Thousands of landlords have not engaged with guidance around the new information sheet, with just weeks to go before the compliance deadline.

New Freedom of Information data obtained by Landlord Studio found that the sheet had only been downloaded about 153,000 times in the first four weeks since publication while there were 189,000 GOV.UK page sessions, suggesting that not all visitors go on to download the official document.

The firm says while a single download can be used across multiple tenancies and landlords might be accessing the document via agents or intermediaries, the figures still raise questions about how widely landlords have engaged directly with the official guidance.

Required

Landlords are legally required to issue the sheet to tenants under the Renters’ Rights Act if the tenancy was created before 1^st May or face penalties of up to £7,000 per tenancy.

Co-founder Logan Ransley says: “Even allowing for reuse across portfolios, engagement with the official document looks low compared with the size of the private rented sector.”

Sean Hooker, head of redress at Property Redress Scheme (pictured left), agrees that the figures are not encouraging but says there is still time for landlords and letting agents – for whom this is a large logistical exercise - to meet the deadline.

Agents

The scheme has communicated with as many agents as possible, along with sister organisations MyDeposits, Client Money Protect and Total Landlord, who have contacted both agents and landlords, says Hooker. He adds that they will continue to send reminders throughout May.

“Landlords who ignore the deadline will risk fines, especially where local authorities are active in enforcement and whilst awareness amongst tenants is equally low they have no deadline to report an offence and can do so any time after 31st May,” he warns. “There is no cooling off period after that date and the landlord cannot rectify the error merely by serving the document late.”

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