The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 is the biggest change to private renting in England in decades. It became law on 27 October 2025, and its first phase started on 1 May 2026 for new and existing tenancies alike.
If you let a home in England, almost every step has changed: how you advertise it, how you agree the rent, what you put in writing, how you raise the rent and how you take the home back if you need to. This guide sets out what changed, what landlords now need to do differently, and the dates still to come. It covers England. Wales and Scotland run their own systems, with a short note near the end.
At a glance
The Act is arriving in phases. Phase 1, the tenancy changes, is in force. Phase 2, the national landlord database and the Landlord Ombudsman, starts “from late 2026”. Phase 3, the Decent Homes Standard and Awaab’s Law for private renting, has timings that are “subject to consultation”, according to the government’s roadmap.
| Date | What happens | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 27 Oct 2025 | The Act receives Royal Assent | Done |
| 27 Dec 2025 | Wider council powers to demand information and enter premises | In force |
| 1 May 2026 | Phase 1: periodic tenancies, section 21 ends, Form 3A and Form 4A, bidding ban, limit on rent in advance, pets, discrimination ban, wider rent repayment orders | In force |
| 31 May 2026 | Deadline to give existing tenants the Information Sheet | Passed |
| 22 Jun 2026 | Fines of up to £7,000 over Category 1 hazards | In force |
| 9 Oct to 18 Dec 2026 | Consultation on Awaab’s Law for private tenancies | Open |
| 15 Dec 2026 | National landlord database planned to open, starting in the West Midlands | Planned, subject to Parliament |
| 2028 | Landlord Ombudsman membership expected to become compulsory | Expected |
| From 2035 | A new Decent Homes Standard for private rented homes | Proposed |
Tenancies with no end date
On 1 May 2026, all assured shorthold tenancies became assured periodic tenancies, and a new assured shorthold tenancy can no longer be created. An assured tenancy cannot have an end date: if one is written into the agreement, it does not apply. Rent periods also cannot be longer than a month (GOV.UK).
Tenants can end the tenancy by giving two months’ notice in writing, or less if the landlord agrees in writing. Some lets sit outside the new system, including homes where the landlord lives in the property, purpose-built student accommodation covered by the National Code, fixed terms over 21 years, rents over £100,000 a year, very low rents (under £250 a year, or £1,000 in London), business tenancies, licensed premises and holiday lets.
Section 21 “no fault” evictions have ended. A new section 21 notice cannot be served from 1 May 2026, even if the tenancy agreement says otherwise. Notices served before that date only survived if court action started within a short window, which has now closed.
Ending a tenancy: section 8 and Form 3A
Landlords now take possession using the grounds in section 8 of the Housing Act 1988. Private landlords use Form 3A, the notice seeking possession for the private rented sector. Form 3 is now for social landlords. The grounds most landlords ask about are below (GOV.UK grounds guidance).
| Ground | What it is for | Notice |
|---|---|---|
| Ground 1 | You or your family moving in | 4 months, and not in the first 12 months of a tenancy |
| Ground 1A | Selling the home | 4 months, and not in the first 12 months of a tenancy |
| Ground 4A | Student HMOs, to re-let to a new student group between 1 June and 30 September | 4 months, with written notice in advance that the ground may be used |
| Ground 6 | Redevelopment | 4 months, usually not in the first 6 months |
| Ground 8 | Serious rent arrears: 3 months for monthly rent, or 13 weeks for weekly or fortnightly rent | 4 weeks |
| Grounds 7A and 14 | Antisocial behaviour | No notice period before applying, but no order within 14 days of the notice |
For Ground 8, the arrears must exist both when the notice is served and at the hearing, and late benefit payments are not counted as arrears. If you use Ground 1 or 1A, you cannot market or re-let the home for 12 months afterwards. Misusing a possession ground can lead to a civil penalty or a criminal offence, and tenants can seek a rent repayment order for it.
Deposits matter here too. Where a deposit was taken, a possession order needs one of three things: the deposit was protected and the prescribed information given, it was returned, or the tenant’s court challenge over it has ended (GOV.UK).
Written terms and the Information Sheet
New tenancies. From 1 May 2026, landlords must give the tenant written information on the key terms before the tenancy is signed or agreed, including when it is agreed verbally. The fine for not doing so is up to £7,000. The required content includes things such as the rent and when it is due, the deposit, the tenant’s notice period, how the landlord can end the tenancy and the landlord’s repair and safety duties. Check the full list on GOV.UK before you update your templates.
Existing tenancies. For tenancies with a written agreement made before 1 May 2026, landlords and agents had to give every named tenant “The Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026” by 31 May 2026. The agreement itself did not need reissuing. GOV.UK says to give a printed copy or attach the PDF to an email. Where the whole tenancy was verbal, a written statement of the key terms was due by the same date instead. Missing this duty can bring a civil penalty of up to £7,000.
Rent increases, bidding and rent in advance
Rent increases
Rent can now rise only once a year, and not in the first year of a tenancy. Use Form 4A, served at least two months before the new rent starts. Rent review clauses in tenancy agreements no longer work.
A tenant who thinks the new rent is above market rent can ask the First-tier Tribunal to set it. The Tribunal cannot set a rent above your figure, a challenged increase runs from the date of the decision rather than being backdated, and the Tribunal can delay it by up to two further months where it would cause undue hardship.
No more bidding
Every written advert must state one specific rent, not a range. Written adverts include portal listings, social media posts, emails and texts, though a “To let” board is not one. Landlords and agents cannot ask for, encourage or accept offers above the advertised rent, even after the tenancy is signed. Fines reach £7,000, with further fines for repeat breaches of the same type within five years (GOV.UK).
