Renters' Rights Act 2026: what landlords must do now

The main tenancy changes in the Renters' Rights Act 2025 took effect on 1 May 2026: Section 21 ended, fixed terms gave way to rolling periodic tenancies, rent can rise only once a year by Form 4A, and tenants can ask to keep a pet. Some parts, such as the landlord database and the ombudsman, come later.

The fines have started: Chesterfield Borough Council fined a letting agent £8,652 across two penalties, one of them for a six-month fixed-term agreement. This video goes through seven mistakes landlords and agents are still making, in under seven minutes: fixed terms, the new paperwork, rent in advance, rental bidding, turning away families or people on benefits, pet requests and rent increases.

Watch the video7 min

Free tools: try the 90-second paperwork audit, twelve yes/no questions with each gap priced in pounds, and the licensing penalty calculator, which shows what an unlicensed property could cost from your own rent. No sign-up for the result.

The Act is now law

As of 1 May 2026, the main tenancy changes in the Renters' Rights Act 2025 apply to all private tenancies in England. Some parts, such as the database and the Ombudsman, are still to come. This is the biggest change to private renting in over 30 years. If you're a landlord, there are immediate actions you must take.

One law, four names. If you have been searching for the “Renters' Rights Bill”, the “Renters Reform Bill”, the “Renters' Rights Act 2025” or the “Renters' Rights Act 2026”, they are all the same legislation at different stages. It was introduced as a bill, received Royal Assent in 2025 as the Renters' Rights Act 2025, and its main provisions commenced on 1 May 2026, which is why you will see both years attached to it. Everything below is the law as it stands today. For the full sequence of dates, see our timeline from bill to law.

Key changes at a glance

• Section 21 abolished: no-fault evictions are gone. You must now use Section 8 grounds (rent arrears, selling, family use, antisocial behaviour, etc.) to regain possession.
• Fixed-term tenancies banned: all new tenancies are periodic (rolling) from day one, and existing tenancies became periodic on 1 May 2026. Tenants can leave with two months' notice at any time.
• Rent increases limited: maximum once per year, using Form 4A, with at least two months' advance notice to tenants.
• Rental bidding banned: you must advertise a specific rent amount and cannot accept offers above it.
• Rent in advance capped: no rent before the tenancy agreement is signed, then at most one month's rent before the tenancy starts.
• Anti-discrimination rules: you cannot refuse tenants because they have children or receive benefits.
• Pet requests: you must reply to a written pet request in writing within 28 days, and you can only refuse on reasonable grounds.
• New document requirements: new tenancies need a written statement of terms before they are entered into. Written tenancies that began before 1 May 2026 needed the government's Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet by 31 May 2026.
• Penalties increased: for many breaches, civil penalties of up to £7,000 for a first breach, and up to £40,000 or criminal prosecution where the breach continues or is repeated. Some rules, such as the discrimination rules, stay capped at £7,000 per penalty.

The Information Sheet and the written statement

The Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet is a government document that replaced the How to Rent guide, which was withdrawn on 1 May 2026. It covers tenants' rights under the new Act. It was a one-off requirement:

• Landlords with written tenancies that began before 1 May 2026 had to give it to every named tenant by 31 May 2026
• Tenancies agreed orally before 1 May 2026 needed a written statement of terms by the same date instead
• New tenancies from 1 May 2026 need a written statement of terms, given to the tenant before the tenancy is entered into. In practice that means before the agreement is signed, and the agreement itself can be the statement if it has the required terms. The Information Sheet doesn't apply to them

Failing to give either document can lead to a council civil penalty of up to £7,000. If the failure continues or is repeated, it becomes an offence, with a civil penalty of up to £40,000. It does not stop you getting possession under Section 8. If you missed the 31 May 2026 deadline, give the Information Sheet now.

Section 21 is gone: what this means in practice

You can no longer serve a Section 21 notice on any tenant, regardless of when the tenancy started. If you need to regain possession, you must establish specific Section 8 grounds.

