The Renters' Rights Act: what has changed for landlords

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025 and reshapes private renting in England. It is being brought in by phases, so the question for landlords is not only what the Act says but what is actually in force. This guide answers that as of 22 October 2026, using the commencement regulations on legislation.gov.uk and the government's own guidance.

The tenancy reforms described here apply to private assured tenancies in England. Wales and Scotland run their own tenancy systems, although the Act includes separate anti-discrimination provisions for both.

In force or still to come: the position today

What changed on 1 May 2026

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 (Commencement No. 2 and Transitional and Saving Provisions) Regulations 2026 brought Chapter 1 of Part 1 of the Act into force on 1 May 2026 for assured tenancies that are not social housing, together with the anti-discrimination and rental bidding chapters and a set of enforcement sections.

Every tenancy is now periodic

Existing assured shorthold tenancies became assured periodic tenancies on 1 May 2026, and new tenancies are created on the same basis. A tenancy agreement can no longer carry an end date. Tenants can end the tenancy by giving two months' notice, with the end date falling at the end of a rent period.

Section 21 has gone

Landlords can no longer use the section 21 process. To recover possession you need a legal reason, served through a section 8 notice citing one or more grounds. GOV.UK guidance says notice is in many cases 4 months, although some grounds allow less. If a tenant stays after the notice expires, the landlord must apply to court.

After using the moving-in or selling grounds, a landlord cannot market or re-let the property for 12 months. Where a tenant is at fault, the relevant grounds can be used at any point in the tenancy.

Rent increases: once a year, by formal notice

Rent can be increased once a year, to market rate, using a section 13 notice on Form 4A with at least two months' notice. Rent review clauses in tenancy agreements are no longer permitted. A tenant can challenge a proposed increase at the First-tier Tribunal, which cannot set the rent higher than the landlord proposed. The new rent applies from the tribunal's decision rather than being backdated, and the tribunal can defer an increase by up to a further two months in cases of undue hardship.

Rent in advance and rental bidding

Landlords and agents cannot ask for, encourage or accept rent before the tenancy agreement is signed. After signing and before the tenancy starts, they can require up to one month's rent, or 28 days' rent where the rent period is shorter. Adverts must state the asking rent, and landlords cannot encourage or accept offers above it.

Pets and discrimination

Tenants can ask to keep a pet, and landlords must consider the request and cannot unreasonably refuse it. The government roadmap gives landlords an initial 28 days to respond. It is now unlawful to discriminate against prospective tenants because they have children or receive benefits.

Stronger enforcement

The maximum rent repayment order has doubled from one to two years' rent, and the list of qualifying offences has expanded. The roadmap also records the maximum civil penalty for certain housing offences rising from £30,000 to £40,000. Since 22 June 2026, councils can also impose financial penalties where a rented home contains a category 1 hazard that it would have been reasonably practicable to remove.

Existing tenancies

Landlords with an existing written tenancy had to give tenants the government's Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet on or before 31 May 2026. Where the tenancy was agreed verbally, a written summary of the main terms was due by the same date. Existing agreements did not need to be reissued.

What is still to come

The Private Rented Sector Database

The database is being launched as the "Register your rental property" service. Registration will be mandatory, with an annual fee of £65 per property, and each region gets a three-month window once its turn arrives. Landlords will need a GOV.UK One Login, property details and copies of gas, electrical and energy performance certificates. The government says landlords who do not register risk being fined.

The PRS Landlord Ombudsman

The Act creates a landlord redress scheme that private landlords will have to join. The government's implementation roadmap expects mandatory sign-up in 2028, with landlords funding the service through a charging model that the government will set out closer to launch.

The Decent Homes Standard

For the first time, a Decent Homes Standard will apply to privately rented homes. The government's policy statement, updated in January 2026, says the new standard will apply from 2035. It has five criteria: free of category 1 hazards; in reasonable repair; with core facilities; with adequate thermal comfort, including meeting minimum energy efficiency standards; and free from damp and mould. Councils will enforce it in the private sector, with immediate civil penalties of up to £7,000 for serious failures. Guidance for landlords is due by the end of 2026.

Energy efficiency and Awaab's Law

Separately from the Act, the government has confirmed that private landlords will need to reach EPC C or equivalent by 1 October 2030, with a cost cap of £10,000 per property. That change still needs legislation; today the legal minimum for letting remains EPC E. Extending Awaab's Law to private renting is in the roadmap, with no date set yet.

What it means for investors

• Model rent growth realistically. One increase a year, open to tribunal challenge, rewards setting the right rent at the start of a tenancy.
• Plan exits around the 12-month protection. Selling with vacant possession now needs a ground, four months' notice and, in a new tenancy, at least 12 months of occupation first.
• Budget for registration. £65 a year per property is small, but it is new, and an unregistered property brings enforcement risk.
• Keep documents in order. The database asks for gas, electrical and energy certificates, and councils now have stronger powers to check.
• Watch the 2030s. EPC C by 2030 and the Decent Homes Standard from 2035 belong in any long-term refurbishment budget. Our refurbishment ROI calculator helps test the numbers.

Compliance is easier when it is not held in someone's memory. PROXERA keeps certificates, tenancy records and key dates connected to the property they belong to, so renewals are visible before they fall due. If you are weighing up a purchase under the new rules, our guides to buy-to-let mortgages, HMO investing and investing in UK property cover the wider picture.