The Renters’ Rights Act is moving closer in its preparation for the commencement of Phase one on 1 May 2026. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has published a draft version of regulations (with the finalised version to be provided in March) that are required to be laid by statutory instrument setting out the information that must be included in the written statement of terms that landlords will be required to provide to tenants. The written statement must be provided for all new tenancy made on or after 1 May 2026 and for existing tenancies must be provided as an information sheet to the tenant by 31st May 2026. 

The requirement to both provide a written statement of terms and that the statement includes all the required information as set out in these draft regulations is a legal duty placed on the landlord. As such, it is one of the aspects that will be enforceable by local authorities and which, if not complied with, could result in a financial penalty of up to £7,000 being issued. One of the many ways that financial penalties and their use have been strengthened through the Renter’s Rights Act.  

A couple of quick things picked out from the draft regulations; 

• Firstly, for local authority enforcement, the requirement for the inclusion of an address in England or Wales at which notices may be served on the landlord by the tenant (Schedule 1, Part 1, sect 3) could be a helpful aspect for other investigations and action.

• Secondly, the requirement for there to be statements explaining the landlord’s obligations under different regulations and legislation (Schedule 1, Part 1, sect 12-16) has potential to help increase general awareness among tenants, which typically sits at a relatively low percentage otherwise, of the regulations there to help them.