What landlords must give tenants from 1 May 2026: the checklist

The short answer: if your tenants have a written tenancy agreement, you needed to give them the government's Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet by 31 May 2026. If the tenancy was only ever verbal, you must give written information setting out its key terms. That is the immediate paperwork. The rest of the new regime arrived with it automatically.

What changed without you doing anything

On 1 May 2026 every existing assured shorthold tenancy became a periodic assured tenancy by operation of law. There was no form to fill in and no new agreement to sign. Fixed terms and end dates simply stopped being part of the picture, and new tenancies can no longer include them.

The checklist

• Written agreement in place? Give each tenancy the official Information Sheet. The deadline was 31 May 2026, so if it has not gone out yet, send it now.
• Verbal tenancy? Provide written information about the key terms of the tenancy.
• Understand that the tenancy is now periodic: tenants can end it with 2 months' written notice expiring on or before a rent-due day.
• Retire any template that references fixed terms, Section 21, or rent in advance beyond one month.
• Keep proof of everything you serve. Documentation discipline is what the new regime rewards.

What you do not need to do yet

Two headline pieces of the Act are not live. The Private Rented Sector Database is expected to open for registration from late 2026, and mandatory ombudsman membership is currently expected in 2028. There is nothing to register for today; the task now is simply to be ready when they arrive.

Most compliance problems we find are documentation problems. The landlord did the right thing but cannot prove it.

Implementation is phased and guidance continues to evolve, so always confirm the current position on GOV.UK before acting on a specific tenancy. This is general guidance, not legal advice. If you would rather have a second pair of eyes, our free compliance review checks your actual paperwork against the current rules.

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