The Government Information Sheet - What It Is, Who Gets It, and How to Send It

Published: May 2026 | Reading time: 7 minutes | Category: Renters’ Rights Act

The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 requires every England landlord to give tenants a government-produced information sheet explaining what the Act means for their tenancy. For most landlords, that means one specific action: download the official PDF from GOV.UK and send it to every named tenant. Get it wrong – wrong file, wrong delivery method, or simply not sent at all – and you are looking at fines of up to £7,000.

Here is the complete guide: what the sheet is, who has to receive it, exactly how to send it, and what happens if you don’t.

Key takeaways (read this first)

What it is: A four-page PDF produced by the government explaining how the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 changes your tenant’s tenancy.
Existing tenancies: Every England landlord with a written tenancy that existed before 1st May 2026 must send it to every named tenant. The deadline was 31st May 2026 – if you haven’t sent it yet, you are in breach and should act today.
New tenancies: For any tenancy started on or after 1st May 2026, the information sheet must be provided at the start of the tenancy – as part of your standard move-in process.
Verbal tenancies: A different, more demanding rule applies. You cannot send the information sheet – you must issue a written statement of terms instead. See the section below.
How to send it: Email the PDF as an attachment, post a printed copy, or hand-deliver it. Emailing or texting a link to the PDF is explicitly invalid under government guidance.
Where to get it: gov.uk/government/publications/the-renters-rights-act-information-sheet-2026 – it is only valid when downloaded from that page and given unaltered.
Fine for non-compliance: Up to £7,000. If the breach continues 28 days after a penalty is imposed: criminal offence or a further penalty of up to £40,000.

Important: This article covers England only

The information sheet requirement applies to England only. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have entirely separate housing frameworks. See Article 2 for the devolved nations overview.

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What Is the Government Information Sheet?

The information sheet is a short, plain-English document produced by the government, not by you, that explains to your tenant how the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 changes their tenancy. You are the delivery mechanism. The content, the wording, and the format are entirely set by the government.

It is four pages long. It does not replace your tenancy agreement. It does not require you to issue a new agreement. It sits alongside the existing contract as a one-off notification of what the Act now means for that tenancy.

The sheet covers:

The end of fixed-term tenancies – all assured tenancies are now periodic (rolling monthly) from 1st May 2026.
How the tenancy can now be ended – your tenant can leave with two months’ written notice at any time; you can only seek possession via a valid Section 8 ground.
Rent increases – only once every 12 months, using the Section 13 process, with two months’ written notice.
Pets – your tenant has the right to request a pet; you must respond in writing within 28 days and cannot refuse unreasonably.
Anti-discrimination – you cannot refuse a tenancy because a person has children or receives benefits.
Security of tenure – a tenant can only be removed by a court order following a valid Section 8 notice.

The exact document is produced by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. It is the same for every tenancy, every property, every landlord in England – there is nothing to customise or adapt.

Who Must Send It - and Who Receives It?

Existing tenancies (created before 1st May 2026)

If the tenancy was created before 1st May 2026 and has a wholly or partly written record of terms, a signed tenancy agreement – you must send the information sheet to every tenant named on that agreement. The deadline was 31st May 2026. If you have not yet sent it, you are already in breach. Send it today and keep your evidence.

This applies regardless of when the tenancy was signed. A tenancy from ten years ago is covered by the same rule as one signed in March 2026. Each named tenant gets their own copy.

New tenancies (started on or after 1st May 2026)

For any tenancy started on or after 1st May 2026, the information sheet must be provided to every named tenant at the start of the tenancy – as a standard part of your move-in pack, alongside the tenancy agreement, How to Rent guide, EPC, and deposit documentation. This is an ongoing obligation, not a one-off exercise.

📌 ADD THIS TO YOUR NEW TENANCY CHECKLIST

The information sheet is now a permanent fixture of every new tenancy in England. Add it to your standard move-in documentation – alongside the How to Rent guide, EPC, deposit certificate, and EICR. If you use a letting agent, confirm it is included in their standard onboarding process.

