Landlords should be careful not to oversimplify the new 31 May 2026 paperwork deadline.
For existing assured or assured shorthold tenancies in England created before 1 May 2026, landlords will usually need to send tenants one of two documents by 31 May 2026. If the tenancy already has a written or partly written record of terms, the landlord must give the tenant the official Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026. If the tenancy is entirely verbal and there is no written record of the tenancy terms at all, the landlord must not use the Information Sheet and must instead provide the required written information about the key terms of the tenancy. It is an either/or split for existing tenancies, not a requirement to send both.
That is the key point landlords need to get right. The common trap is to assume that every existing tenancy needs the Information Sheet. That is not what the guidance says. The Information Sheet is for existing tenancies with a written record of terms; the separate written key-terms route is for existing tenancies that are wholly verbal.
What is the Renters’ Rights Information Sheet?
The Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 is the government-produced PDF that landlords and their agents must give to certain existing tenants. GOV.UK says it explains how an existing tenancy may be affected by the changes introduced by the Renters’ Rights Act 2025. The GOV.UK publication page was published on 20 March 2026.
The tenant-facing PDF says the new rules apply from 1 May 2026 and affect private renters with assured or assured shorthold tenancies. It explains, among other things, that existing assured shorthold tenancies will move into the new assured periodic framework and that section 21 notices cannot be served on or after 1 May 2026.
Who must send the Information Sheet?
GOV.UK is quite direct on this. You must give the Information Sheet if the tenancy:
- is an assured or assured shorthold tenancy
- was created before 1 May 2026
- has a wholly or partly written record of terms, including a written tenancy agreement.
The same page says the Information Sheet must be given by 31 May 2026, a copy must be given to every tenant named on the tenancy agreement, and landlords who fail to comply could be fined up to £7,000. It also says lodgers do not need to be given the sheet.
For most landlords with a standard existing written AST, that means the answer is simple: the tenant needs the official Information Sheet by 31 May 2026.
Who must send written key terms instead?
If an existing tenancy was made before 1 May 2026 and is based entirely on a verbal agreement, the landlord cannot give the Information Sheet instead. GOV.UK says that in this situation the landlord must provide the tenant with written information about the key terms of the tenancy, and that must also be given by 31 May 2026.
This is why it is safer to describe the deadline like this: for existing assured or assured shorthold tenancies made before 1 May 2026, landlords will usually need to send one document or the other by 31 May 2026, depending on whether there is already a written record of the tenancy terms.
What does “wholly or partly written record of terms” mean?
In plain English, it means there is already some written record of what was agreed between landlord and tenant.
A wholly written record is the easy example: a normal written tenancy agreement. A partly written record is broader than that. The official guidance says that if you already have a written tenancy agreement for an existing tenancy, or any written record of the tenancy’s terms, you do not need to provide the separate written key-terms information. Instead, you must give the tenant the Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026.
The legislation points the same way. Section 12 of the Act refers to a written statement of terms being in the form of an agreement in writing or a record of terms otherwise agreed. That supports the common-sense reading that the issue is whether the tenancy terms are already recorded in writing in some form, not whether the paperwork is perfectly drafted.
So the practical rule for landlords is:
- written or partly written existing tenancy → send the Information Sheet
- wholly verbal existing tenancy with no written record at all → send the written key terms instead.
This article is about existing tenancies, not new ones
Part of the confusion comes from the fact that the government has published guidance on two linked duties.
For new tenancies created on or after 1 May 2026, landlords must give tenants certain written information about the key terms of the tenancy before the tenancy is agreed. That is the general written-information duty for new assured tenancies.
For existing tenancies created before 1 May 2026, the position depends on whether there is already a written record of terms. That is where the split between the Information Sheet and the written key terms instead comes in.
How must landlords serve the Information Sheet?
The service rules are stricter than many landlords will expect.
GOV.UK says the Information Sheet is only valid when downloaded from the official page, and landlords must give tenants the exact PDF published there.
It can be served by giving the tenant a hard copy by post or by hand, or by sending the PDF electronically as an attachment, for example by email or text message. But GOV.UK also says you must not just email or text a link to the PDF, because that is not valid.
The same page also says the legislation does not require landlords to change or re-issue any existing written tenancy agreement.
What if a letting agent manages the property?
GOV.UK says that if a landlord has a letting agent who manages the property on the landlord’s behalf, the agent must provide the Information Sheet to the tenant, even if the landlord has also provided it.
In practice, landlords and agents should agree now who is doing the sending and who is keeping the record that it was done. That second point is practical risk management rather than a direct quote from the guidance, but it is the sensible step that follows from the formal duty and the penalty risk.
What landlords should do now
First, review your existing assured or assured shorthold tenancies in England created before 1 May 2026 and sort them into two groups: those with some written record of terms, and those that are entirely verbal.
Second, decide which document applies. If there is already a written record of the tenancy terms, use the official Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026. If there is no written record at all and the tenancy is wholly verbal, prepare the written key tenancy information instead.
Third, if you are in the Information Sheet category, download the PDF from GOV.UK and use the exact PDF. Do not rewrite it, brand it, summarise it, or send only a link.
Fourth, make sure it reaches the right people. For the Information Sheet route, GOV.UK says it must be given to every tenant named on the tenancy agreement.
Finally, do not leave this until the last minute. The deadline for qualifying existing tenancies is 31 May 2026, and the published guidance says non-compliance can lead to a financial penalty of up to £7,000.
Final word
The safest way to explain the new rule is not to say that “all current tenancies need the Information Sheet”. That is too broad.
The accurate summary is this: for existing assured or assured shorthold tenancies created before 1 May 2026, landlords will usually need to send one of two documents by 31 May 2026. If the tenancy already has a written or partly written record of terms, send the official Information Sheet. If the tenancy is wholly verbal and has no written record at all, send the written key terms instead.
That is the distinction the official guidance draws, and it is the one landlords need to get right.
FAQs
Do all current tenancies need the Information Sheet?
No. For existing assured or assured shorthold tenancies created before 1 May 2026, landlords will usually need to send something by 31 May 2026, but not always the Information Sheet. Existing tenancies with a written record of terms get the Information Sheet. Existing tenancies that are wholly verbal get the written key terms instead. Lodgers do not need the Information Sheet.
Do partly written tenancies need both documents?
No. GOV.UK says that if you already have a written tenancy agreement for an existing tenancy, or any written record of the tenancy’s terms, you do not need to provide the separate written key-terms information. Instead, you must give the tenant the Information Sheet.
What if the tenancy is verbal only?
If the tenancy was agreed before 1 May 2026 and is based entirely on a verbal agreement, with no written record of the tenancy terms, the landlord cannot use the Information Sheet as a substitute and must provide the required written key tenancy information by 31 May 2026.
Can I just email a link to the PDF?
No. GOV.UK says the Information Sheet must be the exact PDF from the official page, and that emailing or texting a link to the PDF is not valid.
Do I need to re-issue my tenancy agreement?
No. GOV.UK says the legislation does not require landlords to change or re-issue any existing written tenancy agreement for this purpose.
