Scope: England. Wales serves a different set — the written statement of an occupation contract replaces most of this, and there is no How to Rent guide. Verified against the legislation on 10 August 2026.
Two deadlines on this page are absolute. The rest are duties you can, at a cost, put right later.
Before the tenancy starts
| Document | Deadline |
|---|
| Right to Rent check | Before the tenancy begins — cannot be done late |
| EPC | Before marketing; give to the tenant before they commit |
| Gas Safety Record | Before occupation, if there is any gas appliance |
| Inventory | Before keys change hands — cannot be recreated later |
At the start
Within 30 days of receiving the deposit
| Document | Deadline |
|---|
| Deposit protected in an authorised scheme | 30 days — absolute |
| Prescribed information served | 30 days — absolute |
The two that are absolute, and why
The deposit deadline. Protect on day 31 and the breach is not cured by protecting late. The tenant can claim one to three times the deposit, and the claim survives the tenancy ending.
The Right to Rent check. The statutory excuse is having checked before occupation. Checking afterwards does not create it.
How to serve, and how to prove it
The commonest failure is not omission but proof. A landlord who served everything correctly and cannot show it is, in a dispute, in the same position as one who served nothing.
- Serve by email where the tenant has agreed in writing to electronic service, and keep the sent item.
- Or serve on paper and have the tenant sign a dated receipt listing each document.
- Keep the version of the How to Rent guide you served, not just the date — the guide is reissued, and which edition was current matters.
And again later
Some of these must be re-served during the tenancy — when a certificate renews, or when the How to Rent guide is reissued. See mid-tenancy document re-service for what triggers a fresh copy.
Upload your agreement and we will check it against current law, or run the free property check to see which of these apply.
Common questions
What must I give a tenant on day one?
In England: the current How to Rent guide, the EPC, the Gas Safety Record if there is gas, the EICR, the written statement of terms, the Renters Rights information sheet, and your name and address under section 1 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. The alarms must be tested and working on the first day rather than merely installed. Then, within 30 days of receiving the deposit, protection in an authorised scheme and the prescribed information.
Which deadlines cannot be fixed late?
Two. Deposit protection and prescribed information within 30 days — protecting on day 31 does not cure the breach, and the tenant can claim one to three times the deposit. And the Right to Rent check, which must precede occupation because the statutory excuse is having checked beforehand.
How do I prove I served everything?
This is the commonest failure — not omission but proof. Serve by email where the tenant has agreed in writing to electronic service and keep the sent item, or serve on paper against a dated receipt listing each document. Keep the version of the How to Rent guide you served as well as the date, because the guide is reissued and which edition was current matters.
Is the list the same in Wales?
No. Wales runs occupation contracts under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, where a written statement of the contract replaces most of this list and there is no How to Rent guide at all. A Welsh landlord working from an English checklist will serve documents that do not apply and miss the one that does.