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How has the Renters Rights Act changed things for renters?
7 – 10 minutes to read
In this guide
- Introduction
- An introduction to the Renters Rights Act
- The abolition of no fault section 21 evictions
- Local Authority rehousing
- The abolition of fixed terms
- New rules regarding rent
- New rules about tenancy agreements
- New rules on pets
- New powers for Local Authorities
- Future changes
- The Renters’ Rights Act at a glance
Before you start:
Before reading this guide you should check your tenancy type using our Occupation Guide.
1. Introduction
Many people have thought that the private rented sector has not been working properly for a long time.
Strangely, both landlords and tenants tend to think that the system works against them. However, the main sufferers in the main have been tenants.
When the Labour government was elected in 2024, one of the tasks they set for themselves was to deal with the problems that they found in the Private Rented Sector (PRS).
Here is a summary of the main problems:
- Tenants being routinely evicted under the no-fault section 21 procedure. This meant that even if a tenant was a perfect tenant, their landlord could evict them. This led to the problem of ‘retaliatory eviction’ – landlords evicting tenants simply because they tried to assert their legal rights (eg to have essential repair work done). The other problem with this was that even if the tenants were actually at fault, this was not apparent from the court proceedings.
- The huge cost to Local Authorities of rehousing people in ‘priority need’. Local Authorities have a legal duty to help those in ‘priority need’, mainly families with young children, if they have been made homeless. They can refuse to help where tenants are ‘voluntarily homeless ‘, which includes where if they have been evicted due to their own fault. However, where evictions were under a ‘no fault’ procedure, they could not do this.
- Tenants being forced to remain in properties if they wanted to leave. For example if a tenant signed up to a 12-month tenancy but then discovering that the property was dripping with damp and mould, or if the landlord failed to carry out agreed repair and other works. Unless the landlord agreed to release them they would be trapped in unsuitable accommodation, as they would be liable for the rent to the end of the fixed term.
- The massive increase in rent over the years, making rented property unaffordable to many. One big cause of this was housing shortage. However another cause was tenants’ fear of being evicted if they refused to agree to a new higher rent. Many tenants were indeed evicted by landlords wanting to charge a higher rent than their tenants could afford. Many of these would go on to claim rehousing from their Local Authority.
- Other barriers to people looking to rent. For example, demands for rent in advance and rental bidding among applicants pushing up rents to unaffordable levels. Also blanket discrimination against tenants on benefit and with children.
- Tenants being routinely being refused permission to keep a pet. It is generally accepted that pets are good for family life and people’s mental health.
- The poor condition of many properties in the PRS. Although many landlords do keep their properties in good condition, many others don’t. This was in large part due to:
- The failure of most Local Authorities to enforce legislation designed to prevent poor standards and other issues in the PRS, normally due to lack of resources following council budget cuts during austerity. Indeed, in some areas criminals have been able to operate unchecked, as the Police rarely enforce housing law, considering it to be a ‘civil matter’.
- A general lack of knowledge by the authorities about the extent of the PRS, who the landlords are and where rented properties are located. This makes regulation enforcement more difficult.
- Problems experienced by tenants enforcing their legal rights, including ignorance, the cost of legal proceedings and the likely prospect of retaliatory eviction.
The Renters Rights Act 2025 was brought in to deal with these issues and create a more professional PRS.
We will take a brief look at some of the above issues in this article, with links to more detailed articles on this site and to other sources of online help.
But first:
2. An introduction to the Renters Rights Act
The Renters Rights Act was introduced to Parliament in September 2024 following a manifesto commitment and was made law on 27 October 2025.
It did not bring in a completely new code as the Housing Act 1988 and the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 did. Instead if works by amending other legislation, in particular the Housing Act 1988.
The Housing Act 1988 is the main act that governs housing law in England today. It brought in the assured and assured shorthold tenancies with effect from 15 January 1989.
