Private renting in England has changed. The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 has introduced new rules for many private tenants, including changes to evictions, rent increases, rent in advance, rental bidding, pets, and written tenancy information.
One document matters straight away: the Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026. If your tenancy started before 1 May 2026 and you already had a written tenancy agreement or written record of terms, your landlord or letting agent should give you this Information Sheet by 31 May 2026.
This guide explains what the Information Sheet is, who should receive it, and what tenants should check.
This is general information only, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, speak to Shelter, Citizens Advice, your local council, or a qualified legal adviser.
What is the Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet?
The Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 is a government document for tenants. It explains how the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 may affect your tenancy. GOV.UK says landlords and letting agents must provide it to certain tenants in England.
Your landlord or agent should give you the exact PDF from GOV.UK. It can be provided as a printed copy, or sent electronically as a PDF attachment, for example by email or text message. A link on its own is not valid.
Should you receive the Information Sheet?
You should receive the Information Sheet if:
- you rent privately in England
- your tenancy is an assured or assured shorthold tenancy
- your tenancy was created before 1 May 2026
- there is a written tenancy agreement or a partly written record of the tenancy terms
Every tenant named on the tenancy agreement should receive a copy. Lodgers do not usually need to receive it.
What if you have a verbal tenancy agreement?
If your tenancy started before 1 May 2026 and the agreement was entirely verbal, your landlord should not use the Information Sheet instead of written terms. GOV.UK says your landlord must provide certain key tenancy information in writing by 31 May 2026.
This matters because you should know the basic terms of your tenancy, including rent, who the landlord is, and how the tenancy works.
What changed from 1 May 2026?
The first phase of the Renters’ Rights Act took effect on 1 May 2026. The government says Section 21 “no fault” evictions have been abolished for new notices, and all new and most existing private rented sector tenancies are now assured periodic tenancies, also known as rolling tenancies.
In simple terms, your tenancy should no longer have a fixed end date that automatically ends your right to stay. It continues until you end it, you and your landlord agree to end it, or your landlord follows the correct legal process and obtains possession.
Can your landlord still ask you to leave?
Yes, but they need a valid legal reason. GOV.UK says a landlord can only end an assured periodic tenancy if they have a valid ground for possession, such as wanting to sell, wanting to live in the property, rent arrears, damage, antisocial behaviour, or another breach of tenancy terms.
Your landlord must give a Section 8 notice of seeking possession. The notice must include the grounds being used and the correct notice period. The notice period is usually at least 2 months, but can be up to 4 months depending on the ground.
Your landlord cannot remove you by force. If the notice period ends and you do not leave, they must apply to court for a possession order.
What if you received a Section 21 notice before 1 May 2026?
The new rules do not apply in the same way if you were served a valid Section 21 notice on or before 30 April 2026. GOV.UK says that, in most cases, a landlord can still apply to court for a possession order until 31 July 2026 if you have not left by the date in the notice.
If this applies to you, get advice quickly from Shelter, Citizens Advice, your local council, or the Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service.
Rent increases: what tenants should check
If you have an assured periodic tenancy, your landlord can usually only increase your rent once a year. They cannot increase the rent during the first year of your tenancy. They must give you at least 2 months’ notice using the correct Form 4A process.
If you think the proposed rent is higher than the open market rent, you may be able to challenge it at the First-tier Tribunal.
Keep a copy of any rent increase notice you receive, including the date you received it.
Rental bidding has been banned
Landlords and letting agents cannot ask you to offer more than the advertised rent, encourage you to bid higher, or accept an offer above the advertised rent. A written property advert must include one specific rent amount. A price range is not allowed.
Written adverts include online listings, printed adverts, social media posts, emails, text messages, and direct messages.
If you believe a landlord or agent has encouraged rental bidding, you can report it to the local council where the property is located. Keep evidence, such as screenshots, emails, messages, or the original advert.
Rent in advance: what can be asked for?