Verbal tenancies – a different, more demanding requirement

If your tenancy was agreed verbally and has never been documented in writing, you cannot send the information sheet. There is no written tenancy for it to accompany.

Instead, you must provide your tenant with a full written statement of terms – a document that sets out the key terms of the tenancy in writing for the first time. This is prescribed under the same regulations and is more involved than the information sheet. See the full section on verbal tenancies below.

Section 21 notices still in progress

If you served a valid Section 21 notice before 1st May 2026 and court proceedings are underway, legal opinion is divided on whether the information sheet is still required. Our advice: if in any doubt, send it. The cost of an unnecessary send is zero. The cost of a missed requirement is up to £7,000.

What about lodgers?

Lodgers are excluded. The information sheet does not apply to lodgers – only to assured or assured shorthold tenancies with written agreements.

Where to Get the Information Sheet

The information sheet is published on GOV.UK. Download the official PDF at:

gov.uk/government/publications/the-renters-rights-act-information-sheet-2026

The sheet is only valid when downloaded directly from that page. You must give tenants the exact PDF, unaltered. Do not reformat, rebrand, or modify it in any way.

The government’s campaign hub for tenants and landlords is also useful: housinghub.campaign.gov.uk/renting-is-changing

How to Send It - Method, Evidence, and the Rules

The regulations specify two valid delivery methods. Follow them precisely – there is no flexibility on the format of what is sent.

The two valid delivery methods

Email (as a PDF attachment): Attach the PDF to an email and send it to the email address your tenant uses for tenancy correspondence. Do not send a link to the PDF – this is explicitly invalid under government guidance. Keep the sent email in your records.

Post or hand delivery: Print the PDF and post it (keep your certificate of posting or use tracked delivery), or hand it to the tenant directly and ask for a signed receipt confirming delivery.

DO NOT SEND A LINK – IT IS NOT VALID

Government guidance is explicit: emailing or texting a link to the PDF does not satisfy the requirement. You must send the PDF as an attachment. A link that the tenant clicks to download the document themselves is not compliant.

What evidence to keep

Delivery Method

Evidence to Keep

Email (PDF attachment)

Sent email with PDF attached — in your email records. Screenshot if you want belt-and-braces.

Post

Certificate of posting (free at any Post Office counter) or tracked/signed delivery receipt.

Hand delivery

Signed receipt from tenant, dated. A simple note saying “I confirm receipt of the information sheet on [date]” is sufficient.

Via a letting agent

Signed receipt from tenant, dated. A simple note saying “I confirm receipt of the information sheet on [date]” is sufficient.

The letting agent rule - a dual obligation

If you use a letting agent to manage the property, the agent is also independently required to send the information sheet to the tenant – even if you have already done so. This is a mandatory obligation on the agent, not an optional courtesy. Both you and the agent must send it separately.

Important: if a tenancy started in December 2025, the 12-month clock does not reset on 1st May 2026. That tenancy is already nearly 5 months old and will be outside the protected period by December 2026.

The 12-month protection only applies to genuinely new tenancies starting on or after 1st May.

⚠️ LETTING AGENTS HAVE THEIR OWN SEPARATE OBLIGATION

Government guidance is clear: if a letting agent manages the property on your behalf, the agent must also provide the information sheet to the tenant – even if the landlord has already done so. This is not the same as the agent sending it on your behalf. Contact your agent to confirm they are complying, and get written confirmation.

The Fines - Why This Is Not One to Skip

The penalty structure for failing to send the information sheet is more serious than many guides have acknowledged. The £40,000 figure in particular is buried in the legislation and most landlords have never encountered it.

Scenario

Penalty

Notes

No information sheet sent

Civil penalty up to £7,000

Local authority enforcement

Breach continues 28+ days after penalty

Criminal offence OR further penalty up to £40,000

The figure most landlords have never heard of

Lodgers – not a named tenant

No obligation

Lodgers are excluded

Send the information sheet, keep the proof, and none of that applies to you. The only landlords facing these penalties are those who ignore the obligation entirely or fail to act after being warned.

