Updated How to Rent Guide October 2023: Must-Know Info

On 2 October 2023, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities released an updated version of the "How to Rent: The Checklist for Renting in England" guide. This comprehensive guide is an invaluable resource for landlords, letting agents, and tenants, offering a wealth of information about the ins and outs of renting a property in England, with specifics on rights, responsibilities, and regulatory standards. 

Under the law, the How to Rent guide must be provided to all assured shorthold tenants in England.

The recently updated How to Rent guide now includes advice on how tenants can access free legal aid services and supportive advice, irrespective of their financial status. This article will delve into details concerning when the latest version of the How to Rent guide should be made available to tenants.

Updated How to Rent Guide: When must it be given to Tenants?

While it is highly recommended that landlords and letting agents provide their existing tenants with a copy of the updated How to Rent guide PDF, there are particular instances where it is legally required to be given. These include:

  • When a new tenancy is granted, it must include the most recent version of the guide.
  • If a tenancy is renewed and the tenant has not received the latest version of the guide.
  • If the tenancy becomes statutory periodic on or after the updated guide's release date. However, this does not apply to our clients using the Tenancy Builder, as their assured shorthold tenancies transition to become contractual periodic.

What if you're in the process of creating an Assured Shorthold Tenancy?

The Tenancy Builder, a tool designed to assist landlords and letting agents in creating assured shorthold tenancies, has been updated to include the most recent edition of the How to Rent guide automatically.

If you're currently using the Tenancy Builder to create a new assured shorthold tenancy, the following advice is pertinent:

  • If you're crafting a new tenancy, rest assured that the latest How to Rent Guide 2023 will be inserted automatically when you save and build.
  • If you've forwarded the contract for digital signing, but it hasn't yet been finalised, there's no need to withdraw the document. However, you should take the initiative to email all the tenants the most recent How to Rent guide.

The Guild of Residential Landlords is committed to keeping you updated with all the relevant changes to ensure that you're always ahead of the curve in your rental dealings. Don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns.

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Prescribed Information (How to Rent Guide)

Not to be confused with tenancy deposit prescribed information, for all assured shorthold tenancies granted on or after 1 October 2015, including renewals, a landlord or landlord's agent must give the tenant the following information – the version of the document entitled “How to rent: the checklist for renting in England”, as published by the Department for Communities and Local Government, that has effect for the time being.