# Renters' Rights Act information sheet: who had to give it, how, and how to prove it > The information sheet was due by 31 May 2026. Which tenancies needed it, the only valid ways to send it, a proof log and an email for any you missed. - Page to cite: https://aeolookup.com/letting-agents/renters-rights-information-sheet-proof-of-service/ - Publisher: AEO Lookup (https://aeolookup.com/) - Section: Letting agents, Compliance and safety - Published 1 October 2026 - Key fact: GOV.UK says the information sheet had to reach every named tenant by 31 May 2026 as the exact 4-page PDF, printed or attached, and that a link to it is not valid; the maximum penalty is £7,000, and a managing agent must have given it even if the landlord also did. - Sources: GOV.UK "The Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026" (updated 8 June 2026); GOV.UK "Tenancy agreements: written information for your tenant"; GOV.UK news story of 20 March 2026; Renters' Rights Act 2025 Schedule 6 paragraph 7 and section 15 (legislation.gov.uk); all read 2026-10-01. Every private tenant in England with a written tenancy that began before 1 May 2026 should have been given the government's Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 by 31 May 2026. GOV.UK says a landlord who did not "could be fined up to £7,000". Four months on, the job for an agency is to show, tenancy by tenancy, that the sheet went out in a way that counts. **Free tool on the page:** Late information sheet covering email and letter maker. It runs in the browser at https://aeolookup.com/letting-agents/renters-rights-information-sheet-proof-of-service/#tool and asks for no sign-up. ## Which tenancies needed what | Tenancy | What the tenant must be given | Deadline | |---|---|---| | Created before 1 May 2026, with terms wholly or partly in writing | The Information Sheet | 31 May 2026 | | Created before 1 May 2026, entirely verbal | Written information about the key terms, not the sheet | 31 May 2026 | | Created on or after 1 May 2026 | Written information about the key terms | Before the agreement is signed or the tenancy is agreed | | A valid section 21 or section 8 notice was served before 1 May 2026, and the notice has since lapsed or the court case ended without possession | The Information Sheet | One month from the lapse or the end of the case | | Lodger | Nothing | None | The fourth row is the one still live. GOV.UK added it to its page as the main deadline passed. If you manage a tenancy where an old notice has run out, the month starts on the day it stopped being valid. ## Landlord or agent GOV.UK is direct: "If you are a landlord and have a letting agent who manages the property on your behalf, then the agent must have given the Information Sheet to the tenant, even if you have also given it." The Act puts the duty on the landlord and extends it to anyone whose contract with the landlord requires them to see that it is met (Schedule 6, paragraph 7). For a managed property, then, both of you carry the duty. For a let-only or rent-collection instruction, GOV.UK does not say, and it turns on your terms of business. A second copy does no harm, so where you are unsure, send one and record it. ## The only ways that count GOV.UK lists two methods: - print the PDF and post it or hand it over - send the PDF as an attachment, for example to an email or a text message It also sets three conditions. The file must be "the exact PDF" from the GOV.UK page. A copy must go to every tenant named on the agreement. A link does not count: "You must not email or text a link to the PDF to the tenant, as this will not be valid." That rules out the easy shortcuts: - a newsletter with a link to GOV.UK - one email to the lead tenant of a joint tenancy - a copy retyped onto the agency's letterhead Uploading the sheet to a tenant portal is not one of the two methods GOV.UK lists. We could not confirm that it counts, so treat a portal-only tenancy as a gap. ## The audit, in seven steps 1. Export every tenancy with a start date before 1 May 2026. 2. Mark any that were entirely verbal. Those needed the written information instead. 3. For each tenancy, find the sent email or the post record. Open it. Check the PDF is attached and is the government's 4-page file. 4. Count the recipients against the tenants named on the agreement. 5. Add any tenancy where a section 21 or section 8 notice from before 1 May 2026 has since lapsed. 6. List the gaps and serve them today, using the email below or by post. 7. Save the evidence where a possession file will look for it. Step 7 matters because the question comes back. Our guide to [Section 8 notices](https://aeolookup.com/letting-agents/section-8-notice-after-renters-rights-act/) lists proof of the information sheet among the papers to check before serving. ## What the log should hold GOV.UK does not say how service should be evidenced. This is the record we would keep for each tenancy. | Field | Example | |---|---| | Property and tenancy start date | 14 Mill Lane, 3 March 2025 | | Tenants named on the agreement | 2 | | Date sent | 12 May 2026 | | Method | Email, PDF attached | | Sent to | Both tenants, separate addresses | | Evidence held | Sent emails saved as files, with the attachment | | Sent by | Initials of the member of staff | For post, keep a certificate of posting and a copy of the covering letter. For hand delivery, keep a dated note signed by the person who delivered it. ## If one was missed The deadline has passed. The penalty is set by the local council, is capped at £7,000 in the Act, and needs the council to be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that the duty was broken. We could not find GOV.UK guidance on how councils treat a sheet given late. The sheet is still published and the tenant still needs it. Give it now, record the true date, and tell the landlord. An email you can adapt: > **Subject:** Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026: [property address] > > Dear [names of every tenant on the agreement], > > We manage [property address] for your landlord, [landlord's name]. The law on private renting in England changed on 1 May 2026. The government has written an information sheet that explains how the changes affect your tenancy. It is attached to this email as a PDF. > > You do not need to sign or return anything. Your tenancy agreement stays in place. > > This sheet should have reached you by 31 May 2026. Our records do not show that it did, so we are sending it now. > > If the attachment will not open, reply to this email and we will post a printed copy. > > [Name, agency, phone number] Download the PDF from GOV.UK on the day you send it, attach the file, address the email to every named tenant, and save the sent message. ## New tenancies For anything created on or after 1 May 2026 the sheet is not used. The tenant gets written information about the key terms before signing, and the penalty for missing it is the same £7,000. That item is on our [2026 compliance checklist](https://aeolookup.com/letting-agents/lettings-compliance-checklist-2026/). The sheet also tells tenants how rent can now go up; the agent's side of that is in our guide to [Section 13 and Form 4A](https://aeolookup.com/letting-agents/section-13-rent-increase-form-4a-dates/). This is general information for England, not legal advice. ## Short answers from this page **Is emailing a link to the Renters' Rights Act information sheet enough?** No. GOV.UK says the sheet had to reach every named tenant of a tenancy that began before 1 May 2026 by 31 May 2026 as the exact 4-page PDF, printed or attached to a message, and that a link is not valid. The maximum penalty is £7,000, and a managing agent had to give it even if the landlord also did. --- ![](https://aeolookup.com/img/d/owner-line.png) General information for UK small firms, not legal, tax or financial advice.