How to Rent Guide Withdrawn June 2026, What Landlords Must

The How to Rent guide is withdrawn, what this means for landlords

• The How to Rent guide explained rights and responsibilities under the Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST) regime, which was abolished by the Renters' Rights Act 2025 on 1 May 2026
• With the AST regime gone, the guide's content became legally superseded, it referred to Section 21 notices, fixed-term tenancies, and other features of the old system that no longer exist
• The government withdrew the guide from GOV.UK in June 2026 and it is no longer available to download or serve
• Separate Home Office guidance on right to rent immigration checks remains available on GOV.UK, this covers identity document checking for immigration purposes, which is a different requirement from the pre-tenancy information booklet
• For new tenancies from 1 May 2026, the required pre-tenancy step is the written statement of key terms, given before the tenancy is agreed

What must landlords give instead, the written statement of key terms

For all new Periodic Assured Tenancies granted in England from 1 May 2026, landlords must give every tenant the required written information about the key terms of the tenancy before the tenancy is agreed (section 16D of the Housing Act 1988, with the content prescribed by SI 2026/324). Failure carries a civil penalty of up to £7,000 per tenancy.

• What it covers: The written statement sets out the key terms of the individual tenancy: landlord and tenant names, an address for service, the property, the rent and when it is payable, deposit protection details, and statements of the statutory duties that apply to the tenancy (per the Schedule to SI 2026/324)
• Who must give it: Every landlord (or letting agent) of a private residential property in England granting a new tenancy from 1 May 2026. Applies to all Periodic Assured Tenancies, single lets, HMOs, and re-lets to existing tenants
• When: Before the tenancy agreement is signed or the tenancy is otherwise agreed. It can be included in the written tenancy agreement itself or given separately
• How: Email (PDF attachment), post, or in person. Retain proof, a sent email, delivery receipt, or signed acknowledgement
• Existing tenants (deadline 31 May 2026): Landlords with tenancies that converted to Periodic Assured Tenancies on 1 May 2026 were required to serve the Information Sheet on existing tenants by 31 May 2026. If that deadline has passed and you have not yet served it, do so as soon as possible, the obligation persists
• Penalty for non-service: Up to £7,000 per tenancy as a civil penalty. Local housing authorities can investigate and levy the penalty on complaint

What the How to Rent guide was, historical context

Understanding the old How to Rent guide obligation is still relevant for landlords with older tenancies, ongoing possession claims, or who need to demonstrate pre-tenancy compliance for a pre-RRA letting.

• The How to Rent guide was introduced in October 2015 and was a prescribed document under the Assured Tenancies and Agricultural Occupancies (Forms) Regulations 1997 (as amended). Landlords had to give the current version to every assured shorthold tenant before or at the start of the tenancy
• Failure to serve the correct version of the How to Rent guide prevented a landlord from serving a valid Section 21 notice, many possession claims were defeated on the basis that the wrong version was served, or that no version was served at all
• Section 21 was abolished on 1 May 2026. For tenancies that began before 1 May 2026, the How to Rent guide was still required to have been served at the tenancy start, evidence of that service remains relevant in any possession proceedings brought on those older tenancies
• For any possession claim involving a pre-RRA tenancy, ensure you can produce evidence that the correct version of the How to Rent guide was served at the time the tenancy began. The tenant's copy, a sent email, or a signed receipt are all acceptable evidence

Pre-tenancy documents for new tenancies from 1 May 2026

The prescribed pre-tenancy documents for a new Periodic Assured Tenancy in England from 1 May 2026 are:

• Written statement of key terms, the pre-tenancy information step that replaced the withdrawn How to Rent guide for new tenancies; penalty up to £7,000 for non-provision
• Gas Safety Certificate (CP12), annual; must be given to tenant before occupation or within 28 days of issue if the tenancy is already running
• Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), minimum E rating; must be given at marketing and before tenancy start
• EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report), give a copy to each new tenant before occupation
• Deposit protection prescribed information, if a deposit is taken, protect within 30 days of receipt and serve the prescribed information within the same period
• Written tenancy agreement, the written statement of key terms can be included within the Periodic Assured Tenancy Agreement itself (SI 2026/324 permits giving the information in the agreement), which is the cleanest way to satisfy the duty

How the new obligations differ from the old How to Rent requirement

There are key differences between the withdrawn How to Rent guide obligation and the written-information requirements that landlords should understand:

• Content: The How to Rent guide was a generic booklet about the old AST regime; the written statement sets out the specific key terms of the individual tenancy. The one-off Information Sheet (pre-May-2026 written tenancies) is the document that explains the new regime, Section 13 rent reviews, pet requests, Awaab's Law, and the PRS Ombudsman
• Timing: The How to Rent guide had to be served before the tenancy commenced, and re-served when new versions were published. The written statement of key terms must be given before each new tenancy from 1 May 2026 is agreed
• Consequence of failure: Under the old regime, failing to serve the How to Rent guide voided any subsequent Section 21. Under the new regime, failing to give the written statement (or, for pre-May-2026 tenancies, the Information Sheet) is a standalone civil penalty offence (up to £7,000), there is no Section 21 to void
• Update obligation: The old How to Rent guide required re-service when new versions were published. The written statement is specific to each tenancy and given once, before the tenancy is agreed; keep proof of provision

Frequently asked questions