The Renters' Rights Act 2025 Explained: What Changed for Tenants and Landlords

Reviewed 30 October 2026 · England · General information, not legal advice

Since 1 May 2026 every private tenancy in England is periodic, section 21 has gone, rent can rise once a year, bidding and large advance payments are banned, and a landlord needs a section 8 ground and a court order to evict.

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 is the largest change to private renting in England since the Housing Act 1988. It received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025, and its main tenancy reforms came into force on 1 May 2026: section 21 "no-fault" evictions ended, fixed terms were abolished and every assured shorthold tenancy became an assured periodic tenancy, rent can rise only once a year, rental bidding and large payments in advance are banned, and tenants gained the right to ask for a pet and to rent whether or not they have children or receive benefits. Landlords can still recover their property, but only on a ground listed in Schedule 2 to the Housing Act 1988 and, if the tenant does not leave, with a court order. This guide explains each change, what is still to come, and what landlords and tenants should do about it.

What the Act did and when

The tenancy reforms apply to England only. The core provisions came into force on 1 May 2026 with no run-in period, so existing tenancies are governed by the new rules. Notices served before 1 May 2026 could still be relied on only if the landlord issued the court claim by 31 July 2026; that window has closed.

Two paperwork duties came with the change. Landlords with a written agreement in place on 1 May 2026 had to give each tenant the government's Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 by 31 May 2026, as a paper copy or attached PDF rather than a link; tenancies with no written agreement needed a written statement of terms by the same date. Every tenancy granted since 1 May 2026 must come with a written statement of terms under the new section 16D of the Housing Act 1988 before the tenant signs. A council can fine either failure at up to £7,000.

Your tenancy now: the assured periodic tenancy

On 1 May 2026 every assured shorthold tenancy in England, including one part-way through a fixed term, became an assured periodic tenancy. The agreement did not need to be rewritten; the existing terms carry on except where they conflict with the Act, so a clause requiring a 12-month commitment or allowing a rent review no longer has any effect. New tenancies cannot be granted for a fixed term at all.

For tenants, a periodic tenancy means freedom to leave: at least two months' written notice expiring at the end of a rental period ends it, with no penalty for going earlier than you once agreed. For landlords, it means the tenancy continues until the tenant gives notice or a court orders possession on one of the statutory grounds. The deposit rules did not change: a deposit must still be protected in a government-approved scheme within 30 days and is still capped at five weeks' rent for most lets, as the guide to tenancy deposit protection explains.

Rent increases, bidding and rent in advance

The only lawful way to raise the rent is now a notice under section 13 of the Housing Act 1988 on prescribed Form 4A. The landlord must give at least two months' notice, can raise the rent no more than once in any 52 weeks, and cannot impose the first increase until the tenancy has run for 52 weeks. Rent review clauses in the agreement are void, and a letter or text message proposing a new figure has no legal effect.

A tenant who thinks the proposed rent is above the market rate can apply to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) before the new rent is due to start. The tribunal cannot set a figure higher than the landlord proposed, the rent it fixes runs from the date of its decision rather than being backdated, and it can defer the start by up to two months for hardship. The application fee is £47 with no hearing fee, and Help with Fees can reduce or remove it for people on low incomes. The government intends to move these disputes to the Valuation Office Agency, but until legislation does so the tribunal route applies.

Two pre-tenancy practices are now banned. Landlords and letting agents must publish an asking rent and may not invite, encourage or accept offers above it, with a civil penalty of up to £7,000 for rental bidding. No rent can be demanded before the tenancy agreement is signed, and once it is signed the landlord can require no more than one month's rent (28 days' rent where the rent period is shorter than a month) before the tenancy starts. Asking for six months up front is now a prohibited payment under the Tenant Fees Act 2019 regime, with penalties of up to £5,000 and repayment of the excess.