The Renters Rights Act has mainly changed the rules applying to assured tenancies, which is why we ask you to check your occupation type before reading this article.
The Act also affects other occupation types to a lesser degree as explained in this article.
Implementation of the act is in three stages (explained in this government article):
Stage 1 – this brought in the main changes, including abolishing assured shorthold tenanciees. This stage came into force on 1 May 2026.
Stage 2 – this stage will introduce a new Ombudsman service and landlord database. it is expected to be implemented between late 2026 and 2029.
Stage 3 – this stage will bring into force the new Decent Homes standard and ‘Awaabs law’. It is expected to be implemented after 2030.
This article will focus mainly on the new rules which are now in force.
3.The abolition of no fault section 21 evictions
This was perceived as one of the main problems with housing law, as it gave landlords too much power. Tenants were often reluctant to enforce their legal rights, fearing that their landlord would use Section 21 to evict them.
The section 21 eviction procedure could only be used against assured shorthold tenants. So the Renters Rights Act removes this tenancy type altogether. So all assured shorthold tenancies were converted to assured tenancies on 1 May 2026.
Landlords who had already served valid section 21 notices before that date could use them to base an eviction claim, but proceedings had to start before 31 July.
So now landlords can only use the section 8 eviction procedure to evict tenants. Any possession claim (for assured tenants) must be based on one of the grounds for possession set out in Schedule 2 of the Housing Act 1988.
This means that now tenants will know why they are being evicted. In many (though not all) cases, they may be able to defend the claim or challenge the evidence.
From 1 May 2026, landlords must not serve a section 21 notice. If they do, the local authority has powers to impose a financial penalty. If you receive a section 21 notice dated after 1 May 2026, you should contact your local authority’s Private Sector Housing Team for advice.
If you are not sure which local authority covers your area, you can find out here.
4. Local Authority rehousing
Local authorities have legal duties towards people who are homeless or threatened with homelessness. The extent of those duties depends on the person’s circumstances, but households in ‘priority need’ are usually entitled to more extensive assistance, including the provision of accommodation.
We have an article which explains this here.
One of the consequences of the widespread use of section 21 was that many households who had done nothing wrong became homeless through no fault of their own.
This placed significant financial pressure on local authorities, many of which have struggled to find suitable temporary accommodation. Some councils have even issued section 114 notices because of wider financial difficulties.
The problem with the section 21 procedure is that, as it was ‘no fault’, it meant that all tenants evicted by that process who fell into the definition of ‘priority need’ could claim to be re-housed, even if the reason they were being evicted would, if known, give Councils a reason to refuse rehousing. As local authorities can usually refuse to rehouse applicants if they have become (or will be) ‘intentionally homeless ‘.
However, as now the reason for the eviction will be known, this make it easier for a local authority to understand why the tenancy ended when deciding if the applicant has become intentionally homeless.
The message for tenants is that you need to make sure that you do not do anything which might make Councils take this view if you are evicted for it.
However, whether someone is intentionally homeless is decided by the local authority on the facts of the individual case. It is not determined automatically by the ground for possession used by the landlord.
5. The abolition of fixed terms
On 1 May 2026, tenancies governed by the Housing Act did not just convert to assured tenancies. They converted to assured PERIODIC tenancies.
This applied to almost all assured and assured shorthold tenancies, whether they had originally been periodic or for a fixed term.
The new rules provide that:
- Fixed terms are abolished – if landlords try to create a fixed-term tenancy, it will operate as a periodic tenancy, AND the landlord can face ennforcement action by the Local Authority
- Periodic tenancies cannot be longer than one month. This means that all pre 1 May 2026 periodic tenancies with a longer period were converted to monthly tenancies. If landlords try to create a longer period, it will operate as a monthly periodic tenancy, and the given rent will be apportioned
- Rent periods are the same as the tenancy periods. So if a tenancy period is monthly, rent is payable monthly. If the tenancy period is weekly, rent will be payable weekly (or perhaps every 28 days). Rent is due and payable on a periodic basis – so if a period runs from the 3rd day in the month to the 2ns day in the month, the rent for that period will be due during that period (normally the tenancy agreement will provide for it to be paid at the start of the period).
