Landlord's Information Letter for New Tenancies
This Letter to Tenant With New Tenancy Information (England) is for use by a residential landlord who has recently granted a new assured shorthold tenancy (AST) of property in England. This letter should be printed on the landlord’s headed paper and sent to the tenant as soon as possible after the grant of the AST.
Landlords in England are required to provide certain information and documentation to their new tenants. Failure to provide some of the material can lead to the landlord being unable to serve a valid Section 21 Notice to terminate the tenancy at a later stage.
This template has been updated to reflect the requirement to provide an electrical installation report as introduced by The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, the provision of fire safety information and fire door instructions where more than one dwelling shares a common fire exit in accordance with the Fire Safety (England) Regulations.
It now also includes other best practice information such as the provision of an inventory and allows for a record that smoke and carbon monoxide alarms were tested and in working order at the start of the tenancy.
At the time of writing, failing to provide an electrical installation report and inventory does not invalidate the service of a Section 21 Notice.
The information required, and referred to in this Letter, is:
- A valid energy performance certificate. This should be provided before the tenant occupies the property.
- A copy of the last gas safety record. This should be provided before the tenant occupies the property.
- A copy of the last electrical installation report. This should be provided before the tenant occupies the property.
- “Prescribed Information” regarding protection of any tenancy deposit.
- A copy of the most recent Government's mandatory “How to Rent: the checklist for renting in England”. The latest version can be found on the gov.uk website.
- A copy of the signed tenancy agreement
- Details of the Landlord’s address for service required under s48 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987.
- A copy of the Fire Safety Information and Fire Door instructions. These are to be supplied where a property shares a common fire exit with one or more other dwellings. Item no. 8 should be deleted if this is not applicable.
- A copy of an agreed check-in inventory. This is not a legal requirement, but it is best practice to agree a detailed inventory with the tenant and provide them with a copy to avoid potential deposit disputes at the end of the tenancy. Where an inventory is not to be provided, item no. 9 should be deleted.
- A statement that the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms were checked and in working order. This clause is optional but for best practice purposes, it provides a record that checks have been carried out.
Hard copies of the first three items should be provided. It is permissible to provide the fourth item by email if the tenant has notified the landlord of an e-mail address at which they are willing to accept service of notices and other documents relating to the tenancy.
This template letter allows either for the documents to be enclosed or for the landlord to confirm that they have already been provided, when and by whom.
The tenant is asked to sign a copy of the letter and return it to the landlord to confirm receipt. The landlord must remember to send the tenant two copies of the letter and a stamped addressed envelope.
Optional phrases / clauses are enclosed in square brackets. These should be read carefully and selected so as to be compatible with one another. Unused options should be removed from the document.
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