Pets, children and benefits

A tenant can ask in writing to keep a pet, and the landlord must answer in writing within 28 days, with seven extra days if the landlord reasonably asks for more information and a further seven where a superior landlord's consent is needed. Consent cannot be unreasonably refused, though a refusal is automatically reasonable where the landlord's own lease bans pets. No pet deposit or pet fee can be charged, and the pet insurance requirement that appeared in the Bill was dropped before the Act was passed. A tenant refused without good reason can go to the ombudsman once it is operating or ask the county court for an order.

It is also unlawful for a landlord or agent in England to refuse, or treat less favourably, a prospective tenant because they have children or receive benefits, whether through an advert, a blanket policy or a remark at a viewing. Mortgage or superior lease terms purporting to ban such lets are overridden, apart from proportionate restrictions on children imposed by a superior landlord, and councils can fine up to £7,000.

Standards, the database and the ombudsman: what is coming

Several major parts of the Act are not yet in force.

• The Decent Homes Standard, which already applies to social housing, will apply to private rented homes from 2035. It has five criteria covering serious hazards, repair, facilities, thermal comfort and damp and mould, and councils will enforce it with on-the-spot fines of up to £7,000 and a maximum fine of £40,000 for ignoring enforcement action.
• Awaab's Law, which sets fixed deadlines for investigating and fixing damp, mould and other hazards, has applied to social landlords since 27 October 2025; the consultation on extending it to private tenancies runs until 18 December 2026, with 2027 the earliest feasible start.
• The private rented sector database opens for landlord registration on 15 December 2026 in the West Midlands, then one region a month until the South West in August 2027, and every actively let property must be registered by 14 November 2027. The reported fee is £65 a property each year. Once registration is required in your region, an unregistered landlord cannot obtain a possession order on most grounds.
• The landlord ombudsman, which every private landlord will have to join, is expected from 2028; it will be free for tenants and its decisions will bind landlords.

How landlords get possession now

Without section 21, a landlord must rely on a ground in Schedule 2 to the Housing Act 1988, serve notice on prescribed Form 3A, and apply to the county court if the tenant stays. The grounds most private landlords will use are selling the property (ground 1A) and moving in themselves or moving in a close family member (ground 1); both need four months' notice, cannot be used in the first 12 months of a tenancy, and bar any marketing or re-letting for 12 months afterwards, on pain of a criminal offence. Serious rent arrears (ground 8) requires at least three months' arrears both when the notice is served and at the hearing, with four weeks' notice, and arrears caused solely by a delayed Universal Credit payment are ignored. Serious antisocial behaviour (grounds 7A and 14) allows proceedings to start straight away, a student house in multiple occupation can be recovered between 1 June and 30 September on four months' notice (ground 4A), and breach of the tenancy (ground 12) needs two weeks' notice.

A court will refuse a possession order, except on the antisocial behaviour grounds, where the deposit is unprotected or, once registration is compulsory, the property is not on the database. The court fee to issue a claim is £415. The full procedure, timescales and costs are set out in the guide on how to evict a tenant legally.

Penalties, rent repayment orders and illegal eviction

Councils must enforce the Act and keep the penalty income. They can impose civil penalties of up to £7,000 for a first or minor breach and up to £40,000 for a serious or repeated one, or prosecute, with an unlimited fine on conviction. Rent repayment orders, which let tenants reclaim rent through the First-tier Tribunal where a landlord has committed certain offences, now cover up to 24 months' rent instead of 12, can be sought within 24 months, and extend to superior landlords and company directors; a repeat offender must repay the maximum.

Evicting a tenant without a court order, or harassing them into leaving, remains a criminal offence under section 1 of the Protection from Eviction Act 1977, punishable by up to two years' imprisonment in the Crown Court, and councils can now impose a civil penalty of up to £40,000 as an alternative to prosecution. Tenants who are illegally evicted can also claim damages in the county court.

