Residential lets
Residential lets are arrangements where you, as a landlord, let a residential property to a tenant to live in as their home, in return for rent. This includes letting a whole house, flat or room under a tenancy agreement, and in some situations granting a licence to a lodger who shares your home. The term matters because once a let is “residential”, the law generally gives the occupier stronger rights and places more obligations on you than commercial lettings.
In England, most private residential lets have historically been Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST) arrangements. The Renters’ Rights Act changes this model. The government says existing ASTs convert into assured periodic tenancies (a rolling periodic tenancy within the assured tenancy framework) and new residential lets follow the same structure.
The key operational shifts are:
Possession: Section 21 notice is abolished from 1 May 2026, so you can’t end most residential lets “no fault”. You’ll need Section 8 notice and the relevant grounds for possession, for example, serious rent arrears or anti-social behaviour.
Rent increases: rent rises are standardised through Section 13 notice, limited in frequency and requiring a minimum notice period, with tenants able to challenge excessive increases at tribunal.
Marketing: the Act bans rental bidding and strengthens rules against discrimination, including against applicants with children or on benefits (DSS).
Whatever the tenancy type, compliance remains central. Your repairing duties under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 and the need to maintain property condition sit behind most successful residential lets, and failure can bring local housing authority enforcement under HHSRS, for example an improvement notice, as well as housing disputes.
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