Rent in advance
No rent can be requested or accepted before the tenancy agreement is signed. Between signing and the start date, the most you can usually take is one month’s rent, or 28 days’ rent if the rent is not monthly. There are exceptions for council-arranged tenancies for homeless households and for social or supported housing. The civil penalty is up to £5,000 (GOV.UK).
Pets, children and benefits
Pets. A tenant can ask in writing to keep a pet, describing it. You have 28 days to reply in writing. If you ask for more information, the deadline becomes the later of the original 28 days or seven days after the information arrives. You cannot refuse without a fair reason, and not liking pets or a general worry about damage is usually not one. A refusal is always reasonable if a superior landlord, such as a freeholder, prohibits pets. Pet damage can be deducted from the deposit, within the usual caps.
Children and benefits. Landlords and agents cannot do anything that makes it less likely that someone with children, or someone on benefits, rents a home. That includes withholding information, blocking viewings and refusing a tenancy. Affordability checks and referencing are still allowed. Fines reach £7,000, plus up to £7,000 more if the breach continues more than 28 days after a final notice (GOV.UK).
Clauses that discriminate in this way in superior leases, including rent-to-rent arrangements, and in mortgage terms were cancelled from 1 May 2026. Similar terms in insurance contracts are cancelled when a policy is agreed or renewed on or after that date.
Fines and rent repayment orders
Councils can fine up to £7,000 for minor or first breaches, and up to £40,000, or prosecute, for serious, persistent or repeat breaches. They keep the income for enforcement (GOV.UK). The maximum civil penalty for Housing Act 2004 offences, such as unlicensed HMOs, selective licensing and the HMO management regulations, rose from £30,000 to £40,000 on 1 May 2026. Since 22 June 2026, councils can also fine up to £7,000 where a Category 1 hazard could reasonably have been removed.
Since 27 December 2025, councils have had wider powers to require information, including from third parties, and to enter business premises, and residential premises in limited cases.
Rent repayment orders are now much larger. The maximum is two years’ rent, up from one, tenants have two years from the offence to apply, and repeat offenders must repay the maximum. Orders can now be made against superior landlords, and they cover new offences, including misusing possession grounds and offences connected with the new landlord database.
What comes next
- The national landlord database. Planned to open region by region from 15 December 2026, starting in the West Midlands. The regulations still need Parliament’s approval. Our PRS Database guide covers who registers, when and what to have ready.
- The Landlord Ombudsman. All private landlords, including those who use an agent, will have to join. It will be free for tenants and its decisions will be binding. Compulsory membership is expected in 2028, with notice beforehand.
- Awaab’s Law. A consultation on extending repair deadlines for hazards such as damp and mould to private tenancies runs until 18 December 2026. No start date has been set.
- The Decent Homes Standard. The government plans to apply a new standard to private rented homes from 2035. The regulations have not been made yet.
- Social housing. The tenancy changes do not yet apply to private registered providers of social housing. The government says they will in 2027.
Wales and Scotland
The tenancy changes in this guide apply in England. Wales has its own system under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, with occupation contracts since 1 December 2022, and Scotland has had open-ended private residential tenancies since 1 December 2017.
One part of the Act does reach further. Its ban on discriminating against families with children and people on benefits came into force in Scotland on 1 May 2026 and in Wales on 1 June 2026, and the government guide says both treat breaches as a criminal offence. Our landlord compliance checklist sets out the main duties in each nation.
A checklist for landlords
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| One rent in every written advert | Bidding ban, fines up to £7,000 |
| Written terms before each new tenancy | Required since 1 May 2026, fines up to £7,000 |
| Information Sheet given to existing tenants | The deadline was 31 May 2026 |
| Date of the last rent increase | Once a year on Form 4A, with two months’ notice |
| No rent before signing, one month at most before move-in | Civil penalty up to £5,000 |
| Pet requests answered within 28 days | A fair reason is needed to refuse |
| Deposit protected and prescribed information given | Needed before a possession order |
| Gas, electrical and energy certificates current | Needed for the planned landlord database |
Every situation is different, particularly with joint tenancies, company lets and rent-to-rent arrangements, so take advice from a solicitor or your trade body before serving a notice or changing your agreements.
Where software helps
Most of the Act turns into dates and paperwork: when each tenancy started, when the rent last rose, which tenant received which document, which pet request is waiting for a reply and which certificate runs out next. A compliance tracker and a tenant portal keep that record for every home, remind the right person in good time and keep the proof that you acted. That is what BozApps builds for landlords and letting agents.
Sources
- GOV.UK, Guide to the Renters' Rights Act · updated 6 November 2025
- GOV.UK, Renters' Rights Act: an overview for landlords · 1 May 2026
- GOV.UK, Assured periodic tenancies: a guide for landlords · checked 23 October 2026
- GOV.UK, Grounds for possession: guidance for landlords and letting agents · updated 1 May 2026
- GOV.UK, Assured tenancy forms · updated 1 May 2026
- GOV.UK, Written information you need to give to your tenant · checked 23 October 2026
- GOV.UK, Rent increases · checked 23 October 2026
- GOV.UK, Rental bidding · checked 23 October 2026
- GOV.UK, Rent in advance and deposits · checked 23 October 2026
- GOV.UK, Rental discrimination under the Renters' Rights Act 2025 · updated 6 May 2026
- MHCLG, Implementing the Renters' Rights Act 2025: roadmap · November 2025
- legislation.gov.uk, The Renters' Rights Act 2025 (Commencement No. 2) Regulations 2026 · SI 2026/421
This guide summarises the law and official guidance as we understand it on 23 October 2026. It is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change and individual situations differ, so check the sources above or take advice from a solicitor, accountant or your trade body before acting.