Verbal Tenancies - A Separate, More Demanding Requirement

If your tenancy was agreed verbally and no written agreement was ever signed, a different and more involved obligation applies. You cannot send the information sheet because there is no written tenancy to accompany it.

Instead, you must provide your tenant with a full written statement of terms. This is a document that sets out the key terms of the tenancy in writing for the first time. It is prescribed by the same regulations as the information sheet and must include:

The names of all landlords and all tenants.
The property address.
The rent payable, when it is due, and how it is to be paid.
A landlord address in England or Wales where the tenant can serve notices.
A statement confirming rent can only be increased via Section 13 of the Housing Act 1988.
Deposit information – the amount held and the scheme it is protected in.
How the tenancy ends – the minimum notice the tenant must give, and confirmation that you must obtain a court order to recover possession.
Confirmation of the tenant’s right to request a pet, which you cannot unreasonably refuse.
Disability improvements – a statement about the tenant’s right to request disability-related adaptations under Section 190 of the Equality Act 2010.

If you have a verbal tenancy, consider getting a specialist landlord solicitor to produce the written statement. It typically costs well under £200 and the fine exposure for getting it wrong makes it worth every penny.

What the Information Sheet Covers

The published sheet is four pages long. It sets out the key changes introduced by the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 with a particular focus on what has been abolished:- fixed terms, contractual rent review clauses, no-fault evictions, and tenants’ new rights.

WHAT THE INFORMATION SHEET COVERS

The end of fixed-term tenancies: the tenancy now rolls on monthly until either party ends it correctly.
How the tenancy can be ended: the tenant can leave with two months’ written notice at any time. The landlord can only end it via a valid Section 8 notice — no-fault evictions (Section 21) are abolished.
Rent increases: only once every 12 months, with two months’ written notice, via the Section 13 process. Contractual rent review clauses in tenancy agreements are now void.
Pets: the tenant has the right to request a pet. The landlord must respond in writing within 28 days and cannot refuse unreasonably.
Anti-discrimination: the landlord cannot refuse a tenancy because a person has children or receives benefits.
Anti-discrimination: the landlord cannot refuse a tenancy because a person has children or receives benefits.

Download the official PDF at: gov.uk/government/publications/the-renters-rights-act-information-sheet-2026

YOUR ACTION LIST — DO THESE IN ORDER

Determine which of your tenancies are written agreements and which are verbal. List every property and every named tenant – that is your send list.
Download the information sheet from gov.uk/government/publications/the-renters-rights-act-information-sheet-2026. This is the only valid source. You must use the exact PDF from that page – unaltered.
If you have not already sent it to your existing tenants: send it today. Email the PDF as an attachment – not a link. If the deadline of 31 May 2026 has passed, you are in breach. Send it anyway and keep your evidence – prompt action is a mitigating factor.
For all new tenancies going forward: add the information sheet to your standard move-in pack. It must be provided to every named tenant at the start of every new tenancy.
If you use a letting agent: confirm in writing that they are also sending the information sheet to tenants. Both you and the agent have separate obligations, the agent must send it even if you have.
Create a simple record for each property: tenant name(s), date sent, method of delivery, evidence retained. A spreadsheet works perfectly. You need this if a local authority ever asks.
For verbal tenancies: do not wait. You cannot use the information sheet. Start preparing a written statement of terms now. If you are not confident drafting this yourself, a specialist landlord solicitor can do it quickly for well under £200.

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40-point compliance checklist
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Section 8 quick reference guide
Rent increase letter template
Pet request response templates
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Related guidance

Section 8 explained – the only legal way to evict a tenant after May 2026
How to increase your rent legally after May 2026
The landlord compliance checklist – 40 things to do before the deadline

A NOTE ON THIS ARTICLE

This article is guidance only and not formal legal advice. The Landlord Brief aims to translate complex legislation into plain English — but every landlord’s situation is different.

If you have tenants in rent arrears, a possession case in progress, or a complex tenancy arrangement, we strongly recommend speaking to a specialist landlord solicitor before acting.