The ‘How to Rent: The checklist for renting in England’ guide is an important document that landlords must provide to tenants before issuing a Section 21 Notice (Form 6A) to end a tenancy agreement in England. Failure to provide the latest version of the Guide could make the notice invalid. This requirement has applied to all new and replacement tenancies since October 2015 unless the tenancy is a “replacement” and no new edition of the Guide has been published.
As the government periodically updates the Guide, it can be tricky for landlords and tenants to find the correct version relevant to their situation, especially if legal proceedings are underway.
Here is a list of previous editions of the Guide since it was first published on 10 June 2014, arranged by release date:
– 2 October 2023 – Latest version [Download here]
– 21 July 2021 – Easy read version [Download here]
– 10 December 2020 – Added electrical safety info [Download here]
– 7 August 2019 – Updated advice links. It remained with the May 2019 footer after it was updated. [Download here]
– 3 June 2019 – Rebranded National Approved Letting Scheme [Download here]
– 31 May 2019 – Updated for Tenant Fees Act 2019 [Download here]
– 9 July 2018 – General update [Download here]
– 26 June 2018 – Corrected title error [Download here]
– 17 January 2018 – Removed rental standard reference [Download here]
– 1 February 2016 – Updated format and guidance [Download here]
– 1 October 2015 – First published edition [Download here]
The government publishes various ‘how to’ guides on renting, letting, buying and selling homes. See the full collection on the [Government website here].
Some of them are:
- How to rent – a guide for current and prospective tenants
- How to rent a safe home – a guide for current and prospective tenants
- How to let – a guide for current and prospective private residential landlords
- How to lease – a guide for current and prospective leaseholders
- How to buy a home – a guide for current and prospective home buyers
- How to sell a home – a guide for current homeowners
This summary is for general guidance only. For legal advice on the ‘How to Rent’ Guide or possession proceedings, please contact our property management team:
askus@brookings.co.uk
020 8591 9088
We are happy to assist with any tenancy matters.
