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What documents must a landlord give a tenant in England?

Guide · about 6 min read · Last checked on

Which documents a landlord in England has to hold is a different question from which have to reach the tenant, and when. This page is the second one. One answer changed recently: the duty to give the How to Rent guide was revoked for private assured tenancies on 1 May 2026, and a written statement of the tenancy terms took its place. This guide covers the usual document pack at the start of an assured tenancy in England. It is not every document duty there is: a weekly rent still calls for a rent book, and a written request for the landlord's name and address has its own answer and its own clock. The rules also differ in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and several duties below have exemptions, so check the current position on GOV.UK for the property.

The handover list

  • Written statement of the tenancy terms, containing the content prescribed by SI 2026/324. In the ordinary case, before the tenancy is entered into.
  • Energy performance certificate. Made available free of charge to a prospective tenant, and given free of charge to the person who takes up the tenancy.
  • Gas safety record, where the gas safety regulations apply. To a new tenant before they occupy the property, and to an existing tenant within 28 days of each annual check.
  • Electrical installation condition report, where the electrical safety regulations apply. To a new tenant before they occupy the property, to an existing tenant within 28 days of the inspection, and to a prospective tenant within 28 days of receiving a written request.
  • Deposit scheme prescribed information, where a tenancy deposit is taken and the deposit rules apply to the tenancy. Within 30 days of receiving it. A holding deposit is a different thing with its own rules.
  • An address for service. In writing. Section 48 sets no deadline of its own, but the address is also prescribed content of the written statement, so in the ordinary case it goes out with that, before the tenancy is entered into.

The written statement, and the guide it replaced

Section 16D of the Housing Act 1988 sets the duty to give the tenant a written statement, in the ordinary case before the tenancy is entered into. It is not satisfied by any written record of the agreement: the statement has to contain the content prescribed by SI 2026/324, so an ordinary tenancy agreement does not necessarily do the job. Tenancies that already existed had their own date. Under Schedule 6 to the Renters' Rights Act 2025 the deadline is measured from the commencement date that applies to the tenancy, which for most was 1 May 2026 and so gave a date of 31 May 2026; tenancies caught by the saved possession notice and proceedings provisions have a later commencement date and so a later deadline. Written or partly written tenancies needed the information sheet, wholly oral tenancies needed written information. The How to Rent guide duty was revoked for private assured tenancies by SI 2026/325, regulation 10, and GOV.UK withdrew the guide the same day, retaining it for earlier cases. Our guide to whether landlords still have to give the How to Rent guide goes through what replaced it.

The EPC is two duties, not one

Regulation 6 of the Energy Performance of Buildings (England and Wales) Regulations 2012 asks for the certificate to be made available free of charge to a prospective tenant at the earliest opportunity, and in any event no later than the point at which written information about the property is provided in response to a request, or a viewing is conducted, whichever of those comes first. Giving a free valid copy to the person who actually takes up the tenancy is a separate requirement, so waiting until a tenant has been chosen does not answer the first one. Regulation 6(3) sets out cases where a certificate need not be made available to a particular prospective tenant, and regulation 6(4) stops that being used in a way that discriminates. Some buildings are outside the regulations altogether. Our guide to what EPC rating you need to rent out a property covers the minimum standard.

The two safety reports

Where the gas safety regulations apply, the record of the annual check reaches a new tenant before they occupy the property and an existing tenant within 28 days of the check. Whether they apply turns on the relevant gas appliances and flues the landlord is responsible for, not simply on whether the property has a gas supply, and the regulations allow an alternative display arrangement in some cases. Electronic provision is possible but depends on the tenant being able to access it and agreeing to receive it that way, with a paper copy on request. Our guide to CP12 dates and renewals covers the annual cycle.

Where the electrical safety regulations apply, the inspection happens at least every five years, or sooner where the report itself specifies an earlier date, and the report goes out on the three clocks in the list above. The prospective tenant one runs from receipt of the written request, not from the date written on it. Where the report requires further investigative or remedial work, written confirmation that the work has been done goes to the tenant within 28 days of completion, together with a copy of the original report, and says whether the standards are now met or further work is needed. The regulations set out the tenancies they do not apply to. Our guide to how often an EICR is needed has the detail.

Deposit prescribed information

Protecting the deposit and telling the tenant about it are two duties, and only the second is a handover. This is the tenancy deposit, not the holding deposit, which has its own rules. Where the deposit rules apply to the tenancy, the deposit goes into a government approved scheme and the prescribed information goes within 30 days of the landlord receiving it, to the tenant and to any relevant person who paid it on the tenant's behalf. Scope is not uniform across every assured tenancy: paragraph 11 of Schedule 6 to the Renters' Rights Act 2025 leaves out tenancies that were assured but not assured shorthold immediately before commencement. Where the duty applies and is not met, and the tenant applies to the county court, section 214(4) of the Housing Act 2004 requires the court to order a payment once it is satisfied of the conditions in section 214(2) or (2A); applying does not by itself establish the entitlement. What the court then sets is the amount, between one and three times the deposit. Our guide to how deposit protection works in England sets out the schemes.

