The Renters' Rights Act 2025 took effect for private tenancies in England on 1 May 2026: Section 21 is abolished, every assured tenancy is periodic, possession runs on Section 8 grounds only, rent rises once a year by notice, and new tenants get a written statement of terms. The landlord database, Ombudsman and Awaab's Law are not yet in force.
By Stevie Hayes · Updated 29 October 2026 · Figures checked against legislation.gov.uk and GOV.UK on 29 October 2026 · How we verify · Report a problem with this page · Statutory penalties are maximums; councils and courts decide the amount.
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| Fact | Position | Since / status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Assent | 27 October 2025; the Act is chapter 26 of 2025 and most of it needed commencement regulations | 27 October 2025 | Renters' Rights Act 2025 (c. 26), Royal Assent 27 October 2025 |
| In force for private landlords | 1 May 2026: Chapter 1 of Part 1 (tenancy reform) commenced "for the purposes of assured tenancies that are not social housing assured tenancies only" | 1 May 2026 | SI 2026/421 regulation 2 (Chapter 1 of Part 1 in force 1 May 2026 for private assured tenancies) |
| Section 21 | Abolished: Chapter 2 of Part 1 of the Housing Act 1988 (assured shortholds and section 21) omitted for private tenancies | 1 May 2026 | Renters' Rights Act 2025 s.2 (abolition of assured shorthold tenancies) |
| Tenancy type | Assured periodic only: terms "are of no effect so far as they provide for a tenancy to be a fixed term tenancy"; rent periods monthly or 28 days or shorter | 1 May 2026 | Housing Act 1988 s.4A (assured tenancies to be periodic) |
| Written statement of terms | Must be given to every new tenant "before the tenancy is entered into"; council penalty up to £7,000 | 1 May 2026 | Housing Act 1988 s.16D (written statement of terms) |
| Information Sheet deadline | 31 May 2026 for tenancies that began before 1 May 2026 and are wholly or partly in writing: one month beginning with the commencement date | 31 May 2026 | Renters' Rights Act 2025 Schedule 6 paragraph 7 (information for existing tenancies) |
| Rent increases | Once in 52 weeks, by Form 4A under section 13 with at least two months' notice, or by tribunal determination; rent-review clauses are of no effect | 1 May 2026 | Housing Act 1988 s.13 (increases of rent) |
| Landlord database | Not in force: the regulations are a draft; the government's Housing Hub says registration opens by region from 15 December 2026 | Draft | The Private Rented Sector Database Regulations 2026 (draft, not yet made) |
The Renters' Rights Act 2025 is the Act that rewrote private renting in England. It received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025 and, under section 145, came into force "on such day as the Secretary of State may by regulations made by statutory instrument appoint". The day that mattered to private landlords was 1 May 2026: regulation 2 of SI 2026/421 brought Chapter 1 of Part 1 (tenancy reform) into force on that date "for the purposes of assured tenancies that are not social housing assured tenancies only", and regulation 3 commenced the discrimination, rental bidding, unlawful eviction penalty and rent repayment order provisions the same day. This page describes the position in England; it is not advice on your tenancy.
The government's implementation roadmap (GOV.UK, published 13 November 2025) sets the Act out in three phases: Phase 1 from 1 May 2026, "the new tenancy regime", which "will apply to both new and existing tenancies"; Phase 2 "from late 2026", the Private Rented Sector Database and a Landlord Ombudsman; and Phase 3, "the extension of Awaab's Law and a modernised Decent Homes Standard to the private rented sector", for which "the timescales for implementing these changes will be subject to consultation". Only Phase 1 is law for landlords today. The database duty, the Ombudsman, Awaab's Law for private tenancies and the Decent Homes Standard are not in force.
In one sentence, GOV.UK's Guide to the Renters' Rights Act says landlords "will no longer be able to serve new section 21 or old-style section 8 notices" and "can only end tenancies in specific circumstances set out in law, including where the tenant is at fault or if the landlord needs to sell". Everything else on this page follows from that change.
