RRA Information Sheet 2026: The 31 May Deadline Explained
The government published an official document — the Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 — explaining the changes introduced by the Renters' Rights Act 2025. Landlords are required to provide this document to tenants in relevant existing tenancies by 31 May 2026. This guide explains exactly who is required to receive it, where to obtain the official document, how to serve it, and what to do for new tenancies. It is derived from GOV.UK guidance published by MHCLG. It is not legal advice.
Landlords with relevant pre-1 May 2026 assured or assured shorthold tenancies that have wholly or partly written terms must provide the official RRA Information Sheet 2026 to those tenants by 31 May 2026. This deadline has already passed for any landlord who has not acted. If you have not yet served the document on qualifying tenants, do so and retain proof of service.
Who must receive the Information Sheet
The obligation to provide the RRA Information Sheet 2026 by 31 May 2026 applies where all three of the following conditions are met:
- The tenancy is an assured tenancy or assured shorthold tenancy
- The tenancy was created before 1 May 2026
- There is a wholly or partly written record of the tenancy terms
Where a tenancy is entirely oral — with no written agreement or written record of terms — the obligation to provide the Information Sheet by 31 May 2026 does not apply under the same conditions. However, landlords in this situation should verify the current GOV.UK guidance as their specific circumstances may still engage other requirements under the Renters' Rights Act 2025.
New tenancies from 1 May 2026
The 31 May 2026 deadline and the RRA Information Sheet obligation as described above do not apply to new tenancies starting on or after 1 May 2026. For those tenancies, landlords must instead provide certain written information about the tenancy as required under the revised assured tenancy framework introduced by the Renters' Rights Act 2025.
This is a distinct obligation — it is not simply a matter of providing the same Information Sheet at a different time. Landlords starting new tenancies from 1 May 2026 should check the current GOV.UK guidance on assured tenancy forms and written information requirements to ensure they are meeting the correct obligation for new tenancies.
| Tenancy situation | Information Sheet obligation | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-1 May 2026 assured/AST with written terms | Yes — provide official RRA Information Sheet | 31 May 2026 |
| Pre-1 May 2026 entirely oral tenancy | Verify with current GOV.UK guidance | — |
| New tenancy from 1 May 2026 | No — different written information requirement applies | At tenancy start |
Consequences of not serving
The Renters' Rights Act 2025 and official GOV.UK guidance make clear that the Information Sheet obligation must be met. While the specific enforcement mechanism for the Information Sheet is distinct from the certificate and deposit obligations that have direct statutory penalty regimes, failure to serve required documents on tenants has historically been relevant in possession proceedings and to a landlord's overall compliance standing. Landlords should treat the 31 May 2026 deadline as a firm obligation and retain proof of service.
The official document — what to serve
The obligation requires provision of the official government document. A landlord's own summary, covering letter, or explanation of the changes does not satisfy the requirement. The document to serve is the Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026, published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and available at GOV.UK.
To obtain the correct document, search GOV.UK for "Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026" or navigate to the MHCLG publications section. Ensure you are downloading the current version — do not use a version obtained from a third-party website unless you can verify it matches the official MHCLG document.
Many landlord organisations and letting agents produced their own summaries of the Renters' Rights Act 2025 changes. These do not satisfy the Information Sheet obligation. The requirement is to provide the specific MHCLG-published document. Obtain it directly from GOV.UK.
How to serve it and what to retain
The Regulations do not prescribe a specific method of service. Common approaches include:
- Email with the document attached — retain a copy of the sent email with the document attached and the date sent
- Post — retain proof of postage and a copy of any covering letter
- Hand delivery — retain a signed acknowledgement from the tenant if possible, or a contemporaneous note of delivery
Whichever method is used, the key is to create and retain dated evidence that the document was provided to each tenant before the deadline. A cover email or letter referencing the document by name, with a delivery or read confirmation, provides a useful record.
For each qualifying tenancy: the date the document was sent, the method of service, and confirmation that the official MHCLG document was used. LettingsLedger records this as a timestamped task with the delivery date logged in your evidence pack.