Renters' Rights Act 2025: What It Means for Landlords in England

What is the Renters' Rights Act?

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 is a law that rewrites how private tenancies work in England. It changes the type of tenancy landlords can offer, the reasons a landlord can use to end a tenancy, how rent increases work, and the standards and registration rules landlords must meet.

The government is bringing the Act in over three phases rather than all at once:

• Phase 1 (1 May 2026): the tenancy reforms. Section 21 was abolished, tenancies became periodic, new possession grounds started, and new rules on rent, bidding, pets and discrimination took effect.
• Phase 2 (from late 2026): the Private Rented Sector Database, which landlords must register on, followed by a new landlord ombudsman.
• Phase 3 (later): a Decent Homes Standard and Awaab's Law for the private rented sector, which set legal standards for the condition of rented homes and how quickly hazards must be dealt with.

Councils also gained stronger powers to investigate landlords from 27 December 2025, including powers to demand documents and enter properties. The tenancy changes do not initially apply to the social rented sector.

All tenancies are now assured periodic tenancies

Since 1 May 2026, every existing assured shorthold tenancy in England has automatically become an assured periodic tenancy, and every new tenancy is one. A periodic tenancy rolls on, usually month to month, with no end date. You cannot put a fixed end date in the agreement.

For landlords, the practical effect is that a tenancy only ends in one of two ways: the tenant gives notice, or you obtain possession using one of the legal grounds in Schedule 2 to the Housing Act 1988. Tenants can leave by giving two months' notice, and that notice can be given at any point, including in the first few months.

If you already had a written tenancy agreement, you did not need to issue a new one. Instead, you had to give your tenants the government's Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet by 31 May 2026. For tenancies that start now, you must give the tenant written information about the key terms of the tenancy at the start. If you have not done either, put it right as soon as possible, because failing to provide the required information can lead to council penalties.

The end of section 21 "no-fault" evictions

Section 21 has been abolished in England. Since 1 May 2026, no new section 21 notice can be served, and every possession claim must use a section 8 notice that relies on one or more specific grounds.

There was a short transition for notices served before the deadline. A section 21 notice served on or before 30 April 2026 only stayed usable if court proceedings were issued by 31 July 2026. That date has passed, so any unused section 21 notice has now lapsed and you would need to start again under section 8.

The accelerated possession route, which let landlords recover a property on paper under section 21, has gone with it. Possession claims now generally go to a hearing, so evidence matters far more than it used to. Keeping a record of rent payments, inspections, repairs and communication with your tenant is no longer good practice; it is what wins or loses a case.

We cover the full set of grounds, notice periods and court steps in our guide to regaining possession after section 21.

The new grounds for possession

Landlords can still get a property back, but they now need a legal reason, called a ground for possession. The Act strengthened several grounds to make up for the loss of section 21.

• Selling or moving in: you can seek possession to sell the property or so that you or a close family member can live in it. These grounds need four months' notice and cannot be used in the first 12 months of a tenancy.
• Rent arrears: if your tenant owes at least three months' rent, the court must give possession. If they owe less, the court may let the tenant stay.
• Antisocial behaviour: notice periods are shorter and you can apply to court straight away.
• Student lets: a new ground lets landlords of some student houses relet for the next academic year, if notice was given at the start of the tenancy.

If your tenant breaks the tenancy, for example by damaging the property or not paying rent, you can serve notice on the relevant ground at any point. One condition applies to most grounds: if you took a deposit, it must have been protected in a government-approved scheme with the prescribed information given, or the court will not grant possession.

How rent increases work now

Rent can now only be increased once a year, using the statutory section 13 process. You fill in Form 4A from GOV.UK and give it to your tenant with at least two months' notice before the new rent starts.

Rent review clauses in tenancy agreements no longer have any effect, and an increase agreed informally outside the section 13 process cannot be enforced. If your tenant thinks the proposed rent is above the open market rate, they can challenge it at the First-tier Tribunal. The tribunal decides what the market rent is, but it cannot set the rent higher than the figure in your notice.