These are the dates a private landlord in England needs, each with the provision or page it comes from. Where a date is the government's published expectation rather than law, the table says so; the "Recent and coming changes" table lower down carries the same roadmap items from one verified source.
| Date | What happened or happens | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27 October 2025 | Royal Assent; the Act's regulation-making powers took effect that day | Done | Renters' Rights Act 2025; s.145(2) |
| 27 December 2025 | Council investigatory powers (Part 4 Chapter 3), Chapter 2 of Part 1, s.59 and s.110 came into force "at the end of the period of two months beginning with the day on which this Act is passed"; the roadmap gives the date as 27 December 2025 | In force | s.145(5); GOV.UK roadmap |
| 1 May 2026 | Tenancy reform for private assured tenancies: Section 21 abolished, all tenancies periodic, Section 8 grounds and notice periods rewritten, written statement of terms, pets, rent increases by notice only | In force | SI 2026/421 reg 2(a) |
| 1 May 2026 | No discrimination against applicants with children or on benefits; one stated rent and no bidding; unlawful eviction penalties; rent repayment orders extended to two years' rent | In force | SI 2026/421 reg 3 |
| 31 May 2026 | Deadline to give the Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet to every tenant under a written tenancy that began before 1 May 2026 ("one month beginning with the commencement date") | Passed | Sch 6 para 7(2); GOV.UK |
| 31 July 2026 | Latest day to ask the court to issue a claim on a Section 21 or Section 8 notice served before 1 May 2026 (earlier if the notice's own period ran out first): GOV.UK says the court process "cannot be started after 31 July 2026, even if the notice would otherwise still be valid", save where a breathing space extended it | Passed | Sch 6 paras 3, 4, 16, 17; GOV.UK forms page |
| 15 December 2026 | The government's Housing Hub says the "Register your rental property" service opens region by region, West Midlands first, under the draft Private Rented Sector Database Regulations 2026. The duty to register is not in force | Draft regulations, not yet made | Draft regulations; Housing Hub |
| 18 December 2026 | Government consultation on extending Awaab's Law to private tenancies closes; section 60 of the Act is not in force | Consultation open | GOV.UK consultation; s.60 |
| 2028 | Landlord Ombudsman: the roadmap says the government expects membership to be required "in 2028", after the database launches; section 64 is a power to make regulations and the duty is not in force | Expected, dates to be confirmed | GOV.UK roadmap; s.64 |
| To be confirmed | Decent Homes Standard for the private rented sector (Part 3 of the Act); the roadmap lists implementation as "TBC – subject to consultation" | Timing to be confirmed | GOV.UK roadmap; Part 3 |
Everything in this table is in force for private assured tenancies in England, except the last two rows, which are not yet in force. Each row links the detailed guide and the provision; the detailed guides quote the sections in full.
