How to Rent Guide 2025: Quick checklist for UK landlords & tenants

Every landlord must give new tenants the current How to rent guide when an assured shorthold tenancy (AST) starts. Keep a dated record (email, signed note or digital receipt) to prove you issued it — failing to provide the guide can prevent a valid Section 21 repossession notice.

• What is the How to rent guide?
• Which version should I give tenants?
• Landlord checklist
• Tenant checklist
• Why issuing the guide properly matters
• Common pitfalls & how to avoid them
• Extra tips for modern letting

What is the How to rent guide?

The How to rent guide is the government checklist for renting in England (for tenants and landlords). It explains key legal duties (deposit protection, gas safety, electrical checks, smoke and CO alarms, Right to Rent checks), and offers practical steps for tenants and landlords throughout a tenancy. The version we used for this update is the October 2023 edition — always check GOV.UK for any updates after that date. How to rent.

Which version should I give tenants?

Give the latest version at the start of every new tenancy. A digital copy is acceptable if the tenant agrees — but keep proof you provided it (email timestamp, tenant signature, or a short signed note). The October 2023 government edition contains important updates (legal-aid access, Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service, identity-service guidance for Right to Rent checks). How to rent.

Landlord checklist — what to give the tenant (actionable)

At move-in provide these documents (and keep copies):

• How to rent guide (current version) — issue at start and keep proof. How to rent.

• Gas safety certificate (if property has gas) — supply before tenancy start and after each annual check. Gas Safety Checks.

  Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) — provide copy; inspections are required at least every five years for new tenancies (check current guidance). Electrical Safety Inspections.

• Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) — give tenant the EPC and check if any Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard (MEES) applies. EPC Requirements.

• Deposit protection details (prescribed information) — must be registered in a government-approved scheme within 30 days. Deposit Protection Schemes.

• Evidence smoke & carbon monoxide alarms are working at tenancy start. Smoke and CO Alarm Regulations

• Name & UK address for service of notices (landlord/agent details).

Tip: Bundle these into a short “move-in pack” PDF and email it to the tenant, and ask for a short digital acknowledgement. Keep the timestamp.

Tenant checklist — what to check before you sign or move in

• Confirm the deposit amount and that it will be protected in an approved scheme. Deposit Protection Schemes.

• Check who pays utilities and council tax and how meters will be read.

• Check smoke alarms & CO detectors are present and tested. Smoke and CO Alarm.

• Ask to see gas safety and EICR and confirm the EPC rating (search the EPC online if needed). Gas Safety, Electrical Safety.

• If it’s an HMO or in a selective-licence area, confirm the landlord holds the correct licence. HMO & Selective Licensing

• Verify the agent’s redress scheme membership and any client-money protection (if they take rent/payments).

Right to Rent & ID checks (practical)

Landlords must check that everyone aged 18+ has the Right to Rent. There are three approved approaches: manual document checks, Home Office online checks (where eligible), or using an identity-service provider. Tenants should bring supporting documents or use the online check where available.

Why issuing the guide properly matters

• Section 21 notices: If you don’t provide the current How to rent guide and other prescribed documents, you risk making a Section 21 notice invalid. Keep evidence you supplied the guide.

• Dispute prevention: Issuing the guide and the move-in pack reduces disputes and supports a smoother check-out process.

Practical template — issue the guide quickly

One-line email to tenant (copy & paste):

Hi [Tenant name], please find attached the current How to rent guide and your tenancy move-in pack (gas safety, EPC, deposit protection details, EICR). Please reply “received” so we have confirmation of issue. Thanks, [Landlord/Agent name & contact].

Store the tenant reply and the sent email timestamp.

Common pitfalls & how to avoid them

• Don’t rely on verbal delivery — always issue the guide in writing (email or printed) and keep proof.

• If you accept a deposit replacement product, give tenants full terms and check FCA regulation where relevant.

• If you or your agent charge banned fees, local authorities can fine up to £5,000 (or more for multiple breaches). Know the Tenant Fees Act rules.

When to re-check the guide and documents

• Before every new tenancy: issue the latest How to rent guide and the documents listed above.

• If the government updates the guide: re-issue if you’re creating a new tenancy; keep watching GOV.UK for changes after October 2023.

If things go wrong

If a tenant faces eviction, unsafe conditions, or the landlord has breached duties, tenants should seek advice immediately from Shelter, Citizens Advice or their local council. The government also runs the Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service for legal help in possession cases (see GOV.UK).

Quick version history

Here’s a timeline of updates made to the How to rent guide since it was first published in June 2014. We will continue to list updates here, describe key changes within the article, and link to the latest available version. 

2 October 2023 – Updated How to rent: the checklist for renting in England
24 March 23 – Updated How to rent: the checklist for renting in England
21 July 2021 – added How to rent: easy read version
10 December 2020 – Updates COVID-19, Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 and Tenant Fees Act
31 May 2019 – the guide is updated following the Tenant Fees Act 2019
9 July 2018 – The title of the guide was amended to ‘How to rent: the checklist for renting in England’.
26 June 2018 – Added updated guide to website
17 January 2018 – Removed reference to the ‘London Rental Standard’ in the renting ‘Direct from the landlord’ section.
1 February 2016 – Updated the How to Rent guide
1 October 2015 – Updated with the latest edition of this guide
25 September 2014 – Added updated guide.
11 June 2014 – Added information about Acrobat Reader download
10 June 2014 – How to Rent guide first published

Extra tips for modern letting

• Digitise your move-in pack — PDFs + one short acknowledgement email reduces admin and proves service.

• Record everything: store emailed documents and tenant acknowledgement for at least the tenancy term + a few years.

• Add a short move-in video (optional) showing meter readings, alarm checks and inventory highlights — adds further proof at very low cost.

• Be proactive with repairs — prompt responses reduce disputes and limit the risk of enforcement action or tenant claims.

Useful official resources

• GOV.UK — How to rent: the checklist for renting in England. (October 2023 edition used here.) How to rent.

• Shelter, Citizens Advice, deposit-protection schemes, Gas Safe Register, Electrical Safety First (refer to GOV.UK guide for links).

If you have any questions or feedback, please leave these in the comments section below.