This week has seen the release of the ‘Written Information’ that needs to be passed on to EACH tenant named on the tenancy agreement. In this week’s VLOG, James highlights what the information released (Renting out your property: guidance for landlords and letting agents - Tenancy agreements: written information for your tenant - Guidance - GOV.UK) and highlights some of the key aspects to ensure that you comply with and need to get right. Below are a few of the most frequently asked questions and answers.
- Do landlords in England need to give existing tenants a Written Statement or Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet by 31 May 2026?
Yes — if your tenancy was created before 1 May 2026 and there is a wholly or partly written record of the tenancy terms, you must give the tenant the official Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 by 31 May 2026.
The government says this applies to assured or assured shorthold tenancies created before 1 May 2026 where there is a written record of terms, including a written tenancy agreement. A copy must be given to every tenant named on the tenancy agreement. The government also says that existing written tenancy agreements do not need to be replaced or re-issued simply because of this new requirement.
If the tenancy was made before 1 May 2026 and is based entirely on a verbal agreement, the government says you cannot use the Information Sheet instead. In that situation, you must provide written information about the key terms of the tenancy.
2) Can a landlord email the Written Statement or Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet to a tenant, or does it have to be posted?
A landlord can do either — but the document must be sent correctly.
The government says the official Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 can be given in one of two valid ways:
- as a hard copy, posted or handed to the tenant, or
- as the official PDF attached to an email or text message.
The government also makes clear that the Information Sheet is only valid when downloaded from the official government page, and that sending only a web link is not valid.
So if you are self-managing, the practical rule is simple: hard copy is allowed, PDF attachment is allowed, but a link on its own is not.
3) What if my current tenancy agreement only mentions notices by post — can I still serve the Written Statement or Information Sheet by email?
Do not assume that email is automatically the safest option just because the government allows PDF attachments. Check your current paperwork first.
The government’s Information Sheet guidance allows service by hard copy or PDF attachment, but older tenancy agreements are not always drafted in the same way. In the tenancy files we reviewed, some agreements used wording based around ordinary first class post or documents being left at the property, while others also included an express clause allowing service by email.
That matters because separate official possession guidance says that if a written tenancy agreement sets out how service should happen, that method should be followed, and that service by email should only be used where the agreement is clear that email is an agreed method of service. The same guidance says landlords should keep evidence of how and when the document was served.
For self-managed landlords, the safest practical message is this: before choosing email, check whether your tenancy agreement expressly allows it. If it does not, or if the wording is unclear, hard-copy service may be the more prudent route.