| Area | Before 1 May 2026 | Since 1 May 2026 | Provision |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type of tenancy | Assured shorthold, usually with a fixed term | Assured periodic tenancy only: terms "are of no effect so far as they provide for a tenancy to be a fixed term tenancy"; rent periods must be monthly or 28 days or shorter | HA 1988 s.4A, inserted by RRA s.1 |
| Section 21 | "No-fault" possession on two months' notice | Abolished: section 2 omits "Chapter 2 of Part 1 (assured shorthold tenancies)" of the 1988 Act | RRA s.2 |
| Possession | Section 21 or Section 8 | Schedule 2 grounds only, on a Section 8 notice (Form 3A), then a court order; new and amended grounds for selling (1A) and moving in (1), each needing a date in the notice at least one year after the tenancy began | HA 1988 s.8; Sch 2; s.5 |
| Notice periods | Two months (s.21) or two weeks to two months (s.8) | Four months, two months, four weeks or two weeks depending on the ground; none for Grounds 7A and 14; the notice is valid for twelve months | s.8(3)(c), (4AA) |
| Rent increases | Section 13 notice or a rent-review clause | Form 4A under section 13 or a tribunal determination only: rent for a period "may not be greater than the rent for the previous period except by virtue of" a notice, determination or post-determination agreement; once in 52 weeks, two months' notice | s.13(2), (4A) |
| Rent in advance | Several months' rent up front was common | Only the initial rent, collected after the tenancy is entered into; rent before signing is a prohibited payment (new tenancies) | s.4B; RRA s.9 |
| Advertising and bidding | Unregulated | Every written advert or offer must state "a specific amount" of rent, and a landlord or agent must not "invite or encourage" or "accept" an offer above the stated rent | RRA s.56 |
| Children and benefits | Unregulated beyond the Equality Act | A landlord or agent must not refuse, deter or filter applicants because a child would live with or visit them, or because they claim benefits; "no children" and "no DSS" terms are of no effect, save for narrow exceptions (s.35(2), (4)) | RRA ss.33, 34, 35 |
| Pets | Blanket bans were common | An implied term that the tenant may keep a pet with consent, which "is not to be unreasonably refused"; written answer "on or before the 28th day after the date of the request". See can a landlord refuse pets | s.16A, inserted by RRA s.11 |
| Paperwork for new tenants | The How to Rent guide | A written statement of the prescribed terms "before the tenancy is entered into"; the How to Rent guide was withdrawn on 1 May 2026 | s.16D; SI 2026/324; SI 2026/325 reg 10 |
| Paperwork for existing tenants | None | The Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet by 31 May 2026 for written tenancies; the written statement for wholly oral ones | Sch 6 para 7 |
| Rent repayment orders | Up to 12 months' rent; apply within 12 months | Up to 2 years' rent; application within 2 years of the offence; misusing a possession ground and letting or marketing after Ground 1 or 1A added as offences that carry an order | HPA 2016 s.40(3), s.41(2), s.44(2); RRA s.98 |
| Landlord database | None | Created by Part 2 Chapter 3; the duty to have an active entry is not in force and the regulations are a draft. See the PRS Database guide | RRA s.82 (in force for making regulations only); draft regulations |
| Ombudsman, Decent Homes, Awaab's Law | None for private landlords | Powers in the Act; none in force for private landlords. Awaab's Law is under consultation; Decent Homes is "TBC – subject to consultation" | s.64; Part 3; s.60; roadmap |
For a private landlord in England the Act adds a set of new duties to the ones that already applied, and removes one route to possession. The pre-existing duties, Right to Rent, deposit protection within 30 days, the gas safety record, the EICR, the EPC and any licence, are unchanged and are listed in the landlord compliance checklist.
Yes. Section 146(1) says the commencement of Chapter 1 "has the effect that, on the commencement date, an existing tenancy becomes a section 4A assured tenancy", and that the conversion "does not affect the continuation of an existing tenancy". GOV.UK's guide for landlords puts it in one line: "If the tenancy had an end date, it will no longer apply." Nothing had to be re-signed; the fixed term stopped binding either side, rent periods longer than a month became monthly from the next rent period (Schedule 6 paragraph 2), and the tenant can now leave on two months' written notice under Protection from Eviction Act 1977 s.5(1ZA).
One group was deferred. Where a valid Section 21 or Section 8 notice had been served before 1 May 2026, Schedule 6 paragraphs 3, 4, 16 and 17 provide that "the tenancy remains an assured shorthold tenancy until" the notice lapses or the proceedings conclude. GOV.UK's assured tenancy forms page confirms a claim on a Section 21 or Section 8 notice served before 1 May 2026 "cannot be started after 31 July 2026, even if the notice would otherwise still be valid" (earlier if the notice's own period ran out first), with an exception where a tenant's breathing space extended the deadline. When such a tenancy converts, the Information Sheet falls due within one month beginning with that later date (para 7(2)). The Section 21 guide sets out those transitional dates in full.
Two provisions are limited to tenancies entered into from 1 May 2026: the rent-in-advance rule in s.4B, which s.4B(2)(a) excludes from earlier tenancies, and the written statement of terms under s.16D, which Schedule 6 paragraph 7(1) disapplies for an existing tenancy that is wholly or partly in writing (the Information Sheet took its place).
