Last updated: 8 October 2026 · Next review: April 2027
The Renters’ Rights Act is the biggest change to private renting in England in more than thirty years. Its first and largest phase took effect on 1 May 2026, and it changes how tenancies start, how rent goes up, how you get a property back and how much a mistake can cost you.
This guide sets out what has changed, what is still to come, and what each change means for your costs and your workload. We summarise the official GOV.UK guidance and link to it throughout; we don’t offer our own legal interpretation, so for anything specific to your situation, check the original source or take professional advice.
Applies to: private landlords in England. Wales and Scotland have their own, separate tenancy laws.
The short version
- Fixed-term assured shorthold tenancies are gone. Tenancies now run as assured periodic tenancies that roll on month to month.
- Section 21 “no-fault” evictions have been abolished. To regain possession you need a legal ground under Section 8.
- Rent can only go up once a year, using the formal Section 13 process and at least two months’ notice.
- You can’t take rent before the tenancy is agreed, and after signing you can ask for no more than one month’s rent up front.
- Rental bidding is banned. You must advertise an asking rent and can’t accept offers above it.
- You can’t refuse tenants just because they receive benefits or have children, and you must consider pet requests fairly.
- Councils have stronger enforcement powers, and Rent Repayment Orders can now reach two years’ rent.
1. Every tenancy is now periodic
Before May 2026, most private lets started as an assured shorthold tenancy (AST) with a fixed term of six or twelve months. Under the Act, existing ASTs converted to assured periodic tenancies, and new tenancies must be periodic from the start. According to GOV.UK, tenancy agreements can no longer contain an end date.
What this means for you: the tenant can end the tenancy by giving notice (normally two months), rather than being locked in for a fixed term. You lose the certainty of a guaranteed minimum term, which matters for your budgeting. If a tenant leaves after a few months, you face re-letting costs sooner than you might have planned. It’s worth building a realistic allowance for void periods into your figures — recent research reported by The Intermediary put the average void at 23.2 days in 2026, costing landlords around £1,097 in lost rent (see our true cost of being a landlord guide).
2. Section 21 is abolished
The Section 21 procedure, which let landlords end a tenancy without giving a reason, no longer exists. To regain possession, you must now rely on one of the grounds for possession under Section 8 and, where required, go to court.
GOV.UK summarises the main grounds and notice periods as follows:
| Situation | What the Act says |
|---|---|
| You want to sell or move in yourself or a family member | Available, but not in the first 12 months of the tenancy. Notice is generally 4 months. |
| Rent arrears | A possession order on the main arrears ground requires the tenant to owe 3 months’ rent. |
| Antisocial behaviour | Shorter notice, and you can apply to court immediately. |
| Student lets | Special grounds exist for re-letting to new students each academic year (limited scope). |
| Deposit not protected | You generally can’t use most possession grounds if the deposit wasn’t protected in a government-approved scheme. |
What this means for you: getting a property back now takes longer and depends on evidence. The rent-arrears threshold is higher than before, so a tenant can build up a larger debt before you can act. This is one reason more landlords are looking at rent guarantee insurance, and why keeping clean records of every payment, notice and communication matters more than it used to.
3. Rent increases: once a year, by the formal route
Rent can now only be increased using the Section 13 procedure with Form 4A. According to GOV.UK:
- you must give at least two months’ notice;
- you can raise the rent no more than once a year;
- the tenant can challenge an increase they believe is above the open-market rent.
Rent review clauses in tenancy agreements no longer do the job on their own. If you have relied on automatic annual uplifts written into a contract, those need replacing with the Section 13 process.
What this means for you: plan your rent reviews. Missing your annual window, or serving the notice incorrectly, can delay an increase by months. Setting your rent sensibly at the start matters more, because you can’t correct it quickly afterwards.
4. Rent in advance and rental bidding
Two of the Act’s rules change how you let a property from the very first conversation.
Rent in advance. GOV.UK states that you cannot ask for, encourage or accept a payment of rent before you and your tenant have agreed the tenancy. The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) explains that once the tenancy is agreed, you may ask for up to one month’s rent (or 28 days for shorter rental periods) as the first payment; clauses demanding more are void. Requiring several months up front — a common way of managing risk with tenants who had limited credit history — is no longer possible for tenancies from 1 May 2026. We cover this in detail in our guide to deposit and rent-in-advance rules.
Bidding. You must publish an asking rent when you advertise. It is illegal to encourage prospective tenants to bid, and you cannot accept an offer above the advertised rent.
5. Discrimination, children and benefits
The Act makes it unlawful to discriminate against prospective tenants because they receive benefits or have children. Blanket “no DSS” or “no children” policies in adverts or letting criteria are not allowed. You can still carry out proper referencing and affordability checks — what you can’t do is reject a group of applicants outright.
