A recent Freedom of Information (FOI) request has raised concerns about how prepared landlords are for upcoming requirements under the Renters’ Rights Act, after figures showed relatively low engagement with official government guidance.
The data shows that the government’s mandatory Renters’ Rights Act information sheet was downloaded around 153,000 times in the first four weeks after it was published. While this may sound significant, it sits in contrast with the estimated 2.3 million private landlords in England who are expected to provide the document to tenants by 31 May.
The figures were obtained by Landlord Studio from the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government through the FOI process.
Deadline pressure building for landlords
Under the new rules, landlords are required to serve the official information sheet to tenants by the end of May. Those who fail to comply could face financial penalties of up to £7,000 per tenancy, making it a potentially costly oversight.
The gap between the number of landlords and the number of downloads has raised questions about how widely the requirement has been understood or acted upon so far.
Industry commentary suggests that while some landlords are well-prepared and already operate structured compliance systems, others may still rely on more informal processes that are slower to adapt to regulatory change.
Concerns over uneven awareness
Logan Ransley, co-founder of Landlord Studio, said the findings highlight a broader challenge in how the Renters’ Rights Act is being rolled out across the private rental sector.
He pointed out that engagement with the official document appears low when compared with the overall size of the landlord population. He also noted that different landlords operate in very different ways, with some managing multiple properties through formal systems and others handling compliance manually.
According to him, introducing a requirement with a fixed deadline means uptake is unlikely to be evenly distributed across the market. As the deadline approaches, landlords are being encouraged not only to distribute the required information but also to keep clear evidence that they have done so.
Not all engagement leads to downloads
The FOI response also revealed that there were approximately 189,000 sessions on the GOV.UK page hosting the guidance over the same four-week period. However, not every visit resulted in a download of the official document.
This suggests that while awareness of the requirement may be relatively high, actual completion of the process is less consistent.
Some of the difference may be explained by letting agents accessing the document on behalf of multiple landlords or entire property portfolios, rather than individual landlords downloading it separately. Even so, the figures still point to uneven levels of engagement with the official materials.
Wider implications for the rental sector
The findings suggest that compliance with the Renters’ Rights Act may vary significantly across the private rented sector, particularly as deadlines approach. Larger or more organised landlords may already have systems in place, while smaller landlords could be more exposed to missing key requirements.
With penalties in place for non-compliance, the next few weeks are likely to be critical as landlords work to ensure they meet their obligations.
The FOI data has been published publicly via WhatDoTheyKnow, offering a clearer view of how uptake of the guidance is progressing ahead of the enforcement deadline.
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