Move-in Pack (Statutory)
Quick answer
The bundle of documents an English landlord must serve on a new tenant before — or at the very start of — a tenancy. Standard contents: latest Gas Safety Certificate (CP12), latest EICR, current EPC (band E or above), the deposit Prescribed Information, and a written statement of terms before the tenancy is entered into. Only a deposit failure bars a Section 8 possession order (every ground except 7A and 14, and returning the deposit cures it). Missing gas, EICR or EPC carry their own penalties and weigh against the landlord on the discretionary grounds, but they do not bar possession. The GOV.UK How to Rent guide was withdrawn on 1 May 2026 and is no longer served on new tenants.
At a glance
- What
- The documents a landlord must give a new tenant at the start of a tenancy
- Includes
- Written statement of terms, Gas & EICR certificates, EPC, deposit Prescribed Information
- How to Rent guide
- Withdrawn 1 May 2026; new tenancies get the written statement of terms
- Why
- Missing items can block a possession claim and trigger penalties
Full guide
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Open full guideWhy Move-in Pack (Statutory) matters for landlords
The statutory move-in pack is the set of documents a landlord must provide at the start of a tenancy for it to be fully compliant. For a new (post-1 May 2026) tenancy that means the written statement of terms, the Gas Safety record, the EICR, a valid EPC, the deposit Prescribed Information and evidence of Right to Rent checks. Get any of these wrong and you can lose the ability to serve certain possession notices and face financial penalties. Assembling and serving the pack correctly — with an audit trail of what was given and when — is one of the highest-value things a landlord does on day one.
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Official sources
- GOV.UK: Guide to the Renters’ Rights Act 2025
- HSE: Gas safety in rented properties
- GOV.UK: Energy Performance Certificates for landlords
LetCompliance editorial reviews this entry every quarter against the sources above. Always confirm specific duties with a qualified solicitor or your local council.
Related terms
Section 21 Prerequisites
The bundle of pre-conditions a private landlord in England had to satisfy before a Section 21 notice (Form 6A) was valid: deposit protected within 30 days plus Prescribed Information served, current Gas Safety Certificate served, current EICR served, and current GOV.UK How to Rent guide served on the tenant. Section 21 was abolished on 1 May 2026, and these prerequisites went with it. They do not carry over to Section 8. Of the five, only the deposit rules bar a Section 8 possession order (every ground except 7A and 14, and returning the deposit cures the bar). Gas, EICR and How to Rent never gated Section 8, and the How to Rent guide has itself been withdrawn.
Mandatory Ground
A ground for possession under Schedule 2 of the Housing Act 1988 that the court must grant if proved. Examples include Ground 1 (landlord moving in), Ground 1A (sale) and Ground 8 (serious arrears). Contrast discretionary grounds, where the court decides if possession is reasonable.
MEES (Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards)
Regulations requiring rental properties in England and Wales to meet a minimum EPC rating of E. Landlords cannot grant a new tenancy or continue an existing one for an F or G property without a valid exemption. Maximum fine: £5,000 per property.
Mileage Allowance
A simplified way to claim the cost of driving for your lettings business: 45p per mile for the first 10,000 business miles in a tax year and 25p per mile after that. You claim either mileage OR the actual running costs of the vehicle, not both, and you must keep a log of business journeys (inspections, repairs, viewings).
Mortgage Interest Tax Credit (Section 24)
The 20% basic-rate tax credit that replaced full mortgage interest deduction for individual UK landlords under section 24 of the Finance (No.2) Act 2015. From 6 April 2020, finance costs (mortgage interest, loan interest, mortgage broker fees) are no longer deductible from rental profits; instead HMRC gives a tax reducer at the basic rate, capped at the lower of finance costs, property profits or adjusted total income after personal allowance. Higher- and additional-rate taxpayers are materially worse off than pre-2017; Limited Company landlords are unaffected because Ltd interest remains a fully deductible business expense.
MTD ITSA (Making Tax Digital for Income Tax)
HMRC’s digital tax regime for landlords and the self-employed. From 6 April 2026 anyone whose qualifying gross property plus self-employment income tops £50,000 must keep digital records and file four quarterly updates plus a Final Declaration through HMRC-recognised software, instead of one annual Self Assessment. The threshold drops to £30,000 from April 2027 and £20,000 from April 2028, pulling in most UK landlords.