Voice and visuals made with automated software, including AI.
It is the written record of the key terms that landlords in England must give a new tenant before the tenancy is agreed. It applies to tenancies created on or after 1 May 2026, and older spoken-only ones.
The duty comes from section 16D of the Housing Act 1988, added by the Renters' Rights Act 2025. A set of regulations, SI 2026/324, lists what it must contain. GOV.UK calls it "written information about the key terms". It applies to assured tenancies let by private landlords, and by housing associations where the tenancy is not a social housing tenancy. This page follows legislation.gov.uk and GOV.UK as checked on 17 October 2026.
Your landlord deadlines, handled
A compliance calendar for each property, with reminders before every certificate and your register deadline. Landlord Tax adds your Making Tax Digital figures and tax return, prepared for you to send.
Are you ready for Making Tax Digital? Check your start date and what to sort first. It’s free and takes a minute.
What it must contain
The Schedule to SI 2026/324 has 18 items. Some only apply in certain cases.
| Item | What to include |
|---|---|
| Landlord | Your name, and the name of each joint landlord |
| Tenants | The name of every tenant, including joint tenants |
| Address for notices | A postal address in England or Wales where the tenant can serve notices on you |
| Property | The address of the property let |
| Start date | The date the tenant is first entitled to move in |
| Rent | The amount and when it is due |
| Rent increases | That any new proposal to increase the rent will be made by a notice under section 13 of the Housing Act 1988 |
| Bills | Which of council tax, utilities, TV licence, communication services or green deal payments are covered by the rent or paid separately to you, and if separate, how much and when, or how you will tell them. Bills the tenant pays direct to suppliers need not be listed |
| Deposit | The amount of any deposit |
| Tenant's notice | The minimum notice the tenant must give to leave, where section 5(1) of the Protection from Eviction Act 1977 applies |
| Ending the tenancy | That you can usually only end it with a court order for possession and its enforcement, using the prescribed notice form and stating the grounds, which set the notice period |
| Fitness | That you must keep the home fit for human habitation, to the extent the law requires |
| Repairs | Your repairing duties, to the extent the law requires, for the structure, exterior and installations for water, gas, electricity, sanitation and heating |
| Electrical safety | Your duty to meet electrical safety standards, have the installation tested at least every five years and give the tenant the report |
| Gas safety | Where there is gas, your duties to keep fittings safe, have them checked and give the tenant a copy of the record |
| Disability adaptations | Where the tenant may make improvements with consent, the Equality Act rule that you must not unreasonably refuse one for a disabled occupier, and where the definitions of 'disabled person' (section 6) and 'improvement' (section 190(9)) are found |
| Pets | That the tenant may ask to keep a pet and you must not unreasonably refuse |
| Supported accommodation | If it applies, a statement that it is supported accommodation and why |
The tenant's notice period can be no more than two months. If you leave it out, the government guidance says it is two months automatically.
Prior notice of some possession grounds
Some possession grounds need you to have told the tenant in writing, at the start, that you may use them. Section 16D(3) refers to grounds 1B, 2ZA to 2ZD, 4, 5 to 5H, 6A and 18, and the government guidance for private landlords lists 2ZA to 2ZD, 4, 4A, 5 to 5H and 18. They include the student grounds 4 and 4A and supported accommodation, so cover every ground you might rely on. Any form of writing will do, including the tenancy agreement. The guidance says that without it ground 4A cannot be used at all, and for most of the others you could be fined up to £7,000.
When and how to give it
Section 16D says the statement must be given before the tenancy is entered into. A few special cases, such as tenancies that pass by succession, get 28 days instead. GOV.UK puts it as before you sign the agreement, or before you agree the tenancy if it is spoken. You do not need to give it to people who are only viewing.
Keep a dated copy of what you gave. If the tenancy started before 1 May 2026 with only a spoken agreement, the deadline was 31 May 2026. Written tenancies from before that date get the Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 instead, and our guide to the information sheet explains it.
The penalty
A council can fine a landlord up to £7,000 if it is satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that the duty was broken. If the breach carries on for more than 28 days after a penalty is imposed, or after any appeal ends, it can impose another. A letting agent under contract to handle the duty can be fined too, unless the landlord has given the statement.
What this means for you
Say a new tenant is due to sign on 15 January 2027 and move in on 1 February 2027. The written statement, or a tenancy agreement that covers every item that applies to the tenancy, must reach them before they sign on 15 January. Giving it on move-in day is too late. Check your template agreement against the table, especially the section 13 sentence, the two-month cap and the prior notice for any ground you might rely on.
Steps to prepare your written statement
- Take your current tenancy agreement and tick off each item in the table that applies to your tenancy.
- Add anything missing, in your own words if you like.
- Remove any fixed term, since section 16E bars letting on one, and any notice period over two months for the tenant.
- Add prior notice for any possession ground you may need, such as a student ground.
- Give the statement or agreement to every tenant before the tenancy is agreed, and keep a dated copy.
- Protect any deposit and send the deposit's prescribed information within 30 days of receiving it.
Rent from your lets may also bring you into Making Tax Digital; the free MTD check shows when. The landlords section has more guides on the Renters' Rights Act.
Hold your place on the landlord waitlist
We’ll email you when Landlord Tax starts, with the founding-member price while it lasts. No payment is taken. Landlord Compliance is open now.
Questions people ask
Is the written statement the same as a tenancy agreement?
Not necessarily. GOV.UK expects most landlords to put the information in a written tenancy agreement, but you can give it separately. The statement is the legal minimum; your agreement can include more, as long as its terms follow the law.
Do I have to use the wording in the regulations?
No. The government guidance says you do not need the exact wording, but each item must be covered.
Do I need to give my phone number or email?
No. You must give a postal address in England or Wales where the tenant can send notices. It can be a business address. A phone number or email is optional.
What if I leave out the tenant's notice period?
The guidance says the notice period is then automatically two months. You cannot require more than two months.
My tenancy started before 1 May 2026. Do I need one?
Only if the tenancy was agreed purely by word of mouth, with no written record of its terms, in which case it was due by 31 May 2026. If you have a written agreement or any written record of the terms, you give the Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 instead.
Can a letting agent be fined?
Yes, if the agent is under contract to make sure the duty is met. But if the landlord gives the statement, the agent cannot be fined for that same duty.
Sources
- Housing Act 1988, section 16D: duty of landlord and contractor to give statement of terms etc (legislation.gov.uk)
- Housing Act 1988, section 16E: other duties (legislation.gov.uk)
- Housing Act 2004, section 213: requirements relating to tenancy deposits (legislation.gov.uk)
- Housing Act 1988, section 16I: financial penalties (legislation.gov.uk)
- The Assured Tenancies (Private Rented Sector) (Written Statement of Terms etc and Information Sheet) (England) Regulations 2026, SI 2026/324 (legislation.gov.uk)
- Tenancy agreements: written information for your tenant (GOV.UK)
- Written information that must be given to tenants: guidance for landlords and agents (GOV.UK, PDF, first published 20 March 2026)
- Assured periodic tenancies: a guide for landlords, written information you need to give to your tenant (GOV.UK)
This is general information to help you understand the rules. It isn't tailored to your circumstances, so check your own position before acting on it.
Righto Landlord is a trading name of NJG Consultancy Ltd, registered in England and Wales, company number 16095900. Registered office: Jubilee House, East Beach, Lytham St Annes, FY8 5FT.
What happens next
- Use the free Making Tax Digital checker to see your own start date and deadlines.
- See what Righto Landlord does for you, and join the waitlist.
- Questions about this page? Email hello@rightolandlord.co.uk.