Landlords in England have a small but practical new detail to add to their Renters’ Rights paperwork checks. The government has now published alternative formats for the official Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026, which landlords and letting agents must give to tenants in certain existing tenancies before the end of May.
The core rule has not changed. The official PDF remains the document that must be given to tenants. But the new page matters because it explains what to do when a tenant needs the information in a more accessible format as well. For landlords, that makes this less about new policy and more about getting the delivery process right.
What has been added
The new GOV.UK page says landlords and letting agents can now provide a large-print version of the information sheet, and that a braille version can be requested by email. It also says an Easy Read version will be added later, with an alert sign-up available for updates.
Crucially, the page says any accessible-format copy is an addition, not a replacement. If a tenant needs large print or braille, landlords and agents must still give the official PDF as well. The government also says it does not provide versions in other languages, and it will not provide an editable or Word version of the information sheet.
Why this matters for landlords
We recently covered the new information sheet and tenancy forms, including the rule that the information sheet must be given by 31 May 2026 where it applies. This latest update does not move that deadline, but it does make the administration around it more specific.
That matters because the original publication page already made clear that landlords must use the exact official PDF downloaded from GOV.UK, and that simply sending a link is not valid. The alternative-formats page now adds another operational point: if accessibility needs come up, the answer is not to swap out the official document, but to provide the accessible version alongside it.
For self-managing landlords, this is mostly a reminder to keep the paperwork trail tidy. For landlords using agents, it is worth checking that the agent’s process covers accessible-format requests properly and does not assume that sending one adapted copy is enough on its own.
What the official page still says
The main GOV.UK publication page says the information sheet must be given if the tenancy is an assured or assured shorthold tenancy created before 1 May 2026 and there is a wholly or partly written record of terms. It says the deadline is 31 May 2026 and warns that failing to give the sheet can lead to a fine of up to £7,000.
That page also says each named tenant must get a copy, lodgers do not need it, and landlords must give the PDF either as a hard copy by hand or post, or electronically as the PDF itself rather than as a link. Those details still do the heavy lifting, and the new accessibility page should be read as an extra layer on top.
What to watch now
The immediate takeaway is fairly simple. If you are still working through the Renters’ Rights timetable, make sure your process for serving the information sheet reflects the new accessibility guidance as well as the original rules on format and delivery.
Landlords do not need to improvise their own editable version or substitute documents. The safer reading of the official guidance is to use the government’s PDF as required, then add the available accessible format where needed. With an Easy Read version still to come, this is also one of those pages worth keeping an eye on rather than assuming the current options are the final set.
In other words, this is not the biggest Renters’ Rights change of the spring, but it is exactly the kind of practical detail that can trip people up if they rely on memory rather than the latest official page.
