Millions of landlords in England face fines of up to £7,000 per property if they fail to comply with a new legal requirement by May 31. The deadline is just over three weeks away, leaving private landlords with limited time to avoid potentially costly penalties.
New legal requirement under Renters' Rights Act
Under the recently enacted Renters' Rights Act, which came into force last week, landlords must provide every tenant with an official government information sheet detailing how the new rules affect their tenancy. The document must be supplied as a PDF, and local councils have the authority to issue fines of up to £7,000 for each tenancy where landlords fail to comply, according to government guidance.
Compliance deadline for existing tenancies
Megan Eighteen, president of Arla Propertymark, the letting agent membership body, emphasised the urgency: "The main immediate compliance requirement for existing written tenancies is the new Government Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet. If your tenants already had a written tenancy agreement before 1 May 2026, the landlord or agent must provide that information sheet by 31 May 2026. Failure to do so can lead to enforcement action or a financial penalty from the local authority."
Low awareness among landlords and tenants
The information sheet was downloaded only 153,000 times in the four weeks following its publication on March 20, according to figures from the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, released to the software company Landlord Studio. This is concerning given that 2.3 million private landlords in England are required to serve the document by May 31. Furthermore, research by the TDS Charitable Foundation indicates that more than two-thirds of renters have either never heard of the Act or are unclear about its implications. Specifically, 78 per cent of tenants are unaware that they can challenge rent increases at a tribunal, undermining one of the central protections the legislation aims to reinforce.
