The government has published the wording for new written statements being introduced under the Renters Rights Act.
From May 1 landlords and their agents will need to provide a written statement setting out certain mandatory information before tenancy agreements are signed.
The government’s draft statement on this can be found here:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/69678c3cb122b8f5f68d0d80/Draft_Statutory_Instrument_written_information_for_your_tenant.pdf
Eddie Hooker – head of redress at the Property Redress Scheme and chief executive of mydeposits – says:“This is the first time landlords and agents can see what compliance under the Renters Rights Act will look like in practice.
“The government has moved beyond high-level policy and set out the actual wording and detail that must be provided to tenants before a tenancy begins.
“From a deposit perspective, greater clarity at the outset of a tenancy is particularly important.
“Many of the disputes we handle relate to disagreements over responsibilities for cleaning, damage, maintenance or charges at the end of a tenancy.
“Clear, prescribed written information about obligations and liabilities should help reduce scope for dispute by ensuring both parties start the tenancy with the same understanding of what is expected.”
Timothy Douglas, Head of Policy and Campaigns at Propertymark, comments: “For new tenancies entered on or after 1 May 2026, tenants must be provided with the Written Statement of Terms and Information.
“Also, this applies to any current tenancies that are based on verbal agreements started before 1 May 2026.
“This will need to be done before a tenancy agreement is signed or otherwise agree the tenancy.
“The information can be provided within a written tenancy agreement or given separately. Failure to provide a compliant written statement can expose landlords and agents acting on their behalf to enforcement action, including a fine.
“The list of information that will need to be included has been published in a draft Statutory Instrument. This information list is a draft and may change with a final version expected in March.
“We are pleased that the UK Government has clarified when and how the information must be provided alongside tenancy agreements. Furthermore, the Written Statement of Terms includes an address where notices can be served on the landlord by tenants.
“However, the document should include the agent’s details if one is used and be future-proofed to include space for the landlord’s unique identifier to match information on the PRS Database.
“For existing tenancies (created before 1 May 2026), landlords won’t need to change a current tenancy agreement if one is in place or issue a new one.
“Instead, landlords with existing tenancies will need to provide tenants with a copy of the UK Government published ‘Information Sheet’ on or before 31 May 2026. This will be published in March 2026.
“The information sheet must be given to all tenants named on a tenancy agreement. It can be provided electronically or in hard copy.”
This article is taken from Landlord Today