The Renters' Rights Act 2025: What Every Landlord Needs to Know

The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 represents the most significant overhaul of the private rented sector in a generation. With core provisions coming into force on 1 May 2026, the window to prepare is closing. This is your comprehensive guide.

The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025 and represents the most significant overhaul of the private rented sector in a generation. With the majority of provisions coming into force on 1 May 2026, landlords must act now. Here is everything you need to know.

What Is the Act?

Passed under the current Labour government, the Renters’ Rights Act fundamentally resets the relationship between landlords and tenants in England. It abolishes the existing assured shorthold tenancy (AST) framework and introduces a new regime built on security for tenants and clearer obligations for landlords. The Act affects all 2.3 million private landlords in England and the approximately 11 million renters they house.

The Key Provisions

End of Section 21

• No-fault evictions are abolished. Landlords must cite a specific legal ground from an enhanced Section 8 menu to regain possession.

Periodic Tenancies Only

• All assured tenancies become rolling periodic contracts — month-to-month or week-to-week. Fixed-term ASTs are abolished. Tenants may leave on two months’ notice at any time.

Augmentation des loyers

• Rent can only be increased once per year. Landlords must give at least two months’ written notice. Tenants may challenge excessive increases via the First-tier Tribunal.

No Rental Discrimination

• Blanket bans on tenants receiving benefits or with children are now unlawful. Affordability assessments remain permissible.

Pets Permitted

• Tenants have the right to request a pet. Landlords must consider all requests fairly and may require tenants to hold appropriate pet insurance.

Decent Homes Standard

• A formal Decent Homes Standard will be extended to the private rented sector for the first time, covering damp, mould, safety hazards and disrepair.

Deposit & Advance Cap

• Landlords cannot request more than one month’s rent in advance. Existing deposit cap rules remain in place. Rental bidding wars between tenants are prohibited.

PRS Database

• All landlords must register themselves and their properties on a new national Private Rented Sector database, rolling out from late 2026.

Landlord Ombudsman

• A new, legally binding Private Rented Sector Ombudsman will handle disputes between tenants and landlords without the need for court proceedings.

Impact on Landlords

For landlords who operate well-managed portfolios, the Act brings procedural change rather than fundamental disruption — but the changes are substantial and require careful preparation. The most immediate impact is the loss of Section 21 as a summary mechanism for regaining possession. Going forward, all possession claims must cite a valid ground under Section 8: these include tenant rent arrears, anti-social behaviour, the landlord’s intention to sell the property, or the landlord or a close family member wishing to move in.

On rent increases, the one-increase-per-year rule will require landlords to adopt a more strategic approach to pricing — ad hoc mid-tenancy adjustments will no longer be lawful. The availability of tribunal challenge means that rent levels must be justifiable by reference to genuine market evidence.

The ban on blanket “no DSS” or “no children” policies requires a fundamental rethink of applicant screening processes. While individual affordability assessments remain lawful, blanket exclusions based on benefit receipt are now unlawful and carry civil financial penalties. Landlords should also be aware that this prohibition was one of the provisions that came into force as early as 27 December 2025.

Looking ahead, the forthcoming extension of the Decent Homes Standard to the private sector and the application of Awaab’s Law — which imposes mandatory timescales for addressing hazards such as damp and mould — will place additional property maintenance obligations on landlords. Local councils have also been given significantly strengthened investigatory and enforcement powers, including civil penalties of up to £7,000 for initial breaches, rising to £40,000 for serious or persistent non-compliance.

What Action Do Landlords Need to Take?

Review all tenancy agreements

• Existing ASTs do not require immediate reissue, but no new fixed-term ASTs may be granted after 1 May 2026. All agreements should be updated to reflect periodic tenancy terms ahead of that date.
• Must be done before 1 May 2026

Understand the revised Section 8 grounds

• Familiarise yourself with the full amended menu of possession grounds and the notice periods that apply to each. For sale or owner-occupation, four months’ notice is now required. Legal advice on specific grounds is strongly recommended.
• Must be done before 1 May 2026

Implement a formal rent review procedure

• Annual increases must be notified using the prescribed form, with at least two months’ written notice. Establish a consistent, documented process now.
• Must be done before 1 May 2026

Update applicant screening policies

• Remove any blanket prohibitions on benefit recipients or families with children from advertising and referencing criteria. This provision is already in force.
• Now in force as of 27 Dec 2025

Establish a pet request procedure

•  Prepare a clear, documented process for considering tenant pet requests, including your position on requiring pet damage insurance. Blanket refusals will not be permissible.
• Must be done before 1 May 2026

Ensure all safety compliance documents are current

• Gas Safety Certificates, EPCs, Electrical Installation Condition Reports and all other required certificates must be up to date ahead of PRS Database registration.
• This is currently ongoing

Register on the PRS Database

• All landlords will be legally required to register themselves and their properties. Regional rollout begins late 2026 with full national mandatory registration from 2027. Non-registration restricts access to key possession grounds.
• Phase 2 — Late 2026

Join the PRS Landlord Ombudsman

• Membership will become mandatory from 2028. The Ombudsman will handle tenant complaints with legally binding decisions at no cost to tenants. Begin preparing a documented complaints procedure now.
• Phase 2 — From 2028

Assess properties against the Decent Homes Standard

• Plan maintenance and improvement works, particularly addressing damp, mould, and category 1 HHSRS hazards, ahead of the standard being formally extended to the private sector.
• Phase 3 — 2035

Implementation Timeline

27 October 2025

Royal Assent

The Renters’ Rights Act becomes law. Certain provisions — including the ban on discriminatory lettings criteria and enhanced local authority enforcement powers — came into force from 27 December 2025.

1 May 2026 — Phase 1

Core Tenancy Reforms In Force

Section 21 abolished. All tenancies become periodic. New rent increase rules, pet request rights, advance rent caps, bidding war prohibition and the full revised Section 8 possession ground framework come into effect.

Late 2026 / 2027 — Phase 2

PRS Database & Ombudsman

The national PRS Database begins its regional rollout from late 2026, with full mandatory national registration from 2027. The Landlord Ombudsman administrator is appointed in 2026 ahead of mandatory membership from 2028.

2035 — Phase 3

Decent Homes Standard & Awaab’s Law

The Decent Homes Standard and Awaab’s Law are formally extended to the private rented sector. Landlords are encouraged to address deficiencies well in advance of this date