Every document a landlord in England must give a tenant in 2026
The short answer
What documents must I give a new tenant in England in 2026?
At the start of an assured tenancy in England in 2026 a landlord must give the tenant: the Written Statement of Terms (before the tenancy is entered into) and the Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet; the deposit prescribed information within 30 days of taking a deposit; a copy of the current gas safety record before they move in; a copy of the electrical installation condition report (EICR) before occupation; a valid Energy Performance Certificate; and must have checked smoke and carbon monoxide alarms on the first day and completed a Right to Rent check beforehand. The How to Rent guide is no longer required. Each duty has its own penalty, and each is judged on whether the landlord can prove the document was given.
Before the tenancy
Written Statement of Terms (s.16D Housing Act 1988; SI 2026/324) — before the tenancy is entered into. Right to Rent check (Immigration Act 2014) — before the tenancy starts, with a dated record kept. Energy Performance Certificate — a valid EPC rated E or better, or a registered exemption, before marketing.
At the start
Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet — the official PDF as a file. Gas safety record — a copy of the current record to a new tenant before occupation, then a copy of each annual record within 28 days. EICR — a copy before occupation and within 28 days of each five-yearly inspection. Smoke alarm on every storey and a carbon monoxide alarm in every room with a fixed combustion appliance, tested on the first day of the tenancy.
Within 30 days
Deposit protected in an approved scheme and the prescribed information given, including the landlord's signed certificate.
What is no longer required
The How to Rent guide was withdrawn in 2026 and replaced, for this purpose, by the Information Sheet. Section 21 notices no longer exist for assured tenancies. Fixed terms and renewals no longer exist either — every assured tenancy is periodic, so these are one-off duties per tenancy, not per renewal.
Recurring after that
Gas safety every 12 months; EICR every five years; a Section 13 notice on Form 4A for every rent increase; the deposit prescribed information again only for a new deposit. Each copy given is a service event that should carry a dated record.
Questions landlords ask
- Do I still need to give the How to Rent guide?
- No. It was withdrawn in 2026. Give the Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet instead.
- Do these documents have to be given again on renewal?
- Assured tenancies no longer renew — they are periodic — so the start-of-tenancy documents are once per tenancy. Gas records and EICRs recur on their own cycles.
- Can everything be emailed?
- Yes, as attached files, provided you keep a dated record. The Information Sheet in particular must be the document itself, never a link.
Sources
verified 2026-09-03- Housing Act 1988 s.16D; SI 2026/324
- Housing Act 2004 ss.213–214; SI 2007/797
- Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 reg. 36
- Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020
- Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015
- Energy Performance of Buildings (England and Wales) Regulations 2012
- Immigration Act 2014 ss.22–24
Next step
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This is not legal advice and not a substitute for a solicitor.