Did You Send the Mandatory 2026 Information Sheet? How to Avoid a £7,000 North Herts Council Fine

For landlords who manage their own properties, compliance with the Renters’ Rights Act is no longer something to put on the “to-do later” list. Hitchin Letting Agents are already helping landlords navigate the new requirements, but one relatively simple obligation may have been overlooked: providing existing tenants with the official Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026.

The deadline for most existing tenants was 31 May 2026. North Herts Council has now confirmed that failing to provide prescribed information about changes introduced by the Renters’ Rights Act can attract a civil penalty of up to £7,000. Its published policy sets a £4,000 starting point for this particular breach, with the statutory maximum at £7,000.

That does not mean every landlord who missed the deadline will automatically receive a £7,000 fine. However, it does mean that landlords in Hitchin and across North Hertfordshire should take any missed compliance seriously.

What exactly did landlords need to send?

The Government-produced Information Sheet explains the changes brought in from 1 May 2026 and how they affect existing private tenancies.

For most tenancies that began before 1 May 2026, landlords needed to send their tenants a copy of the official information sheet by 31 May 2026. North Herts Council confirms that this could be provided digitally or on paper.

Importantly, landlords generally did not need to rewrite or reissue existing written tenancy agreements simply because the Renters’ Rights Act came into force. Instead, the official information sheet was the required communication for existing tenants with a written record of their tenancy terms.

If you manage several properties, this is where a small administrative oversight can become a portfolio-wide compliance problem.

Why the information sheet matters beyond the deadline

The document is not just paperwork. It explains several fundamental changes affecting landlords and tenants.

From 1 May 2026:

• Fixed term assured tenancies became rolling tenancies.
• Assured Shorthold Tenancies were replaced by Assured Periodic Tenancies.
• Section 21 notices can no longer be used for new possession proceedings.
• Rent increases are subject to a new legal process and can generally happen only once a year.
• Landlords must use Form 4A and provide at least two months’ written notice for a rent increase.
• Any proposed increase must not exceed the open-market rent.
• Tenants gained the right to request a pet, which landlords must consider reasonably.

For landlords, these changes make accurate records more important than ever.

What if you missed the 31 May deadline?

First, do not ignore it.

If you have existing tenants and cannot demonstrate that the required information was provided, review your records now. Check emails, property management software, tenant portals and paper files for evidence of when and how the information sheet was issued.

You should also establish whether every property and tenancy in your portfolio was affected. The rules differ depending on when the tenancy started and whether there is already a written record of its terms. North Herts Council specifically advises landlords to understand the new requirements and make the necessary changes to their letting practices.

For landlords who manage multiple properties themselves, this is a good example of why compliance should be treated as an ongoing process rather than a one-off task.

North Herts landlords should look beyond the information sheet

The Information Sheet is only one part of the wider Renters’ Rights Act changes.

Landlords now need to consider how they handle rent reviews, possession, tenancy administration and tenant communications. For example, the Government Information Sheet confirms that landlords can no longer rely on contractual rent review clauses for new increases after 1 May 2026. Instead, the statutory process must be followed.

Possession has also changed significantly. Section 21 is no longer available from 1 May 2026, meaning landlords need to understand the relevant possession grounds and follow the correct Section 8 process where applicable.

North Herts Council has also adopted an enforcement policy specifically covering breaches of the Renters’ Rights Act, including failure to provide existing tenants with the required information.

Turn a compliance gap into a portfolio health check

If you are unsure whether your properties are fully compliant, now is the time to review them rather than wait for a council enquiry or tenant dispute.

A practical compliance review should check:

• Whether every existing tenant received the official 2026 Information Sheet.
• When and how it was sent.
• Whether you have evidence of delivery.
• Whether tenancy records accurately reflect the current arrangements.
• Whether your rent review process follows the new statutory requirements.
• Whether your possession procedures reflect the end of Section 21.
• Whether upcoming tenant communications meet the new rules.

Don’t guess your compliance, contact our Hitchin property management team today for a free portfolio health check.

For landlords with several properties, professional property management can provide an additional layer of oversight as the regulatory framework continues to evolve. The cost of getting compliance wrong can be considerably higher than the cost of having a robust system in place.