This makes your compliance records more important. The rule that matters most for possession is the deposit: if you took one and did not protect it or serve the prescribed information, the court cannot make a possession order on any ground except Grounds 7A and 14. Missing safety certificates or other paperwork do not block a Section 8 claim, but they bring penalties, and on discretionary grounds the court looks at how you have behaved. If you can't prove you provided required documents, you are exposed on both fronts.

Fixed-term tenancies are over

You can no longer create fixed-term tenancies, and assured shorthold tenancies no longer exist for private lets. All new tenancies are assured periodic tenancies from the start. Existing tenancies, including those part-way through a fixed term, became periodic on 1 May 2026.

This means tenants can give two months' notice and leave at any time. You cannot lock tenants into a minimum term. Your tenancy agreements should reflect this new structure.

Rent increase rules

Rent can only be increased once a year, using a Section 13 notice (Form 4A). The new rent cannot start earlier than 52 weeks after the last increase, and you must give at least two months' notice. These are separate minimums, so you can serve notice two months before the anniversary. Tenants can challenge an increase at the First-tier Tribunal, which decides the market rent and cannot set a rent higher than you proposed. See how to fill in and serve Form 4A.

Keep records of every rent increase notice served, including when it was served and evidence the tenant received it.

Pet requests: document your response

Tenants now have the right to ask in writing for permission to keep a pet. You must respond in writing within 28 days, or within 7 days of receiving further information you reasonably asked for. There is no deemed consent if you miss the deadline, but missing it is a breach the tenant can take to court. You can only refuse on reasonable grounds, so record your reasons. You cannot require the tenant to take out pet insurance. Unreasonable refusals can be challenged.

Keep records of all pet requests received and your responses, including your reasoning.

What's coming next

The Act also introduces several measures that are not in force yet:

• Private Rented Sector Database: a register of landlords and their properties. Registration opens on 15 December 2026. It becomes compulsory region by region, starting with the West Midlands, and each region then has three months. The fee is £65 per property per year. See the landlord database guide.
• Private rented sector Ombudsman: tenants will be able to escalate complaints without going to court. It is not operating yet, and membership is expected to become compulsory in 2028.
• Awaab's Law: mandatory response timelines for hazards reported by tenants. It does not yet apply to private rented homes, and no date has been set. A government consultation on how and when opened on 9 October 2026 and closes on 18 December 2026. See Awaab's Law and private landlords.
• Decent Homes Standard: minimum property condition standards extended to private rentals from 2035. Since 22 June 2026, councils can already issue civil penalties of up to £7,000 for category 1 hazards.

We'll cover each one as it comes into force.

Your compliance checklist

Here's what you should be doing right now:

1. Check the Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet went out to every named tenant on written tenancies that began before 1 May 2026 (the deadline was 31 May 2026), and give it now if it didn't
2. Give every new tenant a written statement of terms before the tenancy is entered into
3. Review your tenancy agreements and remove any fixed-term clauses for new tenancies
4. Ensure all required documents are up to date: EPC, Gas Safety, EICR, deposit protection
5. Set up proof of delivery, because you need timestamped evidence that tenants received each document
6. Record rent increase notices and keep evidence of when and how notice was served
7. Document any pet request responses with written records with reasoning
8. Review your record-keeping systems, because under Section 8 every piece of compliance evidence matters

Why evidence matters under Section 8

Section 8 claims are adversarial, which makes them very different from the largely mechanical Section 21 process. Tenants can defend themselves, and their solicitors will look for gaps in your compliance. Timestamped proof that documents were delivered, viewed, and acknowledged puts you in a far stronger position.

A record such as “The tenant viewed the Gas Safety Certificate on 15 January 2026 at 09:41” is much better evidence than saying you emailed it. For possession itself, the records that matter most are your evidence for the ground and proof that the deposit was protected and the prescribed information served.