1 May 2026 day one: the tenant phone-photo-and-paperwork audit (the Renters' Rights Act morning playbook)

On Friday 1 May 2026, every assured shorthold tenancy in England quietly converts into an assured periodic tenancy. You don't have to sign anything. You don't have to ring your landlord. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 does the conversion for you the moment the clock ticks past midnight on 30 April. From that breakfast onwards, five new tenant rights are yours by default — and a couple of old landlord tools (Section 21, big rent-in-advance demands) stop working overnight.

The catch: the law changes in a flash, but disputes happen later. What protects you in three months' time is the evidence you put in a folder before 9am on day one. This is the 30-minute morning audit — phone-only, no paperwork printer, no solicitor — that locks in your tenancy state and makes sure you can prove it.

If you've already had a rent increase notice land, run a free check at rentsos.co.uk/check before you start. If you haven't, this audit is the foundation that makes a future challenge straightforward.

Why a 30-minute morning audit matters

The auto-conversion is automatic, which is brilliant — there's no form to fill, no deadline to hit, nothing to forget. But "automatic" cuts both ways. Because nothing visible happens on 1 May, it's tempting to treat it like any other Friday. Six months later, when a question comes up — "what was the property's condition before the new regime?", "did your landlord protect your deposit correctly?", "when did you first raise that damp patch?" — the answer needs to be more than "I think so".

That's what this audit is for. You're not preparing for a battle. You're creating a clean baseline. Think of it like the inventory check at the start of a tenancy: a calm, low-effort record that becomes load-bearing only if and when something goes sideways.

The other reason: from 1 May the leverage shifts towards tenants. Tribunal can no longer set rent above the landlord's proposed figure. The Decent Homes Standard applies to private rentals. Rent-in-advance demands are capped. Pets are easier to request. Most of those rights are only as strong as the evidence behind them — photos, dates, paperwork. Get the evidence in place once, and you're set for the whole tenancy.

Frame this as housekeeping, not panic. Half an hour, a cup of tea, a phone, and a free Google Drive folder.

The 30-minute audit at a glance

#	Step	Time	Why it matters
1	Photograph current state of the property	8 mins	Locks in pre-1-May condition — your reference point for any future repair or deposit dispute under the new Decent Homes Standard
2	Photograph energy bills + meter readings	3 mins	Anchors today's energy use against any future EPC or MEES challenge — a poor EPC becomes legal leverage
3	Save the existing tenancy agreement	2 mins	The new periodic tenancy inherits your current rent, deposit and clauses — you need to know exactly what carried over
4	Save current rent + payment evidence	3 mins	Establishes the rent baseline. Any future Form 4A increase is measured against this number
5	Note the current deposit + scheme	4 mins	Deposit must remain protected. Mis-protection is one of the most common procedural grounds to challenge
6	Note any pending repairs already raised	10 mins	The Decent Homes Standard now applies — open repairs raised pre-1-May carry forward as live issues with a new enforcement framework behind them

That's the whole job. Now the detail.

Step 1 — The phone walk-through (8 minutes)

This is the bit that feels overly thorough until the day you need it. Then it feels like you've won the lottery.

Open your phone camera. Before you start, turn on time-stamping so every photo carries the date and time embedded in the file:

• iPhone: Settings > Camera > Formats > make sure "Most Compatible" or "High Efficiency" is set, then Settings > Camera > Preserve Settings — the timestamp lives in the EXIF data automatically. For a visible burned-in stamp, use the free Timestamp Camera app or just take a quick screenshot of the lock-screen clock at the start of the audit.
• Android: Camera app > Settings > Location tags + Photo timestamps > on. Most Android cameras embed both date and GPS into EXIF by default — verify in your gallery.

Now walk the property, room by room, and shoot:

1. Each room — wide angle, then any defect close-up. Living room corners (damp shows here first), kitchen worktops and behind the cooker, bathroom seals and tile grout, bedrooms (windows and walls), hallway, stairs.
2. The meter cupboard. Gas meter reading, electricity meter reading, water meter if you have one. Get the serial number in shot.
3. Smoke alarms and CO alarms. One photo per alarm showing it's mounted, the test button is reachable, and (if you can see it) the date sticker. Under the Decent Homes Standard, working alarms are a baseline requirement — your photos prove what was there on day one.
4. The heating system. Boiler model and serial number, the most recent service sticker if there is one, and any radiator that doesn't heat properly.
5. Mould or damp — every patch, even the small ones. This is the single highest-leverage evidence in the new regime. Mould and damp are explicit Decent Homes Standard failures.
6. The front door, locks, windows that don't close properly, and any loose flooring.

