Written Statement of Tenancy
Quick answer
Under the Renters Rights Act 2025, every landlord must give a new tenant a written statement of tenancy terms before or at the start of the tenancy, containing core information such as rent, deposit, landlord details and repair responsibilities.
At a glance
- Law
- Renters’ Rights Act 2025
- When
- Before or at the start of the tenancy
- Contents
- Rent, deposit, landlord details, repair responsibilities
Full guide
Read the complete landlord guide on Written Statement of Tenancy
Deadlines, fines and step-by-step compliance in our in-depth resource.
Open full guideWhy Written Statement of Tenancy matters for landlords
RRA 2025 introduced a mandatory written statement of tenancy terms alongside the existing tenancy agreement. It feels redundant — a modern AST already contains the same fields — but the statutory obligation is separate, and the penalty for non-service is separate. Adding a single-page "statement" to the tenancy pack and issuing it with a dated email is the lowest-friction compliance path.
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Official sources
LetCompliance editorial reviews this entry every quarter against the sources above. Always confirm specific duties with a qualified solicitor or your local council.
Related terms
Consent to Let
Written permission from a residential mortgage lender allowing the owner to let out a home bought on an owner-occupier mortgage, without switching to a buy-to-let product. Usually granted for a limited period (often 6–12 months) and sometimes with a rate uplift. Letting without it breaches the mortgage terms and can, in principle, let the lender demand full repayment.
How to Rent Guide
A government checklist that landlords in England had to give tenants at the start of a new assured shorthold tenancy. GOV.UK withdrew it on 1 May 2026; it is retained only as evidence for Section 21 notices served before that date. It is no longer a document to serve on a new tenant. New tenancies instead require a written statement of terms, given before the tenancy is entered into (penalty up to £7,000).
Legionella Risk Assessment
A written assessment of the risk of legionella bacteria in the property's water system. Required by HSE under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002. Not a formal certificate, but landlords must demonstrate they have considered the risk.
Move-in Pack (Statutory)
The bundle of documents an English landlord must serve on a new tenant before — or at the very start of — a tenancy. Standard contents: latest Gas Safety Certificate (CP12), latest EICR, current EPC (band E or above), the deposit Prescribed Information, and a written statement of terms before the tenancy is entered into. Only a deposit failure bars a Section 8 possession order (every ground except 7A and 14, and returning the deposit cures it). Missing gas, EICR or EPC carry their own penalties and weigh against the landlord on the discretionary grounds, but they do not bar possession. The GOV.UK How to Rent guide was withdrawn on 1 May 2026 and is no longer served on new tenants.
Quiet Enjoyment
A tenant’s legal right to occupy the property without unlawful interference from the landlord. It underpins the rule that a landlord must give at least 24 hours’ written notice and get the tenant’s agreement before entering, except in a genuine emergency. Breaching it can amount to harassment or unlawful eviction.
Rent-to-Rent (R2R)
An arrangement where a middle party rents a property from the owner on one agreement, then sub-lets it (often room by room as an HMO) to occupiers for a higher total rent, keeping the margin. Legitimate only with the owner’s written consent, the correct tenancy type and — critically — the right HMO licence held by whoever is the "person in control". Done without consent or a licence it is a common source of unlawful-eviction, deposit and licensing liability.