A new tenant must get three things from you: the terms in writing before the tenancy is agreed (Housing Act 1988, s.16D, in force since 1 May 2026), the safety certificates before they move in, and the deposit paperwork within 30 days of the deposit being paid. This checklist takes each one in turn for a new tenancy in England (an assured periodic tenancy, or APT), with its deadline and what happens if you miss it.
Only the deposit rules can stop a court making a possession order under Section 8. The rest are the law in their own right and carry their own penalties. The list reflects the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 as it came into force on 1 May 2026, and adds the RRA-specific items to the earlier move-in pack guide.
Not legal advice. If you let more than one property, LetCompliance’s move-in pack tracker keeps track of the deadlines in this list for each tenancy.
The 8 documents you must provide (in order)
Document 1: the tenancy agreement. The written agreement for the APT. Check that the landlord and tenant names and addresses, the property address, the rent and payment day and the deposit amount are all correct, and that every statutory clause is in. Both parties sign.
Document 2: Gas Safety Certificate (CP12). It must be in force when the tenancy starts. Give it within 28 days of the check or before occupation, whichever is sooner, so a new tenant has a copy before they move in.
Document 3: EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report). It must be in force (5-year validity). The tenant gets a copy before they move in, or within 28 days of a new EICR.
Document 4: Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). The property needs at least band E to be let. Give the tenant a copy free of charge before they move in. The government plans to require band C for all tenancies by 1 October 2030, but that is not law yet.
Document 5: the written statement of terms. For a tenancy agreed on or after 1 May 2026, the landlord must give the tenant a written statement of the key terms before the tenancy is entered into (Housing Act 1988 s.16D). Most landlords put it in the tenancy agreement itself. A local council can impose a financial penalty of up to £7,000 for not giving it (s.16I). The How to Rent booklet was withdrawn by GOV.UK on 1 May 2026 and is no longer given on a new tenancy.
Document 6: Deposit Protection Certificate and Prescribed Information (PI). If you took a deposit, protect it in an authorised scheme (TDS, DPS or mydeposits; see the scheme comparison) within 30 days. Give the tenant the scheme certificate and the PI within the same 30 days. Miss this and a court cannot make a possession order on most grounds (Grounds 7A and 14 aside) until it is put right, by protecting it and giving the PI (late still counts) or by returning the deposit. The tenant can also claim a penalty of up to 3× the deposit.
Document 7: PRS Database entry. This one is a registration, not a document you hand over. Under the RRA, landlords of assured tenancies must register themselves and each let property on the Private Rented Sector Database, which the Government runs as the "Register your rental property" service. It opens on 15 December 2026 and becomes required region by region, with deadlines from 14 March 2027 (West Midlands) to 14 November 2027 (South West), and costs £65 a year per property. The service asks for copies of the gas safety record, the EICR and, where one had to be given to the tenant, the EPC: the same certificates that go in this pack. See PRS Database vs Selective Licensing for the detail.
Document 8: RRA Information Sheet (existing tenancies only). This one is not for a new tenancy. The Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 was a one-off for tenants on a written tenancy that was already running on 1 May 2026, due by 31 May 2026. GOV.UK says a landlord who does not give it can be fined up to £7,000. A tenancy that was only verbal got a written statement of terms by the same date instead.
See RRA Information Sheet: How to Serve and Prove for detail.
Documents to provide when they exist (conditional)
Landlord Ombudsman details. Once the RRA landlord ombudsman scheme is live, tenants must be given the ombudsman details. The scheme is not open yet, and mandatory membership is expected in 2028. Check the Landlord Ombudsman guide for current status.
Legionella risk assessment record. Not a formal certificate but a written record of the landlord’s Legionella risk assessment for the property. Best practice to keep on file; provide extract to tenant if they ask.
Smoke and CO alarm evidence. Since 1 October 2022 every rented property in England needs a smoke alarm on every storey and a CO alarm in any room with a fixed combustion appliance (excluding gas cookers). Test on the first day of the tenancy, record the test and countersign with the tenant.
Fire safety information (HMOs). Fire risk assessment (written, mandatory since 2023 for HMOs), emergency management plan (larger HMOs), fire door schedule.
Building safety information (high-rise buildings only, meaning buildings above 18m).
When it must be provided: the deadlines
| Document | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Tenancy agreement | Signed before occupation |
| GSC (CP12) | Before occupation |
| EICR | Before occupation |
| EPC | Before occupation |
| Deposit certificate + PI | Within 30 days of receipt of deposit |
| Written statement of terms | New lets: before the tenancy is agreed |
| RRA Information Sheet | Not for new lets: it was for existing written tenancies, by 31 May 2026 |
| PRS Database registration | By your region's deadline (14 March 2027 to 14 November 2027) |
| Smoke/CO test evidence | On day 1 of tenancy |
Consequence of missing a deadline. Be careful here. The old "no possession until you comply" rules were mostly tied to Section 21, which the Renters’ Rights Act abolished on 1 May 2026. These are still legal duties with their own penalties, but most do not automatically bar a Section 8 mandatory ground such as Ground 8 (rent arrears):
- Deposit not protected / PI not served → the tenant can claim a penalty of 1–3× the deposit. You can still serve a Section 8 notice, but the court cannot make a possession order on most grounds (not Grounds 7A or 14) until it is put right, by protecting it and serving the PI (late still counts) or by returning the deposit. (This is the one document duty that does gate a Section 8 order.)
- GSC not provided → a legal duty with its own HSE fines, and pre-RRA a Section 21 blocker (now abolished). It does not, by itself, defeat a Section 8 mandatory ground.