What landlords and tenants should do now

Landlords should check that every tenant has had the information sheet or a written statement of terms, that every deposit is protected and the prescribed information has been served, and that any template agreement no longer refers to fixed terms, rent reviews, pet bans or payments the Act prohibits. Use Form 4A for rent increases and Form 3A for notices, and diarise the database opening date for your region. A property solicitor can review your agreement and notices, usually for a fixed fee; the guide to landlord and tenant agreement costs gives an idea of what to expect, and the directory lists property solicitors in Manchester and the solicitors in London among other cities.

Tenants with a problem have several routes. Report rental bidding, discrimination, unlawful fees or a missing information sheet to the council's private sector housing team. Challenge an excessive rent increase at the tribunal before the new rent date. Use the deposit scheme's free dispute service for deductions, and the county court for an unprotected deposit or an unlawful eviction. Free early advice is available under the Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service once you receive a written notice, Citizens Advice and Shelter run helplines, and the guide on getting free legal help covers legal aid. For the wider rules on each side, see what landlord and tenant law covers.

Wales and Scotland are different: Wales still uses occupation contracts under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, including a six-month no-fault notice under section 173, though the ban on turning away tenants with children or on benefits has applied there since 1 June 2026, and Scotland's private residential tenancies have had no no-fault ground since 2017 and are gaining rent-control powers under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2025.

Frequently asked questions

Can a landlord in England still use a section 21 notice?

No. Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 was repealed for England on 1 May 2026, and a notice served after that date has no effect. Notices served before 1 May 2026 could be used only if the court claim was issued by 31 July 2026. A landlord who wants the property back must now cite a ground in Schedule 2, serve Form 3A with the right notice period, and apply to the county court if the tenant does not leave.

Do tenants need a new tenancy agreement after 1 May 2026?

No. Existing agreements converted automatically into assured periodic tenancies and did not have to be reissued. Terms that conflict with the Act, such as a fixed term or a rent review clause, simply stopped applying. Landlords did have to give every tenant with a written agreement the government information sheet by 31 May 2026, and a written statement of terms where the tenancy was never put in writing.

Can a landlord refuse a pet under the Renters' Rights Act?

Only for a good reason. A tenant asks in writing, the landlord must reply in writing within 28 days, and consent cannot be unreasonably withheld. A refusal is automatically reasonable where the landlord's own lease forbids pets. A landlord cannot demand a pet deposit, a pet fee or pet insurance. A tenant who is refused unreasonably can go to the ombudsman once it opens, or ask the county court to rule on the refusal.

What happens if a landlord ignores the new rules?

The council can impose a civil penalty of up to £7,000 for a first or minor breach and up to £40,000 for a serious or repeated one, or prosecute. Tenants can apply to the tribunal for a rent repayment order of up to 24 months' rent where the landlord has committed a relevant offence, and a court will refuse a possession order while a deposit is unprotected or, once required, the property is not on the landlord database.

Does the Renters' Rights Act apply in Wales and Scotland?

Mostly not. The tenancy reforms, the bidding ban, the advance-rent limit, the pet right, the database and the ombudsman apply only in England. Wales keeps its occupation contracts under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, including the section 173 no-fault notice, but the ban on turning away tenants with children or on benefits has applied in Wales since 1 June 2026. Scotland has its own private residential tenancy regime under separate legislation.

Can landlords still ask for references and a guarantor?

Yes. Referencing, credit checks, right to rent checks and asking for a guarantor remain lawful, and landlords can still choose between applicants. What they cannot do is reject or disadvantage someone because they have children or receive benefits, invite offers above the advertised rent, or take more than one month's rent before the tenancy starts. A council can fine a landlord or agent who uses referencing as a cover for one of these banned practices.

Related guides

• How to Evict a Tenant Legally in England After the Renters' Rights Act
• Tenancy Deposit Protection: Rules, Deductions and Getting Your Deposit Back
• What Is Landlord & Tenant Law?
• How much does a landlord and tenant agreement cost?

This guide describes the law in England as at 30 October 2026. It is general information, not legal advice about your situation; the law and the figures it quotes change, so check the position with a solicitor before acting. LawFirms.co.uk is a directory and does not provide legal services.