Gov Data Reveals Compliance Gap Ahead of 31 May Deadline

With only a few weeks to go until the 31 May 2026 deadline, new data obtained by Landlord Studio suggests that a significant share of England’s private landlords may not yet be ready to meet one of the most basic requirements of the Renters’ Rights Act.

In the first four weeks after the Government published its official Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026, the PDF was downloaded just 153,000 times - against an estimated 2.3 million private landlords in England who are required to serve it to their tenants.

The gap matters. Failing to provide the Information Sheet to each tenant carries civil penalties starting at £4,000, rising to a maximum of £7,000 per tenancy. Continued non-compliance more than 28 days after a civil penalty is issued may also become a criminal offence.

What the data revealed

‌Landlord Studio submitted a FOI request  to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). The Department’s response provided the Government’s own Google Analytics figures for the official GOV.UK Information Sheet page.

Between 20 March 2026, the date the Information Sheet was published, and 17 April 2026:

• The GOV.UK Information Sheet page recorded 189,000 sessions
• The PDF itself was downloaded 153,000 times

These figures sit against the most widely cited official estimate of approximately 2.3 million private landlords in England, drawn from the House of Commons Library’s briefing on the Renters’ Rights Bill.

The penalties at stake

‌The civil penalty regime under the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 is tiered:

• A starting civil penalty of £4,000 per tenancy
• A maximum civil penalty of £7,000 per tenancy

For a landlord with even a small portfolio, the per-tenancy structure makes the financial exposure significant. A four-property portfolio served late could, in theory, face penalties of up to £28,000.

For the wider context of how the Act is being rolled out and what other deadlines are coming, see our complete Renters’ Rights Act implementation timeline and the Royal Assent commentary we published last year.

What to do if you’re a landlord

‌If your portfolio includes any tenancy that began before 1 May 2026, the Information Sheet requirement applies to you.

With weeks left to the deadline, the most useful thing you can do is to get it sent to your tenants.

Make sure your proof of service is filed somewhere you can produce it on demand. The burden of evidence sits with you, so an organised paper trail - date served, method used, tenant named, document attached is what will protect you if a tenancy is ever challenged.