HMOs and Joint Tenancies: Serving Information Sheets to Every Tenant

Every Tenant Must Receive Their Own Information Sheet

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 requires landlords to serve the official GOV.UK Information Sheet 2026 to "every tenant". This clear wording means that in houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) and joint tenancies, you cannot simply send one sheet to the property and hope it reaches everyone. Each individual tenant must receive their own copy.

With the 31 May 2026 deadline approaching, understanding these requirements for multi-tenant properties is crucial for compliance. Getting this wrong could leave you vulnerable to legal challenges and potential penalties.

Understanding Your Tenant Structure

Before you can properly serve information sheets, you need to understand exactly who your tenants are and how they're legally defined under your tenancy agreements.

HMOs: Individual Tenants, Individual Requirements

In a typical HMO arrangement, each tenant has their own individual tenancy agreement. Even though they share common areas, legally they are separate tenants with individual rights and responsibilities.

For a five-bedroom HMO with five individual tenants:

• Each tenant must receive their own information sheet
• Each service must be to their registered correspondence address
• Each tenant's receipt must be individually documented
• You cannot rely on one tenant to pass information to others

Joint Tenancies: Shared Responsibility, Individual Rights

Joint tenancies create a more complex situation. While joint tenants share collective responsibility for rent and the property condition, they remain individual people with individual rights to information.

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 doesn't distinguish between joint and individual tenants when requiring service of information sheets. This means each person named on a joint tenancy agreement needs their own copy.

Mixed Arrangements and Complicated Households

Some properties combine elements of both structures:

• A couple on a joint tenancy sharing with individual tenants
• Multiple joint tenancies within the same property
• Tenants who've moved out but remain on agreements
• Guarantors who may also need copies

Each situation requires careful consideration of who legally constitutes a "tenant" requiring the information sheet.

Practical Service Considerations

Different Email Addresses Are Essential

Many landlords assume they can send multiple information sheets to one email address—perhaps to a "lead tenant" or the person who handles communications. This approach creates unnecessary risk.

"Even in close-knit households where tenants share everything, legal compliance requires individual service to each person's own contact details."

Best practice requires:

• Individual email addresses for each tenant
• Separate sending and tracking for each recipient
• Individual acknowledgement from each person
• Clear records showing which tenant received which communication when

When Tenants Share Email Addresses

Occasionally, you'll encounter tenants who genuinely share an email address—perhaps a couple who use one joint email account. While not ideal, this situation requires careful handling:

• Send separate emails to the shared address
• Clearly identify which tenant each email is intended for
• Request separate acknowledgements from each individual
• Document that both tenants confirmed receipt of their individual copies

Updating Contact Information

The period leading up to the 31 May 2026 deadline is an excellent opportunity to verify and update tenant contact information. Many landlords discover their records are outdated when they begin compliance efforts.

Consider reaching out to verify:

• Current email addresses for each tenant
• Preferred correspondence addresses
• Any changes in household composition
• Whether any tenants have moved out but remain on agreements

Documentation and Audit Requirements

Serving information sheets to multiple tenants creates multiple compliance obligations. Your records must clearly demonstrate that every individual tenant received their required information.

Essential Records for Each Tenant

• Date and time of sending
• Recipient's full name and email address
• Confirmation of delivery
• Evidence of opening (where available)
• Acknowledgement of receipt
• Any follow-up communications

Managing Multiple Audit Trails

For larger HMOs or complex tenancy arrangements, maintaining separate audit trails becomes challenging. Simple spreadsheets quickly become unwieldy, and email systems don't provide the detailed tracking needed for compliance confidence.

Ploxit simplifies this complexity by automatically managing individual service to each tenant, maintaining separate audit trails, and providing comprehensive compliance reporting across your entire portfolio.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

The "Household Representative" Assumption

Never assume that one tenant can receive information on behalf of others. Even when tenants explicitly ask you to "just send everything to me", legal compliance requires individual service.

Relying on Physical Delivery

Posting one information sheet to a shared property address fails to meet individual service requirements. Even if you could guarantee each tenant sees the document, you cannot document individual receipt and understanding.

Incomplete Record Keeping

Partial compliance is still non-compliance. If you properly serve four tenants in a five-tenant HMO but fail to reach the fifth, your entire compliance effort could be undermined.

Technology Solutions for Complex Properties

Managing information sheet requirements across multiple tenants in various property types quickly becomes complicated. Email systems designed for general communication lack the specific compliance features required by the Renters' Rights Act 2025.

Ploxit addresses these challenges by providing purpose-built tools for landlord compliance, including automated individual service, comprehensive tracking, and detailed audit logs that satisfy legal requirements whilst reducing administrative burden.

Planning Your Compliance Approach

With the 31 May 2026 deadline approaching, now is the time to audit your multi-tenant properties and plan your compliance approach.

Start by:

• Listing all HMOs and joint tenancies in your portfolio
• Verifying current tenant details and contact information
• Identifying any complex tenancy arrangements requiring special attention
• Choosing systems that can handle individual service requirements efficiently

Remember that the Renters' Rights Act 2025 applies to all relevant tenancies, regardless of complexity. Proper planning now prevents compliance crises later.

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This article provides general information about landlord obligations under the Renters' Rights Act 2025. It does not constitute legal advice. For specific legal guidance, consult a qualified solicitor or legal professional.