- An initial short period is allowed. Although most tenancy periods must be the same, landlords can provide for the first period to be shorter if they want subsequent rental periods to run from a specific day in the month.
The decision to abolish fixed terms has proved controversial. Many tenants in the past have asked for long fixed terms, for example to give them security in a property while their children are at school.
The government however, pointed out that fixed terms force tenants to stay living in and pay rent for properties which could be substandard (as tenants cannot legally refuse to pay rent if their property is in poor condition).
So now, if tenants move into a property and find it is dripping with damp and mould. Or, if they get a new job opportunity that requires them to move to another city, they can give notice and leave.
To placate landlords, the notice period has been increased to two months, giving them more time to find new tenants.
Although tenants will no longer be protected by a long fixed term, the fact that section 21 has been abolished will, in most cases, give them greater security. They can usually remain in the property for as long as they wish, while being free to leave if their circumstances change.
Finally, you do not have to sign a new tenancy agreement every year (as tenants were often required to do in the past). Your tenancy simply continues until either you or your landlord ends it in one of the ways permitted by law.
6. New rules regarding rent
There are a number of new rules aimed at making property more affordable:
- Landlords must give a ‘proposed rent’ when advertising property. They cannot agree higher rents with applicants – a rule aimed to stop ‘rental bidding’ pushing up rents
- Rent in advance of signing the tenancy agreement is prohibited, and landlords can only accept up to one month’s rent between signing the tenancy agreement and the tenancy start. Tenants can offer rent in advance during the tenancy but landlords cannot require this
- Rent increases can only be done via the statutory notice procedure using a new Form 4A, which tenants can challenge if they think the rent is above the market rent.
- Rent review clauses will now be invalid, as will agreements regarding rent changes made before service of the Form 4A.
You can read more about these changes in the following articles:
Changes to the eviction rules for rent arrears
The mandatory eviction ground for evicting on the basis of rent arrears has increased the rent arrears due from 2 months/eight weeks to three months/13 weeks. This must be due
- At the date of service of the section 8 notice, and
- At the date of the court hearing.
Find out more in the following articles:
7. New rules about tenancy agreements
Many landlords already provide a written tenancy agreement. However, some do not, leaving tenants uncertain about their rights and obligations. The Renters’ Rights Act introduces new requirements designed to ensure that every tenant receives written information about the main terms of their tenancy.
Under these rules, all landlords are required to provide tenants with a ‘statement of terms’ setting out the main terms of their tenancy agreement. The items they are required to include are set out in the snappily named Assured Tenancies (Private Rented Sector) (Written Statement of Terms etc and Information Sheet) (England) Regulations 2026.
The statement of terms should make it easier for tenants to understand their tenancy and to check whether their landlord is complying with the law.
Most landlords are likely to include this information within their tenancy agreement, so there will be no need for a separate statement of terms.
Failure to provide a statement of terms of the required information in the tenancy agreement is a breach punishable by a civil penalty of up to £7,000. This applies
- If no tenancy agreement or statement of terms has been served at all, or
- If the tenancy agreement or statement of terms does not include the items set out in the regulations.
The legislation also requires landlords of existing tenancies as at 1 May 2026 to serve a government information sheet on their tenants. Again, failure to comply with this is a breach.
The information sheet can be downloaded from here.
8. New rules on pets
It is generally accepted that having a pet is good for people’s mental health and for family live. Pets are often much-loved family members.
However, in the past, landlords would routinely refuse permission to keep a pet, mainly due to the fear that the pet would damage the property.
To be fair, pets sometimes DO damage rented properties. However, the Government considered that responsible pet owners should have a fair opportunity to keep pets in rented homes.
