The below is a summary of key measures for Landlords in the Renters’ Rights Act based on Property Inside London’s understanding of the legislation as at the time of writing. It is provided on the basis of no liability to Property Inside London Limited- readers should seek their own professional advice
The legislation has been passed. It is due to come into effect on 01 May 2026. The Act is coming into effect in phases but importantly from 01 May 2026 the changes to tenancy agreements take place
End of Fixed-Term Tenancies and Abolishment of Section 21 “No-Fault” Evictions
When the Renters’ Rights Act takes effect:
Section 21 evictions will be abolished.
All fixed-term tenancies (Assured Shorthold Tenancies) will become open-ended, periodic tenancies.
Tenants can end a tenancy at any time by giving two months’ notice.
Landlords will no longer be able to use S21 notices. Instead, they can only regain possession using specific legal grounds to end a tenancy.
New and Updated Grounds for Possession
Landlords can still regain possession in specific circumstances, however they will only be able to do so by serving a Section 8 (S8) notice using one or more approved grounds. These are divided into mandatory and discretionary categories:
Mandatory Grounds- If proven, the judge must grant possession (except in exceptional circumstances)
Intention to sell the property
Cannot be used in the first 12 months of a tenancy.
Requires 4 months’ notice.
A restriction will apply on re-letting the property if a sale doesn’t proceed (likely 3–12 months).
Landlord or close family member intends to move in
Same restrictions and notice period as above.
Re-letting restrictions apply if plans change.
Redevelopment of the property
Only certain landlords qualify.
Requires 4 months’ notice.
Tenant convicted of specific criminal offences or serious anti-social behaviour
No notice period required. Proceedings can begin immediately.
Tenant has no legal right to rent under immigration law
Requires 2 weeks’ notice.
Tenant owes 3 or more months’ rent
Requires 4 weeks’ notice.
The rent arrears must still be at or above 3 months at the court hearing.
Discretionary Grounds- The judge decides whether to grant possession
Rent arrears or persistent late payment
4 weeks’ notice.
Breach of tenancy terms
2 weeks’ notice.
Damage to property or furnishings
2 weeks’ notice.
Anti-social behaviour by tenant, household member, or visitor
No notice period required if severe.
Includes illegal or immoral use of premises.
False information provided during application
2 weeks’ notice.
Student Lets
There are two specific provisions for student lets:
Educational Institutions:
May give 2 weeks’ notice if the property was let to students in the previous 12 months.
Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs):
If let to full-time students and needed for a new group in the upcoming academic year, 4 months’ notice can be given.
This ground cannot be used if the tenancy was agreed more than 6 months before it started.
Rent Increases & Tribunal Challenges
Landlords and agents cannot advertise or accept rents above the published asking rent.
Rent increases are limited to once per year, via a Section 13 (S13) notice with at least 2 months’ notice.
Tenants may challenge the increase at the First-tier Tribunal, which will set a fair market rent (but not above the proposed amount) which will be applicable from the date of the Tribunals decision.
Upfront rents will be capped at one month in advance.
A Tribunal cannot set rent above the landlord’s proposal and no backdating is allowed.
Note: Existing agreements made before the Bill becomes law will have a transition period. Rents already paid in advance are unlikely to be required to be refunded, but future payments will need to comply with the new rules.
Rental Bidding Ban
Landlords and Letting Agents must advertise properties with a stated rent and cannot solicit or accept bids above that amount.
Rent in Advance
Landlords cannot request more than one month’s rent (or 28 days) in advance once a tenancy has begun. Tenants may still voluntarily pay more than one month’s rent in advance, but landlords cannot require them to pay beyond the due date.
Right to Keep Pets
Landlords will be required to reasonably consider tenant requests to keep pets. Reasonable grounds for refusal might include if its shared accommodation.
However:
They may require tenants to have pet insurance for potential damage.
If pets are prohibited under a head lease or block agreement, landlords may reasonably refuse.
Private Rented Sector Ombudsman
All landlords will be legally required to join a new Private rented sector ombudsman. This body will:
Handle tenant complaints quickly, fairly, and cost-effectively.
Provide guidance to landlords on managing complaints.
Enforce decisions made in tenant complaints.
And:
Civil penalties apply for failure to join or to market a property without membership.
Penalties of up to £7,000 for initial breaches, rising to £40,000 for repeated or continuing breaches.
Private Rented Sector Database
Landlords must register on a new national database, which will:
Record landlord and property details.
Provide guidance on legal obligations.
Increase transparency across the sector.
The scope of public access to the data is still under review, with a balance between transparency and privacy.
Rental Discrimination
Landlords will be prohibited from discriminating against applicants solely because they have children, or receive benefits. Reference checks and final tenant selection will still be permitted, but decisions must not be based solely on these factors. A property may still be declined for being unsuitable for example if having children in the property would lead to overcrowding.
