to give	Deadline	Penalty if you don't
Written tenancy that began before 1 May 2026	The Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026, the exact GOV.UK PDF	By 31 May 2026	Up to £7,000
Purely oral tenancy that began before 1 May 2026	Written information on the key terms	By 31 May 2026	Up to £7,000
New tenancy from 1 May 2026	The written statement of terms	Before the tenancy is entered into	Up to £7,000
Valid section 8 or 21 notice served before 1 May 2026	The Information Sheet	Within one month of the notice ceasing to be valid, or of the court process ending	Up to £7,000

How to give the Information Sheet

GOV.UK sets strict rules on how the Information Sheet is given:

1. Use the exact government PDF, downloaded from GOV.UK.
2. Give it as a printed copy (by hand or post) or as a PDF attachment to an email or text.
3. Don't send a link. A link to the PDF is not valid.
4. Give it to every tenant named on the tenancy agreement.
5. If a managing agent looks after the property, the agent must give it too.

Lodgers are excluded.

Watch out: If you missed the 31 May 2026 deadline, give it now. GOV.UK doesn't say what happens to late service, but until you give it you remain in breach. Our Information Sheet cover email template makes the attachment step simple.

What goes in the written statement of terms?

For tenancies entered into from 1 May 2026, the written statement must be given before you and the tenant agree the tenancy. It can form part of the tenancy agreement. Among other things it must include:

• your name and an address in England or Wales for serving notices;
• the rent, the deposit amount and the tenant's notice period (2 months at most);
• how possession works now that tenancies are periodic;
• your duties on fitness for habitation and repairs;
• statements on electrical safety and, where there is gas, gas safety;
• disability adaptations and the tenant's right to ask to keep a pet.

You can also give "prior notice" that you may later rely on certain possession grounds. For most of those grounds, leaving it out risks a penalty of up to £7,000 but doesn't stop the court making an order. Ground 4A (student HMOs) can't be used at all without it. See our full guide to the written statement of terms.

Does any of this affect eviction?

The How to Rent guide no longer affects eviction, except for legacy section 21 notices served before 1 May 2026.

The Information Sheet duty is a penalty risk rather than a condition of a valid Section 8 notice: we have found no rule that makes it a precondition. The prior-notice statement matters for specific grounds, Ground 4A above all. If you're unsure whether you gave the right documents to an existing tenant, read our guide to existing tenancies under the Renters' Rights Act.

Checklist: replacing How to Rent

• Stop giving new tenants the How to Rent guide.
• For every pre-May 2026 written tenancy, confirm each named tenant has the Information Sheet PDF.
• If not, give it now as a printed copy or PDF attachment, never a link.
• For pre-May 2026 oral tenancies, give written information on the key terms.
• For every new tenancy, give the written statement of terms before the tenancy is agreed.
• Add any prior-notice grounds to the written statement, especially Ground 4A.
• Keep proof of what you gave, to whom and when.

What to do next

Set up ValidNotice's free compliance reminders so each new tenancy's start-of-tenancy paperwork and safety checks are tracked in one place. Then read our guide to the Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet if you still need to serve it.