When does the Renters' Rights Act come into force?

The Act received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025. Key provisions including Section 21 abolition and the move to periodic tenancies came into force on 1 May 2026. There was no phased transition: all existing assured shorthold tenancies converted to periodic assured tenancies on that single date, at the same time as new ones.

Can I still evict tenants after Section 21 is abolished?

Yes, but only using Section 8 grounds. The Act strengthens and expands the grounds available, including mandatory grounds for selling, moving in, and repeated rent arrears. You must follow the correct notice periods and procedures.

Do I have to allow pets under the Renters' Rights Act?

Landlords cannot unreasonably refuse a tenant's written request to keep a pet. You can require the tenant to have pet damage insurance, and you can refuse if there is a genuine reason such as a lease restriction. You must respond within 42 days or the request is automatically accepted.

How do rent increases work under the new rules?

Rent can only be increased once per year using a Section 13 notice giving at least 2 months' notice. The tenant can challenge the increase at a First-tier Tribunal, which will assess the open market rate. You cannot include rent review clauses in tenancy agreements — they are void.

What are Awaab's Law obligations for private landlords?

From May 2026, the Renters' Rights Act introduces mandatory hazard response timeframes. Emergency hazards must be investigated within 24 hours. Damp and mould reported by a tenant triggers a 14-day investigation deadline and a 7-week repair deadline once the hazard is confirmed. Other Category 1 hazards require a written repair plan within 3 months. Failure to meet these timeframes is a breach regardless of cause.

Renters' Rights Act 2026: What Every UK Landlord Must Know

In short: The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 is the largest reform of private renting in England in over 30 years. It abolishes Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions (enforced from May 2026), converts all assured shorthold tenancies into periodic tenancies, and requires landlords to use Section 8 grounds to regain possession. It also limits rent increases to once a year via a Section 13 notice, gives tenants the right to request a pet (which landlords cannot unreasonably refuse), bans rental bidding wars, applies the Decent Homes Standard to private rentals, and introduces Awaab’s Law repair deadlines. Landlords must join a mandatory Ombudsman scheme and register on the Private Rented Sector Database.

What Is the Renters’ Rights Act?

The Renters’ Rights Act is the biggest shake-up to private renting law in England in over 30 years. It scraps ‘no-fault’ evictions. It forces all tenancies onto periodic agreements. It gives tenants new protections around pets, rent increases, and property standards. It creates mandatory repair deadlines under Awaab’s Law and bans rental bidding wars.

Self-managing landlords need to understand every change. Non-compliance can trigger fines, Rent Repayment Orders, and a mark against your name on the new landlord database.

This guide covers what has changed, what it means for your properties, and what you must do now that enforcement is live from May 2026. For a chronological view of how the legislation evolved and when each provision took effect, see the Renters’ Rights Act timeline.

Key Changes at a Glance

Change	Impact	When
Section 21 abolished	No more no-fault evictions	May 2026
All tenancies become periodic	No more fixed terms	May 2026
Expanded Section 8 grounds	New eviction routes	May 2026
Pets allowed by default	Cannot unreasonably refuse	May 2026
Rent increases limited	Once per year, Section 13 only	May 2026
Awaab’s Law extended to PRS	Mandatory hazard response deadlines	May 2026
Rental bidding banned	Cannot accept above-asking offers	May 2026
Private Rented Sector Database	Landlord registration required	TBC 2026–2027
Decent Homes Standard	Minimum property standards enforced	TBC
Landlord Ombudsman	Mandatory membership	TBC

Section 21 Abolition: What It Really Means

Section 21 let you evict tenants with 2 months’ notice and no reason given. That power is gone. Completely removed under the Renters’ Rights Act.

What This Means in Practice

You cannot end a tenancy just because a fixed term expires
You cannot evict a tenant for complaining about repairs
You cannot use Section 21 as leverage to make a tenant leave quietly
You must have a valid legal ground to seek possession
All possession claims go through the courts via the Section 8 route
Tenants can stay as long as they meet their obligations

This is the single biggest change. Wrap your head around it now.

How to Evict Under the New System

The Act strengthens the Section 8 notice process and gives you clear grounds to work with:

Mandatory grounds (the court must grant possession):

Ground 1: You or a family member wants to move in (4 months’ notice, cannot use in the first 12 months)
Ground 1A: You want to sell the property (4 months’ notice, cannot use in the first 12 months)
Ground 6: Major refurbishment that requires vacant possession
Ground 8: Serious rent arrears of 3 or more months
Ground 8A: Repeated rent arrears (arrears at least 3 times in 3 years)

Discretionary grounds (the court decides):

Ground 10/11: Some rent arrears
Ground 12: Breach of tenancy terms
Ground 14: Anti-social behaviour
Ground 17: Tenant provided false information

Read our full eviction guide for the step-by-step process, including prescribed notice forms and court application procedures.

