About the “How to Rent” guide for Landlords in England

What is the How To Rent guide? The How to Rent guide is a government-issued checklist that helps tenants understand their rights and responsibilities when renting in England and Wales. 

It details their rights and responsibilities as a tenant, as well as the legal obligations of the landlord that they need to know about.

All landlords are legally obliged to ensure that their tenants have received a copy of the How to Rent guide at the beginning of the tenancy.

About the “How to Rent” Guide – A Checklist for Renting in England

The How to Rent Guide is essentially a checklist that gives tenants an overview of all the things that they should know before they move into a rented apartment or house.

It answers questions regarding letting agent fees, security deposits, and the Right to Rent.

It also runs through all the things a tenant should check before their tenancy starts to ensure everything is done legitimately and legally. This includes:

• Details of the salient paperwork such as the tenancy agreement and the inventory inspection.
• Whether the landlord needs and has a landlord licence
• Details on banned fees
• Ensuring they have received key information from the landlord, such as the electrical inspect certificate report (EICR), gas safety certificate, and energy performance certificate (EPC).

Where to Get the Latest How to Rent Guide

Download the latest How to Rent guide here.

What Else is in the How to Rent Guide?

On top of detailing key rules and regulations that tenants need to be familiar with, it also explains and outlines the tenant’s key responsibilities. These include:

• Their responsibility to pay rent and any other bills on time
• Their responsibility to look after the property
• Not taking lodgers

The rent booklet also outlines some best practices, things that tenants should do routinely such as testing smoke alarms and reporting maintenance issues to the landlord.

Finally, it details the central responsibilities of the landlord, including:

• Carrying out repairs
• Checking electrical safety every five years
• Making sure the property is free from serious hazards such as damp or mould

The guide suggests landlords should get buildings insurance, check the property’s fixtures and fittings regularly, and make sure blind cords are safe by design.

The final section of the rent booklet focuses on what happens at the end of the tenancy and what to do if things go wrong.

Where Can You Get the How to Rent guide?

The most recent copy of the How to Rent guide is available for download on the government website. You will want to download this and send it to each of your new tenants at the start of each tenancy.

There’s also an ‘easy read’ version to help landlords and tenants with learning disabilities understand their rights and responsibilities.

When Was it Last Updated?

The How to Rent guide is updated regularly to reflect new regulations such as mandatory electrical safety checks, which were introduced in 2020.

The How to Rent guide was most recently updated in October 2023 to reflect new legislation around Section 21 notices, possession grounds, and material information rules for property listings. 

The specific changes in 2023 included: 

• The importance of material information disclosure under updated advertising regulations
• Updated Section 21 guidance and the ongoing reform debate
• A clearer explanation of deposit protection, including the timelines and tenant rights

These changes were introduced with the intention of helping tenants make better educated decisions, and to promote transparency among landlords. 

What Do Landlords Need to do With the How to Rent Guide?

Landlords should send a copy of the How to Rent guide to their new tenants at the start of the tenancy. Landlords should make sure that it is the most recent copy of the guide as it is regularly updated.

The easiest way to do this is to simply attach it to a welcome email. Often landlords will ask for confirmation that the tenant received this so that they have written proof that the guide was sent and received.

If a tenant asks for a hard copy landlords are obliged to provide one.

What Happens if You Renew the Tenancy?

If a new fixed-term tenancy is signed (even with the same tenant), landlords must provide the latest How to Rent guide again. 

But if the tenancy rolls into a statutory periodic tenancy, you're not legally required to reissue it—even if an updated version is published.

What Happens if Landlords Don’t Provide the Latest How to Rent Guide?

At the start of a new tenancy, you need to provide tenants with the following documents, which are classified as ‘prescribed information’. This includes:

• The current version of the How to Rent guide
• A valid Gas Safety Certificate
• A valid Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)
• A copy of the Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR)
• Details of where the deposit is protected (if applicable)

As of 2025, failing to issue the current How to Rent guide will render any Section 21 eviction invalid.

This makes it one of the most important prescribed documents. If the tenancy becomes periodic and a new tenancy isn’t signed, there is no need to re-issue the guide—even if it has been updated since the original tenancy began.

Benefits of the How to Rent Booklet

The Benefits of the How to Rent Guide For Tenants

For tenants that are new to renting the How to Rent guide explains many of the important nuances of renting in a simple and easy to read format. The key benefits for renters then include:

• Helping them understand their responsibilities as a tenant, such as their responsibility to pay rent on time and look after the property.
• It outlines details of the landlord’s responsibilities such as how maintenance requests should be dealt with and which party is responsible for what.
• It details what documents they should get at the beginning of the tenancy and what happens at the end of the tenancy so the renewal or move out process can be as smooth as possible.

The Benefits of the How to Rent Guide For Landlords

While this may seem like just another piece of paperwork, another thing to remember is that the latest How to Rent guide gives both parties a clear outline of where they stand and the rules and responsibilities of each.

• Helping you keep on top of the latest legislation and what you need to do to remain compliant
• Allowing you to legally retain possession of your property using a Section 21 notice
• Educating tenants about the renting process which could improve relations and reduce queries

Final Words: Managing Compliance With Landlord Studio

Staying compliant with ever-evolving rental regulations can feel overwhelming, but with the right tools, it doesn’t have to be.

Landlord Studio makes it easy for landlords to stay on top of legal requirements like providing the latest How to Rent guide, renewing safety certificates, and more.

With Landlord Studio, you can upload and store essential tenancy documents, send compliance-related emails to tenants in just a few clicks, and set personal reminders so you never miss a crucial date. Streamline administrative tasks, stay organised, and ensure you remain compliant with rental regulations.

Create your free Landlord Studio account today to learn more.

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