Councils enforce most of the Act with civil penalties, and the serious or repeated breaches are criminal offences. The figures below are statutory maxima: a council "may impose" a penalty and sets the amount up to the cap.
| Breach | Maximum | Provision |
|---|---|---|
| No written statement of terms; purporting to grant a fixed term, serve a notice to quit or a purported notice of possession; relying on a ground without reasonable belief where the tenant then leaves within four months | Council penalty up to £7,000 | HA 1988 s.16I(1), (6) |
| Knowingly or recklessly misusing a possession ground where the tenant then surrenders within four months without a possession order; letting or marketing after relying on Ground 1 or 1A; continuing or repeating a s.16D or s.16E breach after a penalty | Criminal offence, or a council penalty of up to £40,000 as the alternative to prosecution; a rent repayment order of up to two years' rent for the s.16J(1), (2) and (3) offences | s.16J; s.16K; HPA 2016 s.40(3) rows 2A to 2C |
| Discrimination against applicants with children or on benefits | Council penalty up to £7,000 | RRA s.40 |
| Rental bidding or advertising without a stated rent | Council penalty up to £7,000 per breach, with a further penalty of up to £7,000 for a repeat within five years | RRA s.57 |
| Unlawful eviction or harassment | Council penalty up to £40,000 as the alternative to prosecution | RRA s.58 |
| Rent before signing, or any other prohibited payment | Council penalty up to £5,000 and repayment to the tenant | RRA s.9 (Tenant Fees Act 2019 ss.1, 5A, 8) |
Rent repayment orders are applied for by the tenant (or the council) at the First-tier Tribunal. For an offence committed since 1 May 2026 a tenant may apply where the offence "was committed in the period of 2 years ending with the day on which the application is made" (HPA 2016 s.41(2)(b)), and the order may cover rent for "the period of 2 years ending with the date of the offence" for eviction, harassment and misused-ground offences, or "a period, not exceeding 2 years, during which the landlord was committing the offence" for licensing and continuing offences (s.44(2); for letting or marketing after Ground 1 or 1A the two years end earlier if the tenancy ends first); the time limit was doubled from 12 months by RRA s.98 and the repayable period by s.103. The existing licensing offences, unlicensed HMOs and unlicensed houses, are the usual basis for an order in the published decisions; see rent repayment orders for landlords.
Four parts of the Act are on the statute book but not in force for private landlords. The "Recent and coming changes" table on this page carries the government's published dates for each; in short:
Government changes that bear on this duty. Where the status says in force the rule already applies; everything else is not yet law for private landlords. Dates are quoted as the government has published them, checked on 15 October 2026.
| Change | Status today | Published timing | Sensible preparation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mandatory landlord and property registration on the Private Rented Sector Database (the landlord register), with an annual fee | regulations in draft | Regional rollout from 15 December 2026 (West Midlands first) to 15 September 2027 for all other purposes, per the draft Private Rented Sector Database Regulations 2026 | Keep copies, not just dates, of the gas safety record, EICR and EPC for each property, and know whether a licence applies; those are what the draft regulations say the entry needs. Source |
| Mandatory membership of a Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman scheme | announced, dates to be confirmed | Government roadmap: landlords required to join "in 2028", after the Database launches; scheme conditions set during Phase 2 from 2026 | Keep a written complaints process and records of how tenant complaints were handled; the scheme will expect both. Source |
| Awaab's Law extended to private rented tenancies: fixed timescales to investigate and make safe serious hazards such as damp and mould | consultation open | Consultation published 9 October 2026, closes 18 December 2026; the government's impact assessment models phased implementation in 2028, 2029 and 2030. Not in force for private landlords. | Log every repair report with the date received and the date fixed, and keep dated photographs; the social-sector rules already turn on those dates. Source |
| A Decent Homes Standard applied to the private rented sector for the first time, enforced by councils | consultation closed, response awaited | Consulted 2 July to 12 September 2025 with a proposed start in 2035 or 2037; the roadmap lists implementation as "TBC – subject to consultation" | Nothing is required yet; the government's stated expectation is that landlords start works earlier where feasible. Source |
Partly. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025, and its tenancy reforms, discrimination and rental bidding rules and the extended rent repayment orders came into force for private assured tenancies in England on 1 May 2026 under SI 2026/421. The landlord database, the Ombudsman, Awaab's Law for private tenancies and the Decent Homes Standard are not yet in force.