Save everything to a single folder. Name it exactly:

2026-05-01-property-audit

Drop it into iCloud Photos (create a shared album) or a Google Photos album with that name. The named folder is your future-proof index — if you ever need to refer to it, you can find it in two seconds.

Total time: about 8 minutes for a one-bed flat, 12 minutes for a three-bed house. Don't overthink it. Wide, then close-up, then move on.

Step 2 — The paperwork audit (10 minutes)

Now the documents. Create a single Google Drive (or Dropbox) folder named:

2026-05-01 tenancy file

Save (or take a clear photo of) each of the following and drop it in:

• Tenancy agreement — the original signed copy, plus any addendums or renewal letters. If you've only got a paper copy, photograph each page on a flat surface in good light.
• Deposit Protection Certificate — the certificate confirming which scheme holds your deposit (DPS, MyDeposits, or TDS). If you can't find it, this is your day-one job: email your landlord today asking for a copy. Mis-protected deposits are one of the most common procedural grounds.
• Prescribed information document — the leaflet or letter that came with the deposit certificate explaining how to get the deposit back. Not the same thing as the certificate.
• Gas Safety Certificate (CP12) — must be in date. Your landlord must give you a copy annually.
• EPC — energy performance certificate. Note the rating. If it's E, F or G, you've got immediate MEES leverage from day one.
• EICR — electrical installation condition report. Required at least every five years.
• The "How to Rent" guide (pre-1-May version) — the booklet your landlord gave you when the tenancy started. The new RRA version comes later (more on that in Step 3).
• Any Section 21 notice you've ever received. Even if you ignored it, even if it's old, photograph it. Section 21 is being abolished — but Section 21s served before 1 May 2026 can still be progressed by landlords through to 31 July 2026 if they were already in train. If yours is one of those, you need it on file.
• Last 12 months of rent payments — bank statements showing the standing order or transfer. Highlight the rent line on each. This is your rent baseline for any future Form 4A.

Total time: about 10 minutes if your paperwork is reasonably tidy. Longer if you've got to dig — but you only do it once.

Step 3 — The Information Sheet wait (and the 31 May 2026 deadline)

Here's a new RRA obligation that lands squarely on your landlord, not you: by 31 May 2026 — within 30 days of the regime change — your landlord must give you a written tenant Information Sheet explaining your new rights under the Renters' Rights Act. This is a legal requirement, not a courtesy.

If they don't provide it, the consequences are real. Local authorities can impose a civil penalty of up to £7,000 for non-compliance.

Your day-one job is small: open a note on your phone and write down the date you started checking your inbox for it. That's it. If 31 May arrives and you've heard nothing, you've got a clean record showing you were waiting from day one — which is exactly the kind of context that turns a complaint to your local council into a credible one.

Template B further down covers the polite nudge email you can send if it gets close to the deadline.

Step 4 — The new rights you have from this morning

Five rights kick in at 00:01 on 1 May 2026. Worth knowing what they are before the day, so you recognise them when they apply.

#	New right	What it means in plain English
1	Section 21 abolished	Landlords can only end a tenancy using specific Section 8 grounds (rent arrears, anti-social behaviour, landlord moving in, sale, etc.). No more "no-fault" notices
2	2 months' minimum notice for rent increases (Form 4A)	Whatever your payment frequency, you get at least 2 months between the notice landing and the new rent applying
3	Tribunal cannot set rent higher than the landlord's proposed figure	The single biggest deterrent to challenging is gone. Worst case at tribunal is the rent the landlord asked for — never higher
4	Right to request a pet	Landlord must respond within 28 days. They can only refuse on reasonable grounds
5	Cap on rent in advance (1 month maximum)	For new tenancies, landlords can no longer demand 6 or 12 months upfront. One month maximum

These are defaults. They apply whether you ask for them or not. The only thing you have to do is know they exist when something happens.