The best protection is to propose a rent you can back up with local evidence, such as comparable properties currently advertised nearby. Agents are useful here because they see what similar homes actually let for, not just their asking prices. Our step-by-step guide explains how to increase rent with a section 13 notice.

Advertising, rental bidding and rent in advance

New rules now apply from the moment you advertise. When you market a property, you must publish an asking rent (a simple "to let" board is exempt). You must not invite or encourage bids above that figure, and you cannot accept an offer that is higher than the advertised rent.

Rent in advance is also restricted. You cannot ask for, encourage or accept any rent before you and your tenant have signed the tenancy agreement. In practice, this ends the old approach of taking six or twelve months up front to cover a weaker application. If a tenant cannot pass referencing on monthly rent, a guarantor is the usual alternative.

Holding deposits and tenancy deposits are still allowed under the existing Tenant Fees Act rules, which cap a holding deposit at one week's rent and a tenancy deposit at five weeks' rent (six weeks where annual rent is £50,000 or more).

Pets, children and tenants on benefits

Tenants now have the right to ask to keep a pet, and you can only refuse if you have a valid reason. You need to respond to a request in writing, and a blanket "no pets" policy is no longer a safe position. Reasonable grounds might include a superior lease that bans animals or a property that is clearly unsuitable for the animal in question.

It is also now unlawful to discriminate against people because they receive benefits or have children. Adverts saying "no DSS" or "no children", and policies that turn applicants away for those reasons, can lead to council penalties. You can still check affordability and carry out referencing, as long as you apply the same checks to everyone.

These rules apply at every stage, from the wording of your advert to the reasons you give for turning someone down, so it is worth checking your templates and those of anyone who markets your property for you.

What's coming next: the landlord database and ombudsman

The second phase of the Act brings in a national register of landlords and rented homes. The Private Rented Sector Database, run through a government service called "Register your rental property", opens on 15 December 2026 in the West Midlands and then rolls out region by region. The fee is £65 per property per year.

Registration is a legal duty. Landlords who should be registered but are not face penalties, and an unregistered landlord will not be able to obtain a possession order on most grounds. Our guide to landlord database registration sets out the regional dates and what you will need.

After the database, a new Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman will give tenants a free way to complain about their landlord, with legally binding decisions. Membership will be compulsory for almost all private landlords, including those who use a managing agent. The government has indicated it expects the ombudsman to be ready for landlords to join in 2028, and fees have not yet been confirmed.

Penalties and enforcement

The Act gives councils and tenants more ways to act when landlords break the rules. Councils can investigate, demand information and issue civil penalties for breaches such as rental bidding, discrimination or failing to provide the required tenancy information.

Tenants can apply to the First-tier Tribunal for a rent repayment order if a landlord commits certain offences. The list of offences has been expanded, and the maximum award has doubled from one year's rent to two. Councils can also claim back rent paid through Universal Credit.

For most landlords, the real risk is not deliberate wrongdoing but paperwork: a missed information sheet, an unprotected deposit, an outdated advert template or a rent increase served on the wrong form. These are exactly the details a good managing agent handles day to day.

Does the Act apply in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland?

The tenancy reforms described in this guide apply to England. Each of the other UK nations has its own system.

• Wales: private lets have used "occupation contracts" under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 since December 2022, with their own notice rules.
• Scotland: new private tenancies have been open-ended private residential tenancies since December 2017, with set eviction grounds decided by the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland.
• Northern Ireland: private tenancies follow separate legislation set by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

If you let in more than one nation, treat each property under its own local rules, and check guidance from the relevant government before serving any notice.

The bottom line

The Renters' Rights Act has changed private letting for good. Tenancies roll on with no end date, possession needs a legal ground and solid evidence, rent goes up once a year through Form 4A, and registration on the landlord database starts in December 2026. None of this makes letting unworkable, but it does reward landlords who keep their paperwork and processes in order. If you would rather have a professional manage that for you, compare local letting agents and see what each would charge to let and manage your property.

This guide is general information about the law in England as of October 2026 and is not legal advice. For your specific situation, check the latest GOV.UK guidance or speak to a qualified housing solicitor.