The Renters’ Rights Act has therefore changed the law. Although tenants must still ask their landlord for permission before keeping a pet (unless the tenancy agreement already allows it), landlords can no longer refuse permission simply because they have a general “no pets” policy. Permitting the pet is in most cases the default position, and any refusal must be on reasonable grounds.
For more detailed discussion on this, see the article Pets in Rented Properties – the Law.
9. New powers for Local Authorities
One of the big problems over the past years has been that, although there is plenty of legislation aimed at rogue and criminal landlords, Local Authorities have (with a few honourable exceptions) mainly failed to use it.
This meant that, in some areas, rogue and criminal landlords were able to continue renting out poor-quality accommodation with little or no enforcement action.
Local Authorities have been able to avoid taking action due to the fact that they were not under any legal obligation to do so. However, this changed on 1 May 2026 with the coming into force of s107 of the Renters Rights Act.
This places a duty on every local housing authority to enforce the landlord legislation in its area. This means that if they fail to take action in clear cases, tenants organisations can apply for Judicial Review. Many tenants organisations have indicated that they will be willing to do this.
The legislation has also given Local Authorities greater powers to issue Civil Penalty Notices and to prosecute.
There are two categories of wrong:
- Breaches – where there is no option to prosecute and the maximum penalty is £7,000
- Offences – where the Local Authority has a choice whether to prosecute or impose a Civil Penalty with a maximum penalty of £40,000.
The Act also introduces tougher penalties for repeat offenders. A landlord who commits further breaches or offences after already being penalised may face an additional civil penalty of up to £40,000.
The aim of these new powers for Local Authorities is to encourage compliance with the law and make it more difficult for persistently non-compliant landlords to continue operating without consequences.
10. Future changes
Not all of the Renters’ Rights Act came into force on 1 May 2026. Several important reforms are still to be introduced over the next few years.
These are as follows:
The Landlord Database
All private landlords will be required to register on the Private Rented Sector Database. A landlord who has not registered will not be able to market a property for rent or rely on many of the statutory grounds for possession.
It will also be a breach not to register and an offence knowingly to provide false or misleading information.
The database is already in existence and is being tested by some landlords. We await further regulations setting out the information to be provided by landlords and what parts of the database can be viewed by prospective tenants.
The Landlord Ombudsman
This is well overdue, as tenants who rent from landlords using a letting agent have been able to complain to the letting agents’ Ombudsman scheme. Putting tenants who rent directly from their landlord at a disadvantage.
The Ombudsman scheme, which will provide a free service for tenants renting directly from their landlords, is expected to launch some time between late 2026 and 2029.
The Decent Homes Standard
There has been a Decent Homes Standard for some years for social housing. However, the rules need to be redrafted somewhat for private sector housing. There has been a consultation, but the final rules are not expected until after 2030.
Awaabs law
Awaab’s Law is named after Awaab Ishak, a two-year-old boy who tragically died after prolonged exposure to mould in his family’s social housing.
Awaab’s law refers to new rules which will require landlords to investigate and deal with serious hazards within a strict timescale.
The rules already apply to social housing. The Government intends to extend them to the private rented sector, although the implementation date has not yet been confirmed.
And finally
This is one of the biggest changes to private renting for many years, and further reforms are still to come.
We will amend this article once further information is known about the future reforms and give links to any new articles we may publish on any of the other matters referred to above.
In the meantime, here is:
The Renters’ Rights Act at a glance
The Renters’ Rights Act aims to:
- give tenants greater security,
- improve property standards,
- make renting fairer,
- strengthen local authority enforcement,
- professionalise the private rented sector, and
- retain landlords’ ability to recover possession where they have a valid legal reason.
Although many of the reforms are already in force, others—including the Landlord Database, Ombudsman and extension of Awaab’s Law—will follow over the next few years.
This is the end of this article.
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