The Renters’ Rights Act (“the Act”) received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025. The Act marks the most significant overhaul of renting laws in over 30 years, primarily geared toward giving tenants greater stability and protections when renting homes. It aims to enhance tenant security, improve housing quality, and regulate landlord practices more strictly.
Key provisions of the Renters' Rights Act for landlords to be aware of include:
- Assured shorthold tenancies (ASTs) and fixed term assured tenancies will be abolished and all current ASTs and fixed term assured tenancies will revert to assured periodic tenancies. Going forward, only assured periodic tenancies with rental periods not exceeding one month will be permitted within the assured tenancy regime. Tenants will be able to terminate such tenancies on not less than two months’ notice.
- The abolition of Section 21 "no-fault" evictions, meaning landlords will no longer be able to evict tenants without a valid reason. Evictions will now only occur on specific statutory grounds under Section 8, giving tenants more security and time to find alternative accommodation if necessary.
- New revised grounds of possession for assured tenancies. Ground 1, which is available after 12 months, enables the landlord to give 4 months’ notice that a close family member will be occupying the property. Grounds 1A and 1B allow the landlord to re-possess the property in order for it to be sold.
- Limiting rent increases to once per year through Section 13 notices, accompanied by tenant rights to challenge rent hikes. The Act also bans rent bidding wars to prevent landlords from accepting offers above advertised prices.
- The introduction of a new Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman to provide impartial, binding dispute resolution between tenants and landlords.
- The creation of a digital Private Rented Sector database requiring registration of landlords and properties to improve transparency and compliance monitoring.
- Application of the Decent Homes Standard to ensure minimum quality standards are met for all rental properties. This will establish strict time limits for landlords to address hazards like damp and mould, with serious consequences for those who fail to meet their obligations.
- Anti-discrimination provisions to protect tenants receiving benefits or those with children from being unfairly treated by landlords.
- New rights for tenants to keep pets, restricting landlords from unreasonably refusing pet requests.
- Enhanced powers for local authorities to enforce compliance, including entry without a warrant in suspected breach cases and increased civil and criminal penalties for landlords for breaches of the law.
Implementation and next steps
Section 21 No-fault evictions are set to be abolished from May 2026. Shadow Housing Secretary Sir James Cleverly said that “with a start date of May 2026, we are now set for a six-month fire sale with tenants forced out at short notice". As approximately 4.4 million households in England rented from a private landlord between 2021 and 2023, the new rules could affect more than 11 million people.
Whilst it is worth noting that several other key provisions will require secondary legislation before the full details of the changes are known, landlords potentially affected may wish to begin reviewing their portfolios now to identify tenancies that are likely to fall within scope.
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