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Landlord Guide

How to Rent Guide for Landlords

Landlord-focused guide to serving and evidencing How to Rent compliance.

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What is the How to Rent Guide?

The "How to Rent: the checklist for renting in England" is a government-published document that explains:

  • What tenants should look for before renting
  • What to expect during the tenancy
  • Tenant rights and responsibilities
  • What happens at the end of a tenancy
  • Where to get help if things go wrong

Download Latest Version

Always check gov.uk for the current version of the How to Rent guide. The government updates it periodically.

Why Does It Matter for Landlords?

The How to Rent guide is one of the "prescribed requirements" for Section 21 notices under the Deregulation Act 2015. If you don't provide it:

  • You cannot serve a valid Section 21 notice until you have provided it
  • Any Section 21 notice served before providing the guide is invalid
  • You will not be able to use the accelerated possession procedure

When to Provide It

You must provide the How to Rent guide to tenants at the start of a new assured shorthold tenancy. Best practice:

  1. New tenancies: Provide before or on the day the tenancy starts
  2. Renewals (same tenant): Only required if a new version has been published since you last provided it
  3. New tenants in existing properties: Always provide to new tenants

How to Provide It

You can provide the How to Rent guide by:

  • Email: Send as a PDF attachment or link to the gov.uk page
  • Hard copy: Print and hand to the tenant
  • Post: Send by post before the tenancy starts

Proving You Provided It

Keep evidence that you provided the guide. If you go to court, you may need to prove this. Options include:

  • Email with delivery/read receipt
  • Signed acknowledgment from the tenant
  • Clause in tenancy agreement confirming receipt
  • Text message confirmation

Other Prescribed Requirements

The How to Rent guide is just one of the requirements for a valid Section 21. You must also:

  • Protect the deposit in a government-approved scheme
  • Serve the deposit prescribed information within 30 days
  • Provide a valid Gas Safety Certificate
  • Provide a valid Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)

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How to Rent Guide FAQ

Unlike generic form builders, we validate 20+ legal requirements before generating court-ready documents — reducing the risk of rejected claims.

  • Compliance checks included before documents are generated
  • Jurisdiction-specific documents for UK landlord workflows
  • Step-by-step guided wizard built to reduce mistakes and rework
The How to Rent guide is a government document that landlords in England must provide to tenants at the start of an assured shorthold tenancy. It explains tenant rights and landlord responsibilities.
Yes, if your property is in England and let on an AST. Failure to provide the current version before the tenancy starts (or at renewal) means you cannot serve a valid Section 21 notice.
Download the current version free from gov.uk. Search for "How to rent" or visit gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-rent. Always use the version current at the tenancy start date.
Yes, but only if the tenant has agreed to receive documents by email. Keep evidence of the agreement and proof of sending (sent email with attachment). Alternatively, provide a hard copy.
No. The How to Rent guide only applies in England. Wales and Scotland have different tenant information requirements under their respective housing laws.
If you provided an outdated version, your Section 21 notice may be invalid. Provide the correct version and serve a new Section 21 notice. The notice period restarts from the new service date.

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