Decent Homes Standard & Awaab’s Law
The Decent Homes Standards (DHS) which currently applies to social housing, will be extended to include properties in the private rental sector, though details have not yet been published. The Bill will also extend Awaab’s Law (originally for social housing) to the private sector. This law requires landlords to investigate and fix serious hazards—such as damp and mould—within strict timeframes
Penalties
Failure to comply with the Renters’ Rights Bill may result in significant financial penalties and rent repayment orders
Transitional arrangements
On 1 May 2026, almost every Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST) in England will immediately convert into the an Assured Periodic Tenancy (APT). This means that any fixed terms will end, and the tenancy will be periodic, rolling from month to month until either the tenant or the landlord terminates it.
The AST and the APT will be treated as one continuous tenancy, and there will be no need to re-serve the compliance documents (such as the Gas Safety Certificate, EICR or EPC), or to re-register the tenancy deposit.
Which ASTs will not become APTs on 1 May 2026?
There are two categories of AST that will not become an APT on 1 May 2026, and that is where there is a pending valid Section 21 notice or a valid Section 8 notice. A valid notice served before 1 May 2026, will remain valid, and the tenancy will remain an AST, until the landlord obtains possession and the tenancy ends, the notice lapses or a judge decides that the notice is invalid. However, there is a short ‘use it or lose it’ backstop date. If the landlord has not initiated court proceedings by 01 May 2026, they must do so by asking the court to issue a claim form by the earlier of 31 July 2026 or the expiry of the notice. A Section 21 notice expires 6 months following service, and a Section 8 notice expires 12 months after service. If the landlord fails to obtain possession because the notice lapses or is not valid, the tenancy will become an Assured Periodic Tenancy.
Clauses in existing tenancies that will automatically become invalid
The Renters’ Rights Act will make the following clauses in all existing tenancy agreements null and void, and unenforceable, from 01 May 2026:
Fixed term clauses: Any dates specifying a fixed term (eg “for a term of 12 months”) will have no effect. The tenancy will become a statutory periodic tenancy on 01 May 2026, and any attempt to enforce a fixed term may lead to a civil penalty.
Contractual rent review clauses: Any clause that states how a rent increase will be calculated, for instance by reference to CPI or RPI, will be null and void. Landlords will only be able to validly increase rent by using the statutory Section 13 process (a Form 4A), and only once every 12 months.
Break clauses: These will be redundant. Tenants will be end the tenancy at any time with 2 months’ notice to expire at the end of a rent period at any time, and landlords will only be able to terminate if they have a valid Section 8 ground.
Blanket pet bans: A clause prohibiting pets will be subject to the new implied term that the landlord cannot refuse to give consent, unless they have a good reason, provided the tenant follows the appropriate procedure.
Rent Periods exceeding one month: If the AST states rent is payable quarterly or annually, this will become a monthly rent period using the formula in in Section 1(6) RRA, where R is the rent that would have been due for the first rent period of the tenancy and D is the number of whole days in that period. However, any clause saying the rent is payable in advance will still be valid (see below).
Transition provisions for rent in advance clauses in existing tenancies
While the Renters’ Rights Act does state that the maximum rent period for all APTs, including existing tenancies, will be one calendar month, there are specific saving provisions for tenancies entered into before 01 May 2026 for rent payable in advance. Section 8 inserts Section 4B into the Housing Act 1988, which states that any clauses “provide for when rent is due are of no effect so far as they provide for rent to be due in advance“. However, Section 4B(2)(a) HA88 states that this rule does not apply to existing tenancies entered into before 01 May 2026. Consequently, if an existing tenancy agreement states that rent is to be paid (say) 6 or 12 months in advance, that obligation remains valid and enforceable for that specific tenancy, and the landlord can continue to collect that rent in advance for the duration of that tenancy.
What happens to pending notices as of 1 May 2026?
Pending Section 13 notices (Form 4 for rent incpreases): Under Para 6 of Schedule 6 RRA, Section 13 notices (Form 4) served before 1 May 2026 will continue to be valid.
Pending Section 21 notices (aka ‘no fault eviction’ notices):Valid Section 21 notices made under the old rules before 1 May 2026 will also continue to be valid if the court has been requested to issue a claim form, under Para 3 of Schedule 6 RRA. Where there has been no request for the court to issue a claim form, Para 4 of Schedule 6 RRA states the landlord must do so before 31 July 2026, otherwise the notice will lapse.
Pending Section 8 notices: Valid Section 8 notices made under the old rules before 1 May 2026 will also continue to be valid if the court has been requested to issue a claim form, under Para 16 of Schedule 6 RRA. Where there has been no request for the court to issue a claim form, in keeping with the transition rules for pending Section 21 notices, Para 17 of Schedule 6 RRA states the landlord must do so before 31 July 2026, otherwise it will lapse.
Further Information
Official guidance from the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG, formerly known as DLUHC between 2021–2024):
