Free tool
Can you prove you’ve served every document the law requires?
Three details first, so the figures match your tenancy. Then 10 or 11 yes/no questions. About 90 seconds.
HouseFile records when each tenant opens a document you share, so you can show they had it.
Every property gets its own file, with a reminder before any certificate expires. When you share documents with your tenant, you'll see when they open each one.
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Having the document is half the duty
Most duties in this audit mean giving the tenant a document, and holding it isn't enough. Existing tenants get the gas safety record within 28 days of the check. The deposit must be protected, and the prescribed information given, within 30 days. The Renters' Rights Act added the written statement of terms and the Information Sheet, each with a civil penalty of up to £7,000. In a dispute, what counts is whether you can show the tenant had the document, and when.
What the report adds
The page shows your gaps and the figures. The PDF adds how to serve each document so it counts, and what to keep as proof: a signed receipt for hand delivery, proof of posting for post, and when email is enough. The guide on proving tenants received documents goes into more depth.
Frequently asked questions
- Why does “not sure” count the same as “no”?
- Because if you can’t say when and how the tenant received a document, you can’t show you gave it. Any dispute about it then comes down to your word against theirs.
- What happens if my tenant’s deposit isn’t protected?
- The tenant can claim one to three times the deposit. And since 1 May 2026, the court can’t make a possession order on any ground except 7A and 14 (serious anti-social behaviour) until the deposit is protected and the prescribed information served.
- What is the Information Sheet and who had to get it?
- The government document that replaced the How to Rent guide on 1 May 2026. Tenants on written tenancies that began before then had to get it by 31 May 2026. New tenancies get a written statement of terms instead. Not giving either can mean a civil penalty of up to £7,000.
- Does emailing a document count as serving it?
- It depends on the document. Form 4A can only be emailed if the tenancy agreement allows it. The gas safety record can go by email if the tenant is happy with that, and they can ask for paper. The Information Sheet can go as an attached PDF, never a link.
- Why is there no percentage score?
- Because a score hides what matters. Eight out of eleven sounds fine until the three gaps are the deposit, the licence and the gas record. The report prices each gap, so you can see which to fix first.
The report lists the sources behind these figures, with the date each was checked.