Periodic Tenancies: The New Default

All assured shorthold tenancies (ASTs) become periodic. That means rolling month-to-month with no fixed end date. Fixed terms are dead.

Impact on Landlords

You cannot offer fixed-term tenancies — they are converted automatically
Tenants can leave with 2 months’ notice at any time
You cannot penalise tenants for ending early
Rent review clauses in tenancy agreements are void — only Section 13 applies

What to Do

Stop issuing new fixed-term ASTs — all new tenancies must be periodic from May 2026
Update your tenancy agreement to reflect periodic terms and remove fixed-term references
Budget for higher turnover — tenants now have full flexibility to leave
Price competitively to keep good tenants in place

Losing a reliable tenant costs far more than a modest rent discount. Price accordingly.

Rent Increases Under the New Rules

The Act standardises how you can raise rent. No more creative clauses. One method only.

The New Process

Serve a Section 13 notice giving at least 2 months’ notice
You can only increase rent once every 12 months
The increase must reflect the open market rate
The tenant can challenge it at a First-tier Tribunal

What the Tribunal Considers

The Tribunal looks at what the property could reasonably fetch on the open market. One point in your favour: they will not set the rent higher than your proposed increase. There is no risk of the Tribunal awarding above your figure.

Tips for Setting Rent Increases

Check comparable rents within 1 mile on Rightmove and Zoopla
Save evidence of market rates — screenshots and agent valuations
Smaller annual increases are easier for tenants to absorb than large jumps every few years
A good tenant who stays saves you a month or two of void costs — factor that into your calculation

For the full step-by-step process — including the correct form, how to calculate the notice period, and what happens at the First-tier Tribunal — see our Section 13 rent increase guide. You can also download the free Form 4 template directly.

Pet Policies

You must not unreasonably refuse a tenant’s written request to keep a pet. Blanket “no pets” clauses are void under the Renters’ Rights Act.

Your Rights

You can require pet damage insurance — the tenant pays for it
You can refuse if there is a genuine reason (the building lease prohibits pets or the property is genuinely unsuitable)
You must respond within 42 days — miss that deadline and the request is automatically accepted
You can set reasonable conditions around type, size, and number of pets

Reasonable Refusal Examples

Property is a small studio flat and the tenant wants a large dog
Superior lease explicitly prohibits animals
Tenant already has multiple pets
Property has no outdoor space for a dog

Most pet requests will be reasonable. Require the insurance and move on. Fighting every request wastes time and goodwill.

Rental Bidding Wars: What the Act Prohibits

The Renters’ Rights Act bans rental bidding wars. A landlord or letting agent cannot:

Invite prospective tenants to offer above the advertised rent
Accept an unsolicited offer above the advertised rent where other applicants are in the process

The practical requirement: Once you advertise a property at a stated rent, that is the maximum you can accept for that letting. You cannot run a sealed-bid process, cannot give the property to the highest bidder, and cannot accept a higher counter-offer from one applicant if others are also competing.

This does not prevent you from setting your initial advertised rent at any level you choose. It prevents the practice — common in competitive rental markets — of advertising below market rate to generate multiple bidding applicants and then accepting the highest offer.

Letting agents are subject to the same prohibition. If your agent accepts a higher bid on your behalf, both you and the agent risk a civil penalty. Specify in your management agreement that this practice is prohibited.

For most self-managing landlords advertising at market rate and selecting tenants on suitability rather than price, the bidding ban makes little practical difference to day-to-day operations.

Private Rented Sector Database

The Act creates a new PRS Database. Every landlord must register. No exceptions.

Requirements

Register every rental property on the database
Provide property details, safety certificates, and compliance information
Keep your records up to date
You cannot market or let a property without a valid registration

What This Means for Self-Managing Landlords

You will upload gas safety certificates, EICRs, and EPCs to the system
Tenants can search the database publicly
Failing to register is a criminal offence
Local councils will use it to target non-compliant landlords

The database launch date is expected in 2026–2027. We will update this guide when confirmed.

Landlord Ombudsman

All landlords with tenants in England must join a government-approved Ombudsman scheme. This is mandatory — not optional like the current voluntary redress arrangements.

