The How to Rent guide is a document published by the government that sets out the rights and responsibilities of both landlords and tenants in the private rented sector in England. Giving a copy to every new tenant at the start of a tenancy is a legal requirement for landlords of assured shorthold tenancies, and under the new system introduced by the Renters Rights Act 2025, it remains a condition that landlords must meet. This guide explains what the document is, when you must give it, how to give it, what happens when a new version is published, and why it matters to your overall compliance position.
What is the How to Rent guide?
The How to Rent guide, formally titled How to Rent: The Checklist for Renting in England, is a document produced by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, now the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. It is aimed at tenants and covers the full lifecycle of a tenancy from searching for a home to moving out. It covers what to check before committing to a tenancy, what documents and information the landlord must provide, the obligations of both parties during the tenancy, what happens at the end, and what to do if things go wrong. (Source: How to Rent guide, DLUHC, October 2023)
The version in the project knowledge is dated October 2023. The government updates the guide when there are significant changes to private renting law or practice, and the most recent version must always be the one provided to tenants. The guide itself carries a note instructing anyone who has downloaded a copy to check GOV.UK/government/publications/how-to-rent to confirm they have the most current version.
When must you give it and to whom?
The landlord or letting agent must give the current version of the guide to the tenant when a new assured shorthold tenancy starts. This must be done before the tenant moves in. The requirement applies to all new assured shorthold tenancies in England. The guide does not apply to lodgers, licensees, or tenants where the property is not their main or only home. (Source: How to Rent guide, DLUHC, October 2023)
Under the previous system, there was no requirement to re-issue the guide when a fixed-term tenancy was renewed, unless the guide had been updated since the last time it was provided. That principle will continue to apply in the new periodic tenancy system introduced by the Renters Rights Act 2025. The obligation arises at the start of each new tenancy, not at every renewal or change in rent.
What format can you use?
You must provide the guide either as a printed hard copy or, with the tenant's agreement, as a PDF attachment sent by email. You cannot simply direct the tenant to find it themselves on GOV.UK. The obligation is to actively give it to the tenant, not to make it available. (Source: How to Rent guide, DLUHC, October 2023)
If you provide the guide by email, keep a record of the email and the date it was sent. If you give it as a printed copy, make a note in your tenancy file of when you provided it and consider asking the tenant to sign an acknowledgment on the inventory or a separate receipt. This record may become important if your compliance is ever queried.
What the guide tells tenants
The guide covers a substantial set of information about the landlord's obligations. As a landlord, it is worth knowing what your tenants are being told, because the guide sets out the standards against which your conduct will be measured. The items the guide tells tenants they should receive from the landlord when a tenancy begins are a copy of the guide itself, a gas safety certificate if there is a gas installation or appliance, deposit paperwork if a deposit has been taken, and the energy performance certificate free of charge. (Source: How to Rent guide, DLUHC, October 2023)
The guide also sets out clearly what landlords must do during the tenancy. These obligations include maintaining the structure and exterior of the property, ensuring the property is free from serious hazards throughout the tenancy, fitting smoke alarms on every floor and carbon monoxide alarms in rooms with fixed combustion appliances such as boilers and ensuring they are working at the start of the tenancy, dealing with problems with the water, electricity, and gas supply, maintaining any appliances and furniture supplied with the tenancy, carrying out most repairs, arranging an annual gas safety check by a Gas Safe engineer where there are gas appliances, arranging an electrical safety check by a qualified and competent person every five years, seeking the tenant's permission before accessing the property and giving at least 24 hours notice of proposed visits, getting a licence for the property if it is a licensable property, ensuring the property meets the minimum energy efficiency rating of band E unless a valid exemption applies, and carrying out a Right to Rent check. (Source: How to Rent guide, DLUHC, October 2023)
This is not a checklist for you as a landlord to follow. These obligations exist in law regardless of whether the guide mentions them. But it gives context for what tenants are told and what they have a right to expect.
What happens when a new version is published?
The government updates the How to Rent guide periodically, typically when there are significant changes to legislation or practice affecting private tenancies. When a new version is published, you must give the updated version to any new tenants whose tenancy starts after that date. For existing tenants on a continuing tenancy, there is no requirement to re-issue the guide simply because a new version has been published, provided you already gave them the version that was current when their tenancy started.
However, if a tenancy comes to an end and the same tenants sign a new tenancy agreement, this constitutes a new tenancy and the current version of the guide must be provided at that point. This is a common area of uncertainty for self-managing landlords who re-let to the same tenant without formally ending the tenancy first. The rule is straightforward: new tenancy, current version of the guide.
The link to possession and compliance
Under the system that applied before the Renters Rights Act 2025 came into force, failure to give the tenant the current version of the How to Rent guide before they moved in meant a landlord could not serve a valid Section 21 notice. Section 21 has now been abolished, so that specific consequence no longer applies. However, the underlying obligation to give the guide at the start of a tenancy remains, and compliance with it is part of the broader picture of whether a landlord has met their legal obligations. (Source: Evicting tenants in England, GOV.UK; Guide to the Renters Rights Act, GOV.UK)
Under the Renters Rights Act 2025, the government confirmed that all tenancies will need written tenancy agreements containing specific information, and that the government will produce an information sheet for landlords to give existing tenants explaining how the reforms affect their tenancy. This information sheet is separate from the How to Rent guide, but the principle of ensuring tenants have the right documentation at the start of and during a tenancy continues to apply and will continue to be important to demonstrating good landlord practice. (Source: Guide to the Renters Rights Act, GOV.UK)
Keeping your records straight
The How to Rent guide is not a complex or costly obligation to meet. The document is free, it is available on GOV.UK, and it can be sent by email. The practical risk is not the obligation itself but failing to be able to prove you met it. A simple record noting the version date of the guide you provided, the date you gave or emailed it, and the method of delivery is sufficient. If you use a check-in inventory, adding a signature line for the tenant to confirm receipt of the guide alongside the other required documents is good practice and gives you a clear audit trail.
What this means for landlords
You must give every new tenant the current version of the How to Rent guide at the start of the tenancy, either as a printed copy or as a PDF by email with the tenant's agreement. You must give the guide before the tenant moves in. You do not need to re-issue it when a tenancy rolls over, unless the guide has been updated since you last provided it. If a new tenancy is created with the same tenants, you must give the current version at that point. Keep a record of what version you provided and when.
The guide is freely available at GOV.UK/government/publications/how-to-rent. Always check you are downloading the current version before giving it to a new tenant.
This guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.