After the Renters' Rights Act: what changed for landlords from 1 May 2026

The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 came into force in its first and largest phase on 1 May 2026, and it has changed how private renting works in England more than any law in almost forty years. This is now the law, and it applies to every existing and new tenancy. Whether you own one rental property or manage a portfolio, the practical question is what has changed and what you need to do differently.

This article summarises the significant changes the Act has made, what each means in practice, and the steps to take to stay compliant. For the Act as a whole, see our main guide to the Renters’ Rights Act.

When did the Renters’ Rights Act come into force?

The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025, and its first phase commenced on 1 May 2026. That single date applied to both new and existing tenancies, so there was no transitional grace period for most landlords: if you had tenants in place on 30 April 2026, your arrangements changed the next day.

Some parts of the Act follow on their own timelines, including the Private Rented Sector Database and the landlord ombudsman, and the later property standards. Those are set out below.

Section 21 is abolished

The headline change is the end of Section 21. From 1 May 2026 no new Section 21 notice can be served, and every possession claim now has to use the Section 8 route and rest on a specific statutory ground. There is no longer any no-fault eviction: to recover a property, you need a reason and you have to prove it.

There is one transitional point that still matters. A Section 21 notice served before 1 May 2026 was not automatically cancelled, but it stays valid only if court proceedings are issued on or before 31 July 2026. After that date any unused pre-commencement Section 21 notice lapses, and you would need to start again under Section 8. For how this works in practice, see our guides to no-fault eviction and the end of Section 21, the grounds for possession under the Act, what the end of fixed terms means, and how long eviction takes now that Section 21 has gone.

Assured shorthold tenancies are replaced by periodic tenancies

The assured shorthold tenancy has gone as a legal category. Every tenancy that was an assured shorthold converted automatically to an assured periodic tenancy on 1 May 2026. Neither landlord nor tenant had to do anything for that to happen, but for existing tenancies the information sheet had to be served by 31 May 2026.

A periodic tenancy has no end date and rolls on, usually month to month, until it is ended lawfully. In practice that means fixed-term agreements can no longer be created for residential lettings in England, a landlord can end a tenancy only by serving a valid Section 8 notice on a statutory ground, and a tenant can end it by giving two months’ written notice at any time. Landlords who used the end of a fixed term as a natural reset point for rent and renewals will need to adjust, as explained in our guide to the abolition of fixed terms.

Any tenancy created from 1 May 2026 must be periodic from day one, on an agreement that reflects the new framework. Documents drafted for the old regime are likely to contain clauses that are now void and should be updated before use.

Rent increases under the new rules

The Act sets a single standard process for rent increases. The only lawful route on a periodic tenancy is a Section 13 notice on the prescribed Form 4A, and the rules are that at least two months’ notice must be given, rent can be increased only once in any twelve-month period, and rent cannot be increased at all in the first twelve months of a tenancy. The increase has to reflect the open market rent.

Any contractual rent review clause in an existing agreement no longer has effect, and an increase by letter, email or informal arrangement is not valid. A tenant can refer a proposed increase to the First-tier Tribunal before it takes effect. Under the new rules the tribunal cannot set the rent any higher than the figure you proposed, and in cases of hardship it can delay the start of an increase by up to two months.

Two related rules sit alongside this. Inviting tenants to bid above the advertised rent is now banned, and for a new tenancy you can ask for no more than one month’s rent in advance.

Decent Homes Standard extended to the private rented sector

The Act extends the Decent Homes Standard, until now a social-housing measure, to private rented homes for the first time. The standard is not yet in force in the private sector: the government confirmed in January 2026 that it will apply, on a modernised set of five criteria, with enforcement from 2035.

In outline a home will need to be free of the most serious hazards under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System, in a reasonable state of repair, equipped with adequate facilities, reasonably warm and energy efficient, and free of serious damp and mould, which is the new fifth criterion. Local authorities will enforce it with improvement notices and civil penalties of up to £40,000 in the most serious cases. The lead-in is long, but the works and the records to evidence them are best started well before the deadline. For the detail and a property checklist, see our guide to the Decent Homes Standard for private landlords, and for energy efficiency specifically, where all tenancies must reach EPC C by 1 October 2030, see our MEES guide.

Awaab’s Law and the private rented sector

Awaab’s Law, named after Awaab Ishak, who died after prolonged exposure to mould in a social rented home, has applied to social housing since 27 October 2025, setting fixed timescales for investigating and dealing with serious hazards. The Renters’ Rights Act provides for it to be extended to the private rented sector, but that extension is not yet in force, the timescales will be set by secondary legislation, and the government has not confirmed a date.

What this means in practice is that the specific Awaab’s Law timescales do not yet bind private landlords. The duties that do bind you now are the existing ones, to keep the property fit for human habitation and in repair, and to deal with hazards under the HHSRS. Putting a documented process in place now for receiving, acknowledging, investigating and actioning repair reports, with records at each step, is the sensible way to prepare. Our guide to damp and mould under Awaab’s Law explains what already applies and what is coming.

Tenants’ right to request a pet

The Act gives tenants a right to request permission to keep a pet, and a landlord cannot unreasonably refuse. The request must be in writing, and the landlord must give or refuse consent in writing within 28 days. That deadline can be paused where the landlord reasonably asks the tenant for more information, or needs the consent of a superior landlord, in which case the response can be delayed to seven days after the further information or the superior landlord’s decision. A landlord who misses the deadline will struggle to enforce a refusal, as a failure to respond may be treated as consent.

