Renters’ Rights Act 2026: a landlord’s paperwork checklist

Start with the tenancy type

Most existing assured shorthold tenancies moved to the assured periodic system on 1 May 2026. This guide concerns private residential lettings in England: lodgers, company lets, regulated tenancies and social housing can follow different rules.

Do not assume every part of the Act started together. Use the government’s current guidance for the duty you are checking, especially if a notice was served before the changeover.

Sources: GOV.UK: assured periodic tenancies for landlords

Check what each tenant was given

For existing tenancies with written terms, the government Information Sheet was generally due by 31 May 2026. Existing wholly verbal agreements needed written information instead. New assured periodic tenancies from 1 May need the required written information before the agreement is entered into.

That May deadline has passed. If your records are incomplete, establish what was actually supplied and seek advice about any missed duty. Creating a document today does not prove it was supplied on time.

Sources: GOV.UK: written information for tenants

Separate a rent discussion from a formal notice

For assured periodic tenancies, rent increases use the section 13 process and Form 4A, with at least two months’ notice. GOV.UK says increases are limited to once a year and cannot take effect in the first year. An agreed conversation about rent does not replace the process.

Before creating a notice, find the tenancy start date, the last effective increase and the rental period. Keep these alongside the final notice and the record of how it was served.

Sources: GOV.UK: rent increases

A practical file review for each property

Use a separate row for each task. A document existing in a folder and a document reaching the tenant are two different events. This is an organisational checklist, not a complete assessment of the property’s legal position.

• Record the tenancy type and start date, with the agreement or other supporting record.
• Record which written information or Information Sheet was supplied, to whom, when and how.
• Keep the current rent and the date the last increase actually took effect.
• Check safety reports, any outstanding remedial work and evidence of tenant copies.
• Keep deposit protection and prescribed information records together.
• Flag uncertainty for advice rather than marking the property complete.