Step 5 — What has not changed (3 things)

Worth saying out loud, because the headlines focus on what's new:

1. Your existing tenancy agreement is still binding. The new periodic tenancy inherits the rent, the deposit, the clauses, the term length you've already lived. You don't get a fresh start — you get a legal upgrade on the same agreement.
2. Your deposit must stay in a tenancy deposit scheme. No change here. If it was protected before 1 May, it stays protected. If it wasn't, the landlord has the same problem they had on 30 April — and you have the same grounds.
3. Joint tenants still need joint agreement to vary the tenancy. If you live with housemates on a single tenancy agreement, all of you have to agree to anything that changes the contract. The RRA doesn't change that.

The full evidence pack you should have by 9am

By the time the kettle goes on for a second cup, you should have:

• A folder of dated photos covering every room, the meter cupboard, alarms, heating, mould/damp patches and any defect.
• A single named tenancy file in cloud storage with the tenancy agreement, deposit certificate, prescribed information, Gas Safety Certificate, EPC, EICR, the pre-1-May "How to Rent" guide, any historic Section 21 and 12 months of rent payment evidence.
• A note on your phone with today's date and "started checking for tenant Information Sheet from landlord" written under it.
• A mental shortlist of which of the five new rights apply to you (almost certainly all of them).
• A clear sense of your EPC rating, your current rent, your deposit scheme, and any open repair you've raised.

That's the audit. From here, anything that comes up later is a five-minute lookup, not a forensic dig.

Three response templates

Three short emails or notes to lift straight into your day. Edit the names and dates; the language is already in the right register.

Template A — Dated note to self confirming auto-conversion (for the file)

Save this in your tenancy file folder as 2026-05-01-auto-conversion-note.txt:

Date: 1 May 2026

Today my assured shorthold tenancy at [address] auto-converted to an assured periodic tenancy under the Renters' Rights Act 2025. My current rent is £[amount] per [calendar month/week]. My deposit of £[amount] is held by [scheme name], reference [scheme ref]. My EPC rating is [rating]. The pre-1-May condition of the property is recorded in the photo folder titled "2026-05-01-property-audit". I am awaiting the tenant Information Sheet from my landlord, due by 31 May 2026.

That's it. Boring on purpose. It's the kind of note that, six months later, you'll be absurdly grateful is in writing.

Template B — Email to landlord requesting the Information Sheet

Send this any time after 1 May, but before 31 May. Polite, factual, no edge:

Subject: Tenant Information Sheet — Renters' Rights Act 2025

Dear [Landlord/Letting Agent],

Following the Renters' Rights Act 2025 coming into force on 1 May 2026, I understand my tenancy at [address] has converted to an assured periodic tenancy.

Could you please send me the tenant Information Sheet setting out my rights under the new Act? I understand this should reach me by 31 May 2026.

Thanks very much, [Your name]

Soft, friendly, on the record. If they reply quickly, brilliant. If they don't, you've got a dated email showing you asked.

Template C — Email to landlord raising a pre-existing repair

If you've got a repair issue that's been hanging around — damp, a dodgy boiler, a window that doesn't close — day one is the moment to put it in writing under the new framework:

Subject: Repair request — [issue, e.g. damp in bedroom]

Dear [Landlord/Letting Agent],

I'd like to raise a repair issue at [address]: [brief description, e.g. "there is a patch of black mould approximately 30cm across on the bedroom wall behind the wardrobe, which has been present and gradually growing since [month]"].

I have dated photographs showing the current state and would be grateful if we could agree a timeline for inspection and repair. Under the Decent Homes Standard now applying to private rentals, I'd like to make sure this is addressed properly.

Thanks for your help with this, [Your name]

Calm tone, clear ask, lifts the new Decent Homes leverage into the conversation without making it a fight. Most landlords respond well to this. The minority who don't have just handed you a paper trail.

What to do if the landlord serves a Section 21 dated 1 May 2026 onwards

A Section 21 with a serve-date on or after 1 May 2026 is not valid. The grounds simply don't exist anymore. If you receive one, don't move out, don't pack — write back politely confirming the notice cannot be relied upon under the post-RRA regime, and ask whether they intended to serve a Section 8 notice on specific grounds. (Section 21s served before 1 May with continuing validity are a separate, narrower category — covered in 2026-04-26-section-8-vs-section-21-post-rra-tenant-defence.)