A refusal has to rest on reasonable grounds, such as a property clearly unsuitable for the animal or a freeholder prohibition, rather than a general policy. A blanket no-pets clause cannot be used to refuse a reasonable request without proper consideration. A landlord can take reasonable steps to cover the risk of pet damage. Our landlord’s guide to petssets out how to handle requests.

The Private Rented Sector Database

The Act creates a national Private Rented Sector Database, a central register of landlords and rented properties in England, and registration is mandatory rather than optional. Landlords will record information about themselves and their properties, including compliance with key requirements such as gas and electrical safety and energy performance, so that tenants can check a landlord’s credentials and councils can identify non-compliant lettings.

The database is being phased in from late 2026, with registration deadlines for different landlord categories following through into 2027. Once the requirement is live for your category, you will not be able to serve a valid Section 8 notice unless you are registered, so it is worth gathering the information you will need in good time. Our guide to the PRS database covers what to expect.

The landlord ombudsman

The Act establishes a Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman, a mandatory redress service that will let tenants resolve disputes without going to court. It will investigate complaints, and can require a landlord to apologise, provide information, put things right or pay compensation. It will be free for tenants and funded by landlord membership fees.

The scheme is being set up following commencement, with landlords expected to be required to join by around 2028. Operating without membership once it is required will be an offence carrying a financial penalty, so register as soon as the scheme opens. Our guide to the landlord ombudsman has more.

Referencing and anti-discrimination rules

The Act makes blanket refusals to let to people who receive benefits, or who have children, unlawful. Landlords and agents should review any referencing criteria or advertising that could be read as a “no DSS” or “no children” policy. Right to rent checks remain a separate and continuing obligation for every new tenancy, as explained in our guide to right to rent checks, and our guide to letting to benefit tenants covers renting to those on Universal Credit or Housing Benefit.

Stronger enforcement

Councils have wider powers to investigate landlords. The definitional groundwork commenced on 27 December 2025, and the substantive investigatory powers and the higher civil penalties apply from 1 May 2026, running to £7,000 for lower-level breaches and up to £40,000 for serious or repeated ones. Rent Repayment Orders now reach back up to 24 months rather than twelve, with a two-year window to claim, and can be made against company directors and superior landlords. With Section 21 gone, it is also harder to remove a tenant for complaining, since a Section 8 ground has to be proven.

What landlords should do now

The Act is in force. A practical checklist:

Review your tenancy agreements. Remove fixed-term provisions, Section 21 references and contractual rent review clauses that no longer apply, and use an agreement drafted for the periodic framework.

Update your possession procedures. Make sure everyone managing your properties understands that Section 21 has gone and that any claim must use Section 8 and a specific ground.

Check your deposit protection. Confirm deposits are protected in an approved scheme with the prescribed information served, since possession can be blocked where they are not.

Audit your properties. Identify any Category 1 HHSRS hazards, disrepair, or deficient heating or insulation, and prioritise the work ahead of the standards that are coming.

Put a repairs process in place. Log, acknowledge, investigate and action repair reports with timestamps, so you have a documented trail before Awaab’s Law reaches the private sector.

Check local schemes. Selective licensing can add a further layer of local compliance.

Prepare for the database. Watch for when registration opens for your category and register promptly, as it will affect your ability to serve possession notices.

Plan for the ombudsman. Sign up as soon as the scheme opens to landlords.

Review your pet policy. Remove blanket no-pets clauses and set up a documented process for responding to requests within 28 days.

Brief your agent. If you use a managing agent, confirm they are up to speed, as responsibility for compliance stays with you.

Frequently asked questions

Do the new rules apply to existing tenancies? 

Yes. The Act applied to all existing tenancies from 1 May 2026. There is no opt-out and no grandfathering.

Can I still rely on a Section 21 notice I served before 1 May 2026? 

Only if you issue court proceedings on or before 31 July 2026. A pre-commencement Section 21 notice that is not acted on by then lapses, and you would need to begin again under Section 8.

Can I use a fixed-term tenancy if a tenant asks for one? 

No. Fixed-term residential tenancies can no longer be created in England, whatever either party would prefer. New tenancies are periodic from day one.

What happens if a tenant gives notice and then wants to stay? 

A tenant ends a tenancy with two months’ written notice. If they give notice and then change their mind, you are not obliged to accept the withdrawal but can agree to it, and it is sensible to confirm any agreement in writing.

Does the Act apply in Wales and Scotland? 

No. The Renters’ Rights Act applies in England only. Wales and Scotland have their own frameworks.

Key takeaways

Section 21 is abolished, and all possessions now use Section 8 and a statutory ground.

Assured shorthold tenancies have gone, and all tenancies are periodic with no fixed end date.

Rent increases follow the Section 13 process on Form 4A, once a year at most, with no increase in the first twelve months.

The Decent Homes Standard will apply to private rentals from 2035, on a modernised five-criterion standard, and is not yet in force.

Awaab’s Law binds social landlords now and is being extended to the private sector, with no date yet set.

Tenants can request to keep a pet, and a landlord cannot refuse without reasonable grounds.

Registration with the PRS Database and the landlord ombudsman will be mandatory, so act as soon as those schemes open.

This article is for general information and does not constitute legal advice. Landlord and tenant law changes, and this reflects the position as of June 2026. Always take independent advice before acting in relation to your property or a tenancy, and check gov.uk for the current position.