- EPC below E → you cannot lawfully let; if let, it is unlawful under MEES with its own civil penalty.
- How to Rent not provided → this was a Section 21 precondition, gone with Section 21, and the guide was withdrawn on 1 May 2026.
- RRA Information Sheet not provided → this was never a Section 21 precondition. Not giving it to an existing tenant by 31 May 2026 can lead to a civil penalty of up to £7,000. It does not defeat a Section 8 claim.
What genuinely sinks a Section 8 case is a defective notice (wrong form, wrong ground, wrong dates) or unaddressed disrepair raised as a counterclaim, not a missing booklet. Keep the information trail complete because it is the law and it avoids penalties, not because a court will refuse possession over it.
Practical delivery methods
By hand at tenancy signing meeting: strongest evidence. Tenant signs an acknowledgement receipt for each document.
By email attachment: acceptable if the tenancy agreement expressly permits email service and the tenant has provided their email address. Some scheme certificates (e.g. DPS PI) can be electronically delivered; keep read receipts.
Move-in pack app or portal: more landlords now do it this way, because the proof is kept for you. In LetCompliance the tenancy agreement is written as an assured periodic tenancy with the written statement of terms in it, pre-filled from your records and e-signed online. One click starts the deposit’s 30-day clock, with reminders 14, 7 and 1 day before protection and the Prescribed Information are due. The move-in pack then sends the gas safety record, EICR, EPC and Prescribed Information to the tenant in one email, and records each document in the property’s audit log as its own dated entry, which is the evidence the list below asks you to keep. Anything missing shows as a warning before you send. After that, LetCompliance reminds you by email (and by SMS on paid plans) at 90, 30, 14, 7 and 1 days before each certificate runs out. Get started, from £7.99 a month →
Evidence to keep
For every document above, keep on file:
- The document itself (PDF)
- Date it was provided to the tenant
- Method of provision (email, hand, portal)
- Tenant acknowledgement / signature / read receipt
- Version if the document has multiple editions (e.g. which version of the written statement of terms you gave)
Retention period: keep it for at least 6 years after the tenancy ends. Compliance software solves this by default; paper filing systems usually don’t.
For agents, this evidence bundle is what protects you at a redress-scheme complaint and if a council looks into the property.
The one-page tenant receipt
The single best evidence artefact is a tenant-signed receipt confirming that on tenancy start date X, they received:
- Tenancy agreement (dated and signed)
- GSC dated [date]
- EICR dated [date]
- EPC dated [date] rated [rating]
- Deposit certificate (scheme, ref)
- Deposit prescribed information
- Written statement of terms (version [date])
- PRS Database registration reference (optional, once you have registered)
- Landlord Ombudsman scheme details (when applicable)
- Smoke and CO alarm test evidence
One page. Tenant signs. Landlord keeps original, tenant keeps copy.
Sources
- Renters’ Rights Act 2025: Sections 4, 5, 8 and Schedules (APT information requirements)
- Housing Act 1988: Section 8 and Schedule 2 grounds
- GOV.UK: The Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 (for tenancies already running on 1 May 2026; the How to Rent guide was withdrawn the same day)
- Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998: legislation.gov.uk
- Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020: EICR requirements
- The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015 as amended in 2022
Sources and scope
- GOV.UK: Renting out a property
- GOV.UK: Your landlord’s safety responsibilities
- HSE: Gas safety in rented properties
Every figure on this page is cited to GOV.UK, legislation.gov.uk or HSE and reviewed against the live source every quarter. This is guidance, not individual legal advice.
After Section 21: Possession Routes Map
Section 21 was abolished on 1 May 2026 and the window to use older notices closed on 31 July 2026. This map takes the reasons landlords served Section 21 and shows the Section 8 ground that fits.
- Your reason for possession matched to a Section 8 ground
- Notice period and the evidence the court will look for
- What bars a possession order, and what no longer does
- The first-year rule and the 12-month re-letting ban for Grounds 1 and 1A
Frequently asked questions
What documents must I give a new tenant in 2026?
The written statement of terms before the tenancy is agreed (a written tenancy agreement usually serves as it), the Gas Safety record, the EICR, the EPC (minimum band E), and the deposit prescribed information within 30 days of receiving the deposit. Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms must be working on the first day of the tenancy. The How to Rent guide was withdrawn on 1 May 2026. Separately, register on the PRS Database by your region’s deadline (from 14 March 2027 to 14 November 2027).
What if I miss providing one of these documents?
Different documents have different consequences. If the deposit is not protected and the prescribed information not given, the court cannot make a Section 8 possession order on most grounds until you put it right, by protecting it and giving the prescribed information (late still counts) or by returning the deposit. The tenant can also claim a penalty of 1–3× the deposit. The GSC, the How to Rent guide and the EPC were Section 21 preconditions. Section 21 was abolished on 1 May 2026, so missing them does not bar a Section 8 claim, though they remain legal duties with their own penalties.
When was the How to Rent guide replaced?
The How to Rent guide was withdrawn on 1 May 2026. For a new tenancy from that date, the landlord gives a written statement of the key terms before the tenancy is agreed. The RRA Information Sheet was a one-off for tenancies already running on 1 May 2026, due by 31 May 2026.
Do I need to give the tenant the PRS Database registration?
Registration is something you do on the Government’s "Register your rental property" service, not a document for the tenant, and the Government’s published Housing Hub guidance on the service does not list handing the tenant a registration reference at the start of a tenancy. What it does require: register yourself and each let property by your region’s deadline (the service opens 15 December 2026; the last deadline is 14 November 2027). Under future legislation, adverts will need to show your landlord and property identifiers.