If they push, get advice immediately — Citizens Advice, Shelter, or your local council's housing options team. None of this needs to escalate into a tribunal hearing in most cases; the law is clear and most landlords back down once it's pointed out.

What to do if the landlord asks for 6 months upfront

For new tenancies signed on or after 1 May 2026, rent in advance is capped at 1 month. A request for 6 or 12 months upfront — even framed as "just to make the application stronger" — is no longer permitted. Decline politely, reference the cap, and offer the standard month upfront plus deposit. The full breakdown is in 2026-04-28-rent-in-advance-cap-six-months-upfront.

For existing tenancies that already paid more upfront before 1 May, the cap doesn't claw the money back — but it does mean you can't be asked for the same again at renewal.

FAQs

Does my tenancy convert automatically on 1 May 2026 or do I need to sign anything? Automatic. There's no form to sign, no letter to send, no fee to pay. At 00:01 on 1 May your assured shorthold tenancy becomes an assured periodic tenancy by operation of law. The audit in this post is for your records, not for the conversion itself.

What if I move in on 2 May 2026 — same rights from day one? Yes. Any tenancy starting from 1 May 2026 onwards is an assured periodic tenancy from day one, with all five new rights baked in. The 1-month rent-in-advance cap, in particular, applies to any new tenancy from that date — so make sure you're not asked for more than that when you sign.

My landlord posted a Section 13 notice on 30 April — which regime applies? Notices served before 1 May 2026 fall under the old regime — Form 4, the old notice rules. Notices served on or after 1 May 2026 must use Form 4A and the new minimum 2-month notice period. The serve date is what matters. There's a full walkthrough at 2026-04-28-form-4-vs-4a-serving-date-tenant-regime.

I have a fixed-term tenancy ending in August — does the RRA still apply to me from 1 May? Yes. From 1 May 2026 your fixed-term tenancy is converted into an assured periodic tenancy regardless of the original end date. You keep the same rent, deposit and terms, but you gain the five new rights and the protection from Section 21. The "fixed term" effectively becomes a minimum-stay commitment from your side rather than a landlord-imposed end-date.

What if my landlord refuses to give me the Information Sheet by 31 May? Email a polite reminder using Template B above. If 31 May passes with no response, contact your local council's private renting team — the civil penalty for non-compliance is up to £7,000 and councils are increasingly active on enforcement. You can also keep the option open of raising it formally if other issues come up later. For more on what happens after a tenant pushes back, see 2026-04-25-landlord-harassment-after-tenant-challenge-rra-2026.

Key takeaways

• Your tenancy auto-converts to an assured periodic tenancy at 00:01 on 1 May 2026 — no signature, no form, no fee.
• The 30-minute morning audit (phone photos + paperwork file + dated note) locks in your pre-RRA baseline and makes any future dispute a five-minute lookup.
• Five new rights kick in immediately: Section 21 abolished, 2-month minimum notice for rent increases, tribunal can't set rent higher than proposed, right to request a pet, 1-month cap on rent in advance.
• Your landlord must send you a tenant Information Sheet by 31 May 2026. Diary the date.
• Existing rent, deposit and tenancy terms carry forward unchanged — the upgrade is to your rights, not your contract.

Free Section 13 check

If you've already had a rent increase notice — under either the old Form 4 or the new Form 4A — the fastest way to know whether you have grounds to challenge is the free check at rentsos.co.uk/check. Two minutes, no signup, honest answer. If we find grounds, you get the option of a full negotiation pack. If we don't, we tell you that too.

Either way, do the morning audit first. The audit is the foundation. Everything else gets easier from there.

Related reading

• 2026-04-27-rra-first-month-tenant-orientation-checklist
• 2026-04-28-form-4-vs-4a-serving-date-tenant-regime
• 2026-04-28-rent-in-advance-cap-six-months-upfront
• 2026-04-26-section-8-vs-section-21-post-rra-tenant-defence
• 2026-04-25-landlord-harassment-after-tenant-challenge-rra-2026