The address for service

Section 48 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987 requires the landlord to give the tenant, in writing, an address in England or Wales at which notices can be served on the landlord. It sets no number of days. The consequence is different in kind: until the address is given, rent and service charges are treated as not due, subject to the exception in the section. A term in the tenancy agreement can satisfy it, and a properly designated agent address can qualify, so a separate letter is not always needed.

Keeping the handover on the record

These documents come from different places and run on different clocks, and what matters later is being able to show when each one reached the tenant.

VEYLO X is a software platform for renting and letting in England, where the landlord writes the tenancy record, VEYLO X keeps it, and the renter sees the same one. Storing a document there is not in itself legally effective delivery and is not evidence that a statutory deadline was met: where a regulation sets out how something must be provided, that is what has to happen. It does not create, check or certify any of these documents and does not confirm that any duty above has been met. The Right to Rent check is the landlord's to carry out and to keep, by one of the routes the current Home Office guidance allows. VEYLO X does not carry it out and does not certify it. What VEYLO X holds, and for how long, is set out in our privacy notice. It does not give legal advice and does not decide the outcome of any application.

Common questions

What documents must a landlord give a tenant in England?

For a new assured tenancy in England the usual set is a written statement of the tenancy terms, the energy performance certificate, the gas safety record where the gas safety regulations apply to the property, and the electrical installation condition report where the electrical safety regulations apply. Where a tenancy deposit is taken and the deposit rules apply, the deposit scheme prescribed information also goes to the tenant. The landlord must also give the tenant an address in England or Wales at which notices can be served, which is itself prescribed content of the written statement. The duty to give the How to Rent guide was revoked for private assured tenancies on 1 May 2026. Exemptions apply to several of these, so check the current GOV.UK guidance for the property.

Does a landlord still have to give the How to Rent guide?

Not for a new private assured tenancy in England. The duty was revoked on 1 May 2026 by SI 2026/325, regulation 10, and GOV.UK withdrew the guide on the same day, retaining it only for earlier cases. What the law asks for instead is a written statement of the tenancy terms under section 16D of the Housing Act 1988.

When does the written statement of terms have to be given?

In the ordinary case, before the tenancy is entered into. Section 16D of the Housing Act 1988 sets the duty for new assured tenancies, and the statement has to contain the content prescribed by SI 2026/324 rather than simply recording the agreement. Under Schedule 6 to the Renters' Rights Act 2025 an existing tenancy's deadline runs from the commencement date that applies to it, which for most was 1 May 2026 and so gave 31 May 2026; tenancies caught by the saved possession notice and proceedings provisions have a later commencement date and a correspondingly later deadline. Written or partly written tenancies needed the information sheet, wholly oral tenancies needed written information.

Does the landlord have to give the tenant the EICR?

Where the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 apply to the tenancy, yes. The landlord supplies a copy of the electrical installation condition report to an existing tenant within 28 days of the inspection, to a new tenant before they occupy the property, and to a prospective tenant within 28 days of receiving a written request. Where the report requires further investigative or remedial work, written confirmation that it has been done goes to the tenant within 28 days of completion, with a copy of the original report, stating whether the standards are now met or further work is needed. The regulations list tenancies they do not apply to.

How long does a landlord have to give the deposit prescribed information?

Where a tenancy deposit is taken and the deposit rules apply to the tenancy, the Housing Act 2004 requires it to be protected in an approved scheme and the prescribed information to be given within 30 days of the landlord receiving it, to the tenant and to any relevant person who paid the deposit on the tenant's behalf. Scope is not uniform across every assured tenancy: paragraph 11 of Schedule 6 to the Renters' Rights Act 2025 leaves out tenancies that were assured but not assured shorthold immediately before commencement. Where the duty applies and is not met, and the tenant applies to the county court, section 214(4) requires the court to order a payment once it is satisfied of the conditions in section 214(2) or (2A); the amount is then set between one and three times the deposit. Take advice if the deadline has already passed.

Must a landlord give the tenant an address for notices?

Yes. Section 48 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987 requires the landlord to give the tenant, in writing, an address in England or Wales at which notices can be served on the landlord. Section 48 sets no number of days of its own, but the address is also prescribed content of the written statement of terms, so in the ordinary case it is due before the tenancy is entered into. Until it is given, rent, service charges and administration charges are treated as not due, subject to the exception in the section. A term in the tenancy agreement can satisfy it, and a properly designated agent address can qualify.

Sources

The primary sources behind this guide. Where the law and a summary disagree, the law is what counts. How we write these guides.

This article is general information, not legal advice, and several of these duties have exemptions and transitional cases. For the current requirements, deadlines and exemptions, see the GOV.UK guidance for landlords and consider taking professional advice for your situation.

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