The Renters' Rights Act 2025: what has actually changed

Where these rules apply

The changes below apply to private tenancies in England. Housing association (social housing) tenancies move to the new rules later, and council secure and flexible tenancies are not affected by these tenancy changes. Wales and Scotland have their own tenancy laws, so most of the Act does not apply there; its bans on discrimination against renters with children or on benefits started in Scotland on 1 May 2026 and in Wales on 1 June 2026.

In force now (England, private tenancies)

• Section 21 “no-fault” evictions abolished (from 1 May 2026). A private landlord can now end a tenancy only on one of the legal grounds for possession - for example selling, moving in, or rent arrears - usually by serving a section 8 notice and, if you do not leave, getting a court order. Court claims based on a section 21 notice given before 1 May 2026 had to be started by 31 July 2026 at the latest.
• Rolling tenancies (from 1 May 2026). Private assured tenancies can no longer have a fixed end date. New and existing tenancies, including former assured shorthold tenancies, are now assured periodic tenancies that roll on from one rent period to the next, and a rent period cannot be longer than a month. You can end yours by giving at least two months’ notice in writing, or less if your landlord agrees in writing.
• New eviction grounds and notice periods (from 1 May 2026). A landlord who wants to sell, or to move in themselves or a close family member, must give at least four months’ notice, and the date in the notice cannot be earlier than one year after the tenancy began. For the mandatory rent-arrears ground, at least three months’ rent (13 weeks’ rent if you pay weekly or fortnightly) must be unpaid both when the notice is served and at the court hearing, and the landlord must give at least four weeks’ notice.
• Rent increases once a year (from 1 May 2026). A landlord can only raise the rent using the formal section 13 notice (Form 4A), with at least two months’ notice, and not within 52 weeks of the tenancy starting or of the last increase. Rent review clauses in private tenancy agreements no longer have effect. If you think the proposed rent is above the open-market rent, you can apply to the First-tier Tribunal before it is due to start; the tribunal cannot set a rent higher than the landlord proposed, and you do not pay the increase until it decides.
• Limits on rent in advance (from 1 May 2026). A landlord or letting agent must not ask for or accept rent before the tenancy agreement is signed. Between signing and the start date they can ask for no more than the first month’s rent (or 28 days’ rent if you pay weekly). Different rules apply to some social housing, supported housing and homelessness lettings.
• Rental bidding ban (from 1 May 2026). Any written advert or written offer for a private let must state one fixed rent - a price range is not allowed. Landlords and letting agents must not invite, encourage or accept offers above that rent. Councils can fine them up to £7,000.
• No discrimination against renters with children or on benefits (from 1 May 2026). Landlords and letting agents must not refuse to let to you, or make it harder for you to find out about, view or rent a home, because you have children or receive benefits. There are limited exceptions, and they can still check whether you can afford the rent. Councils can fine them up to £7,000.
• Right to ask for a pet (from 1 May 2026). You can ask your landlord in writing to keep a pet, describing the animal. The landlord must reply in writing within 28 days - longer if they reasonably ask you for more information or need a superior landlord’s consent - and cannot unreasonably refuse.
• Written tenancy terms. For private tenancies starting on or after 1 May 2026, the landlord must give you a written statement of the main terms before the tenancy is entered into. If your tenancy began before 1 May 2026 and has a written agreement, your landlord had to give you the government’s “Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026” by 31 May 2026; if the agreement was only spoken, they had to give you its main terms in writing by the same date.
• Stronger council enforcement. For landlord offences committed on or after 1 May 2026, a rent repayment order can require a landlord - and in some cases a superior landlord - to repay up to two years’ rent (previously 12 months). Since 22 June 2026, councils can also fine the person responsible up to £7,000 where a privately rented home has a category 1 (most serious) hazard that it would have been reasonably practicable to remove.

Not yet in force (England)

The measures below have been passed or announced but do not apply yet. Treat any advice that presents them as current law with caution.

Still to come

• New tenancy rules for housing association (social housing) tenancies - planned for October 2027. Until then these tenancies keep the rules that applied before 1 May 2026, including section 21.
• The Private Rented Sector Database. Landlord registration is due to open on 15 December 2026 in the West Midlands and reach every English region by 15 August 2027; the regulations are still in draft and need Parliament’s approval, so registration is not yet a legal requirement. The government says every landlord letting property must be registered by 14 November 2027. Tenants will not be able to search the register at first: the government says further legislation will add a public part later.
• A compulsory ombudsman for private landlords. Rules for approving the ombudsman scheme took effect on 17 September 2026, but landlords do not yet have to join; the government expects to make membership compulsory in 2028.
• Awaab's Law extension to the private rented sector - timing still subject to consultation. Its deadlines for fixing damp, mould and emergency hazards currently apply only to social housing (since 27 October 2025).
• A Decent Homes Standard for privately rented homes. In January 2026 the government confirmed it will apply from 2035; the regulations setting out the standard have not yet been made.
• Rent-increase challenges moving from the First-tier Tribunal to HMRC’s Valuation Office - announced on 9 September 2026, with no start date yet. Until then, challenges still go to the Tribunal.