6. Pets
Tenants can ask to keep a pet, and you can only refuse with a valid reason. The NRLA notes that landlords must respond to a pet request within 28 days. If you’re worried about pet-related damage, talk to your insurer about what your landlord insurance covers before you respond.
7. Stronger enforcement and bigger penalties
GOV.UK confirms that local councils have expanded investigatory powers and that the list of offences covered by Rent Repayment Orders has grown. The maximum Rent Repayment Order has doubled from one to two years’ rent.
Financial penalties under the Act are significant. The government’s Information Sheet guidance refers to fines of up to £7,000 for failing to give existing tenants the official information sheet, and industry guidance reports civil penalties of up to £7,000 for many first breaches, rising to up to £40,000 for serious or repeated breaches.
8. The Information Sheet you had to give existing tenants
If you had tenants in place before 1 May 2026, you were required to give them the government’s official Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet by 31 May 2026. It had to be provided as a printed copy or as an attachment (for example a PDF) — a link alone was not enough. If you missed this, check the GOV.UK Information Sheet page now and take advice on putting it right.
9. What’s still to come
The Act is being introduced in phases. Based on the NRLA’s summary of the government’s roadmap and a September 2026 briefing from law firm Osborne Clarke, the next steps are:
| Change | Timing | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Private Rented Sector (PRS) database — mandatory registration of every landlord and let property, with gas, electrical and EPC documents uploaded | Phased rollout from 15 December 2026; all let properties registered by 14 November 2027 | Announced |
| PRS database fee | £65 per property per year | Announced |
| Rent increase challenges move from the First-tier Tribunal to the Valuation Office | No date yet | Announced |
| Landlord Ombudsman — mandatory membership | Expected 2028 | Expected |
| Decent Homes Standard and Awaab’s Law extended to private renting | Later, proposed | Proposed |
Failing to register on the PRS database can lead to a fine of up to £7,000, and repeat offences can be criminal, with fines up to £40,000. We track every date on our regulation timeline.
How the Act changes your costs
The Act doesn’t introduce one big new bill. Instead, it adds cost in several smaller ways:
- Longer, less predictable possession — more time without rent if a tenancy goes wrong.
- Higher arrears threshold — a larger potential loss before you can act.
- Less upfront rent — less of a cushion at the start of a tenancy.
- Admin time — formal rent reviews, pet requests and, soon, database registration.
- Penalty exposure — fines and Rent Repayment Orders if you get a process wrong.
None of these can be priced precisely for every landlord, which is why we don’t publish a single “cost of the Renters’ Rights Act” figure. Our landlord cost calculator lets you test your own numbers, including a realistic allowance for voids.
Your compliance checklist
- Remove Section 21 references and fixed end dates from your tenancy templates.
- Replace automatic rent-review clauses with a Section 13 process in your calendar.
- Check your adverts show an asking rent and don’t exclude benefit claimants or families.
- Update your application process so you take no rent before signing and no more than one month after.
- Make sure every deposit is protected and the prescribed information has been served.
- Keep dated records of every notice, payment and repair request.
- Keep gas, electrical and EPC documents in order ahead of the PRS database — see our guide to landlord certificate costs and EPC rules.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Renters’ Rights Act apply in Wales or Scotland? No. It applies to England. Wales and Scotland have their own tenancy legislation.
Can I still have a fixed-term tenancy? No. New tenancies are assured periodic tenancies, and existing ASTs converted to periodic tenancies on 1 May 2026.
Can I still evict a tenant? Yes, but only by using a legal ground for possession under Section 8, with the correct notice and, where needed, a court order. Section 21 no longer exists.
How often can I increase the rent? Once a year, using Form 4A and at least two months’ notice.
Can I ask for six months’ rent in advance? Not for tenancies from 1 May 2026. You can’t take rent before the tenancy is agreed, and afterwards you can ask for no more than one month up front.
Sources
- GOV.UK — Renters’ Rights Act: an overview for landlords (last updated 30 July 2026)
- GOV.UK — The Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026
- NRLA — Renters’ Rights Act 2025: key dates for landlords
- NRLA — Managing rent payments after the Renters’ Rights Act
- Osborne Clarke — Renters’ Rights Act phase 2: landlord database and rent dispute reforms (23 September 2026)
- The Intermediary — Average cost of rental void period rises by 58% (29 September 2026)
This article summarises official guidance and is not legal advice. Last checked: 8 October 2026.
Related guides
- Deposits and Rent in Advance Under the Renters’ Rights Act: The Rules for Landlords
- UK Landlord Regulation Timeline: Every Key Date from 2020 to 2030
- EPC Rules for Landlords: What’s Required Now and What’s Planned for 2030
- Landlord Safety Certificate Costs in 2026: Gas Safety, EICR and EPC
- The True Cost of Being a Landlord in the UK (2026)
Figures are published examples, estimates and averages, not quotes. Rules change: check the linked official source before you act.