Before a tenancy agreement is signed, a landlord or letting agent must not accept, ask for, or encourage you to pay rent in advance. They can still ask for a holding deposit, up to one week’s rent, and a tenancy or security deposit, subject to the usual legal limits.
After the tenancy agreement is signed and before the tenancy starts, the maximum rent in advance is usually:
- 1 month’s rent if you pay monthly
- 28 days’ rent if you pay weekly
Once the tenancy has started, your landlord cannot ask you to pay rent before it is due.
Deposits still need to be protected
If your landlord or letting agent takes a tenancy deposit, they must protect it in a government approved tenancy deposit protection scheme. GOV.UK says the maximum tenancy or security deposit is usually 5 weeks’ rent if the yearly rent is under £50,000, or 6 weeks’ rent if the yearly rent is £50,000 or more.
Ask for the deposit protection information and keep it safely with your tenancy documents.
Can you ask for a pet?
Yes. If you want to keep a pet, you need to ask your landlord in writing and include a description of the pet. Your landlord cannot refuse without a fair reason.
Your landlord has 28 days to respond in writing. If they ask for more information, you should provide it. Once you respond, they have either the rest of the original 28 days or an extra 7 days to make a final decision, whichever is later.
A landlord may have fair reasons to refuse, for example if the property is too small for the pet, someone in the property has an allergy, the freeholder does not allow pets, or the pet is illegal to own. General dislike of pets or worries about possible future damage will usually not be enough.
Discrimination against renters with children or benefits
It is now illegal for a landlord or someone acting on their behalf to make it harder for you to rent a property because you have children or receive benefits. This includes letting agents and referencing services.
Rental discrimination can include stopping you from viewing a property, refusing to let you rent it, or withholding information about availability because of children or benefits.
If you want to leave your tenancy
Your tenancy agreement should say how much notice you need to give. GOV.UK says the maximum notice a landlord can ask you to give is 2 months. If the agreement does not say how much notice is needed, you should give at least 2 months’ notice.
Your notice must be in writing, for example by letter, email, or text. Keep a copy of what you send. You will usually need to continue paying rent during the notice period unless your landlord agrees otherwise in writing.
What should tenants do now?
Use this quick checklist:
- Check whether you have received the Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026
- Make sure it is the PDF attachment or a printed copy, not just a link
- Keep a copy with your tenancy agreement and deposit documents
- If your tenancy is verbal only, ask for the key terms in writing
- Keep copies of rent increase notices, messages, adverts, pet requests, and payment records
- Report repairs in writing and keep a record
- Get advice early if you receive a notice to leave
- Contact your local council if you think your landlord or agent is not following the rules
If you rent through ABC Gone
ABC Gone aims to keep property management clear, practical, and well documented across London and Essex. Tenants should report maintenance issues through the proper maintenance process so repairs can be logged, triaged, and followed up.
ABC Gone’s property management approach includes tenant communication, maintenance coordination, compliance reminders, and clear documentation, which supports better managed tenancies for both landlords and tenants.
For general tenancy or maintenance queries, contact ABC Gone:
Phone: 02085 530645
Email: info@abcgone.com
Address: 33 Station Road, Harold Wood, Romford RM3 0BS
FAQs
Yes. It is a government document for tenants that explains how the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 may affect their tenancy. Landlords and agents must provide it to certain tenants.
For most existing written private tenancies created before 1 May 2026, the landlord or agent should provide it by 31 May 2026.
No. GOV.UK says a link sent by email or text is not valid. The landlord or agent should give you a printed copy or send the PDF as an attachment.
Not usually. If you had a written tenancy agreement before 1 May 2026, your landlord does not usually need to reissue it. They should provide the Information Sheet instead.
A landlord can still seek possession, but they need a valid legal ground and must follow the correct process. New Section 21 “no fault” notices cannot be served from 1 May 2026.
Yes, you may be able to challenge the increase at the First-tier Tribunal if you believe it is higher than the open market rent.
