Renting in England
How to Rent guide: withdrawn, and what replaced it
The government’s How to Rent guide was withdrawn on 1 May 2026, when the Renters’ Rights Act changes took effect. Instead, your landlord must give you written information about the tenancy before you sign, or, if your tenancy was already running, the Renters’ Rights Act information sheet. The safety and deposit papers are still required.
England only · Checked against GOV.UK on 23 October 2026 · Independent, not a government service
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Check a property freeWhat happened to How to Rent
How to rent: the checklist for renting in England was a booklet landlords had to give tenants at the start of an assured shorthold tenancy. GOV.UK withdrew it on 1 May 2026, saying it is not up to date. The legal duty to hand it over was revoked for private tenancies the same day.
The rules it described changed. Since 1 May 2026, most private tenancies in England are assured periodic tenancies, with no fixed end date, and section 21 “no fault” eviction has gone. Everything that changed on 1 May 2026.
What your landlord must give you now
- Written information about the tenancy
- For a tenancy that starts on or after 1 May 2026, before you sign or agree it. It covers the key terms: who the landlord is, the rent, the deposit, the notice you give, and your rights. It can be in the agreement itself or a separate document. What it must include.
- The Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026
- Only for a tenancy with written terms that was already running on 1 May 2026. It was due by 31 May 2026, to every tenant named on the agreement. A tenancy that had only ever been verbal gets the written information instead. The information sheet on GOV.UK.
- The Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)
- Free, at the latest when you are first given written details of the home or first view it, whichever comes first. The person who becomes the tenant must be given a copy. Look up the rating.
- The gas safety record, if there is gas
- A copy of the latest record before you move in, and each new one within 28 days of the check. How to check it.
- The electrical safety report
- A copy before you move in. An existing tenant gets each new report within 28 days of the inspection.
- The deposit protection information
- Within 30 days of the landlord getting your deposit: which scheme protects it, how much, and how to get it back. Check your deposit is protected.
If any of these is missing, ask for it in writing and keep the reply.
How to rent: a short checklist
Before you look
- Know the limits: a holding deposit is up to one week’s rent, and a tenancy deposit up to five weeks’ rent if the yearly rent is under £50,000.
- No one can take rent before you sign. After signing, the most you can be asked for in advance is one month’s rent.
- Learn the signs of a rental scam before you pay anything.
At the viewing
- Take a list: questions to ask before renting.
- Ask to see the EPC and the gas safety record. Check the energy rating yourself.
Applying
- Prove your right to rent. With an eVisa or settled status, that is a right to rent share code.
- Asked for a holding deposit? Read when it is legal, and when you get it back.
Signing
- Get the written terms before you sign, and check them: what an agreement must include now.
- A new agreement can’t hold you to a fixed term, and can’t ask you for more than two months’ notice to leave.
Moving in
- Collect the documents above, photograph every room and read the meters: the new tenancy checklist.
- Within 30 days, check your deposit is protected.
Is the How to Rent guide still a legal requirement?
No, not for a private tenancy in England. The duty to give it was revoked for private assured tenancies on 1 May 2026, and GOV.UK withdrew the guide the same day, saying it is not up to date. Landlords now give written information about the tenancy instead, or the Renters’ Rights Act information sheet for a tenancy that was already running.
What replaced the How to Rent guide?
For tenants, GOV.UK points to its guide to assured periodic tenancies. For landlords, two duties took its place: written information about the key terms, given before a new tenancy is signed or agreed, and the Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 for written tenancies that existed before 1 May 2026, due by 31 May 2026.
Assured periodic tenancies: a guide for tenants is the page GOV.UK sends you to from the withdrawn guide.
Can a landlord evict me for not giving me the guide?
The question has gone. Before 1 May 2026, a landlord who hadn’t given you How to Rent couldn’t serve a section 21 notice. Section 21 was abolished on 1 May 2026, and the How to Rent rule ended with it. A landlord now needs a legal ground and, if you don’t leave, a court order.
My landlord never gave me the information sheet or written terms. What can I do?
Ask for it in writing first. If nothing comes, tell your council: it enforces these rules, and GOV.UK says a landlord who doesn’t give them can be fined up to £7,000. You still have a tenancy and the same rights either way.
Find your council. The information sheet must be the PDF from GOV.UK, sent as an attachment or on paper: GOV.UK says a link to it is not valid.
Should I get the information sheet if my tenancy starts now?
GOV.UK sets the information sheet for tenancies that existed before 1 May 2026. For a tenancy that starts now, what the landlord must give you is the written information about its key terms, before you sign or agree it.
My landlord gave me a How to Rent guide. Does it still apply?
Treat it as out of date. It was written for assured shorthold tenancies, fixed terms and section 21, none of which apply to a private tenancy in England now. Your rights come from the current rules, not from that document.
Does this apply in Wales or Scotland?
No. How to Rent and the Renters’ Rights Act changes on this page are for England. Wales and Scotland have their own tenancy law.
Where this comes from
On GOV.UK: the withdrawn How to rent publication page, the Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026, written information you need to give to your tenant, the Renters’ Rights Act overview for tenants, rent in advance and deposits, how to end your tenancy, your landlord’s safety responsibilities, energy performance certificates and information landlords must give about a deposit. On legislation.gov.uk: the How to Rent regulation and its revocation, section 21B of the Housing Act 1988, and the rules on gas safety records, electrical safety reports and EPCs.
This guide covers common private tenancies in England and is general information, not legal advice. Different rules apply in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and to lodgers, social housing and some specialist accommodation. RenterCheck is independent and not connected with the government.
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