The Ombudsman handles tenant complaints about:

Repairs and maintenance failures
Poor landlord behaviour and communication
Unfair deposit deductions
Breach of tenancy terms

Key Points

Membership is mandatory for all private landlords
The Ombudsman can order you to pay compensation — up to £25,000 in serious cases
Decisions are binding on you as the landlord
Failure to join is a criminal offence

Run a professional operation and the Ombudsman will not trouble you. Cut corners and you will be held accountable faster than before. See the Landlord Ombudsman guide for how the complaint process works, what decisions the Ombudsman can make, and how to set up a compliant complaint-handling policy.

Decent Homes Standard

The Decent Homes Standard now applies to private rentals for the first time. Previously it only covered social housing.

Your property must:

Be free from serious (Category 1) hazards under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System
Be in a reasonable state of repair
Have reasonably modern facilities
Provide adequate thermal comfort

Older properties are most at risk here. If your property has damp and mould issues, fix them now — remediation costs less than a Rent Repayment Order. See the landlord maintenance responsibilities guide for the full breakdown of your Section 11 duties under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 that sit alongside Decent Homes enforcement. For a complete breakdown of what the standard requires, HHSRS assessments, enforcement powers, and your right of appeal, read the Decent Homes Standard guide for landlords.

Awaab’s Law: Mandatory Hazard Response Timeframes

The Renters’ Rights Act extends Awaab’s Law to the private rented sector. Awaab’s Law was originally introduced by the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 for social landlords only, following the inquest into Awaab Ishak — a two-year-old who died in 2020 due to chronic black mould exposure in a housing association flat. The Renters’ Rights Act brings equivalent obligations to all private landlords in England.

The provisions create legally enforceable deadlines — not guidance:

Hazard Type	Investigation Deadline	Repair Deadline
Emergency (burst pipes, serious electrical faults, structural collapse)	24 hours from notification	As soon as reasonably practicable
Damp and mould (hazardous level)	14 days from tenant’s report	7 weeks from confirmed hazard
Other Category 1 HHSRS hazards	—	Written repair plan within 3 months

What Triggers the Clock

The deadlines begin when a tenant reports the problem — not when you agree it constitutes a hazard. A written complaint by text or email about damp starts the 14-day investigation clock regardless of your assessment of its severity. Emergency hazards start a 24-hour window from when you are notified or ought reasonably to have known.

Practical Implications

Every maintenance report must be documented and acted on within the deadlines. The investigation must be substantive — you need to inspect the property and identify the cause, not just acknowledge the complaint.

If the cause of damp is structural — a failed damp-proof course, defective pointing, condensation from the building fabric — that does not pause the 7-week repair deadline. You must instruct and begin remedial works within the timeframe, even while establishing root cause.

Keep a maintenance log with precise dates: when the report came in, when you inspected, what the cause was, what contractor was instructed, and when they completed the work. This log is your defence in any Ombudsman complaint or local authority enforcement action.

See the damp and mould landlord guide for a full assessment and remediation process, and the landlord maintenance responsibilities guide for how Awaab’s Law sits alongside your existing obligations under Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985.

What Self-Managing Landlords Must Do Now

Immediate Actions

Review your tenancy agreements — strip out fixed-term clauses and update eviction references
Check your gas safety certificate — confirm it is current and will be renewed annually
Verify deposit protection — confirm every deposit is protected in a government-approved scheme within 30 days of receipt
Switch your rent increase process — use Section 13 notices only; any rent review clause in an agreement is now void
Draft a pet policy — set your conditions and insurance requirements before the first written request arrives
Set up a maintenance log — date-stamp every repair report; the clock under Awaab’s Law starts at the point of report

Prepare for What Is Coming

Planning to sell? Use Ground 1 after the 12-month tenancy protection period expires
Problem tenants? Start the Section 8 process now if grounds exist — do not wait
Budget for longer evictions — court backlogs may increase as the accelerated Section 21 route no longer exists
Watch for the PRS Database launch — register as soon as it opens; marketing without registration is a criminal offence
Join the Landlord Ombudsman when designated — sign up immediately when the approved scheme is announced

How This Affects Your Bottom Line

The Renters’ Rights Act does not end buy-to-let profitability. But it changes the maths:

Higher compliance costs — Ombudsman fees, database registration, and tighter admin add to overheads
Longer void risk if you need court possession rather than the old accelerated Section 21 route
More documentation — written records, proper notices, maintenance logs, tighter processes throughout
Upside: Good tenants are more likely to stay long-term under periodic tenancies — less turnover means fewer void months and lower re-letting costs

Treat your properties like a business. Keep records. Follow the rules. The landlords who run a professional operation will be fine. Those relying on informal processes and no documentation will be caught out faster than before. New to letting? Our how to be a landlord guide covers all the legal and financial foundations you need before your first tenancy.