1 May 2026 for private landlords in England. Regulation 2 of SI 2026/421 commenced Chapter 1 of Part 1 of the Act on that day "for the purposes of assured tenancies that are not social housing assured tenancies only", and regulation 3 commenced the discrimination, bidding, unlawful eviction penalty and rent repayment order provisions the same day. Social housing follows in a later phase.
Yes. Section 146(1) of the Act says that on the commencement date "an existing tenancy becomes a section 4A assured tenancy", so every private tenancy that existed on 1 May 2026 converted to an assured periodic tenancy without anything being re-signed. The exception is a tenancy where a valid Section 21 or Section 8 notice served before 1 May 2026 is still running or proceedings on it are still going; Schedule 6 keeps it a shorthold until that notice lapses or the claim ends.
Yes, for private tenancies in England since 1 May 2026. Section 2 of the Renters' Rights Act 2025 omits Chapter 2 of Part 1 of the Housing Act 1988, which contained assured shorthold tenancies and section 21. A landlord now recovers possession only on a Schedule 2 ground, normally by a Section 8 notice on Form 3A followed by a court order. The latest day to ask the court to issue a claim on an old Section 21 notice was 31 July 2026, earlier if the notice's own period ran out first.
No. The duty in section 82 of the Act to have an active landlord and dwelling entry on the Private Rented Sector Database is not in force; the Private Rented Sector Database Regulations 2026 are a draft that has not yet been made. The government's Housing Hub says registration will open by region from 15 December 2026, starting with the West Midlands. When it does, you register on the government service itself.
No. Since 1 May 2026 section 4A of the Housing Act 1988 makes the terms of a private assured tenancy in England "of no effect so far as they provide for a tenancy to be a fixed term tenancy", and section 16E(1)(a) makes purporting to grant one a contravention carrying a council penalty of up to £7,000. Every tenancy is periodic, with monthly rent periods or periods of 28 days or shorter.
A new tenant must receive a written statement of the prescribed terms before the tenancy is entered into (Housing Act 1988 s.16D; the content is in SI 2026/324). A tenant whose written tenancy began before 1 May 2026 had to be given the GOV.UK Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet by 31 May 2026 (Schedule 6 paragraph 7). The How to Rent guide was withdrawn on 1 May 2026 and is no longer required.
It depends on the ground in the Section 8 notice. Section 8(4AA) of the Housing Act 1988 sets four months for the selling and moving-in grounds (1A and 1), two months, four weeks or two weeks for others, and no minimum for Grounds 7A (serious offences) and 14 (anti-social behaviour). The notice stays valid for twelve months, and possession still needs a court order.
Yes, once a year by notice. Section 13 of the Housing Act 1988 allows a rent increase only by a Form 4A notice giving at least two months' notice, no more than once in 52 weeks, taking effect on the first day of a rent period, or by a tribunal determination. Rent-review and index-linked clauses are of no effect. The tenant can refer the proposed rent to the First-tier Tribunal before it starts.
Only for a good reason. Section 16A of the Housing Act 1988, inserted by section 11 of the Renters' Rights Act 2025, implies into every private assured tenancy a term that the tenant may keep a pet with the landlord's consent, that consent "is not to be unreasonably refused", and that the landlord must answer in writing on or before the 28th day after the request. It is reasonable to refuse where the pet would put you in breach of your head lease, or where the head lease needs the superior landlord's consent and, despite taking reasonable steps, you have not obtained it (s.16B(4)).
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