The Tenant Information Sheet: who gets it, when, and how to prove you sent it
The duty in one sentence: landlords had to give tenants in existing tenancies the government's official Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet by 31 May 2026 - and if you can't prove you did, you're exposed to a civil penalty of up to £7,000, even if you actually sent it.
Who must receive it, and when
Tenants whose tenancies were ASTs on 1 May 2026 had to receive the sheet by 31 May 2026. New tenancies created from 1 May 2026 don't get the sheet: they need written information about the key terms instead, given before the tenancy is agreed. And there's a trap many landlords miss: if you served a Section 21 or Section 8 notice before 1 May and it later lapses or the court process ends, the tenancy converts at that point - and you then have one month to serve the sheet.
If a letting agent manages the property, the agent must also provide the sheet - but the duty on you doesn't disappear because you have an agent. Check it happened, and keep the proof yourself.
"Prove" is the important word
The sheet costs nothing to send. What costs £7,000 is being unable to show a council that and when you sent it. For each tenant, record: the date, the method (email, post, hand delivery), and keep evidence - a sent email, a proof-of-postage receipt, or a signed acknowledgement. A vague memory of "I'm sure I emailed it" is not a record.
Do this today
- Download the official sheet from GOV.UK (always use the current version).
- Serve it to any tenant you can't prove received it - re-serving is free; a gap in your records is not.
- Log date, method and evidence per tenant, somewhere you'll find in three years.
Sources: GOV.UK - The Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 · MHCLG guidance on service requirements. General information, not legal advice, as at July 2026.