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Renters' Rights Act

The Renters' Rights Act is now law. It impacts all Housing Act tenancies and the implementation for some phases of the Act have already begun. Keep reading to find out more about the key changes, when each phase is enforced and what they mean for landlords and tenants. If you're worried about remaining compliant, we can make the transition smooth for you.

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What is the Renters’ Rights Act?

The Renters’ Rights Act is reforming the private rented sector in England and Wales - affecting landlords, tenants and letting agents.

Following the King’s Speech in July 2024, the Labour Government progressed what was known as the Renters’ Rights Bill before it became law in October 2025. Originally it was known as the Renters’ (Reform) Bill which was introduced in May 2023 under the Conservative Government.

Implementation for the changes is underway so it's essential for anyone involved in residential property letting or management to understand the upcoming changes.

What has changed?

The most important changes were implemented on 1st May 2026 and include:

1. Restrictions on rent bidding and marketing
2. Greater rights for tenants to keep pets
3. New tenancy structure and rules on rent increases
4. Clearer grounds for termination and limits on grounds for possession
5. Expanded local authority powers for enforcement

The changes in detail

The Renters' Rights Act has brought significant reform that affect both tenants and landlords. Here's a breakdown of the key changes in various areas.

Rent bidding: Prospective tenants can be asked to bid up to the advertised price but landlords and agents cannot encourage or accept offers of rent above the advertised price. If the rent is over the market rate, even if a tenant bids that price, they can ask for the rent to be reduced in the first six months of the tenancy.
PRS database and PRS Landlord Ombudsman: Landlords must join the Private Rented Sector Database and the PRS Landlord Ombudsman before the property can be marketed. Database identification numbers for landlords and property must be included in adverts. The portal will include compliance certificates and inform landlords of their legal responsibilities. Hamptons will support landlords in staying compliant.
Pets: Properties may be advertised as being unavailable for pets, however subject to the Equality Act, service animals must be permitted. Landlords must consider a tenant’s request to rent with a pet and can’t unreasonably refuse without a good reason once the tenancy has begun. Requests to keep pets must be responded to within 28 days. Landlords can arrange for insurance to cover pet damage. If the lease or freeholder doesn’t allow pets, this can be a valid reason for refusal.
Non-discrimination: A landlord may not discriminate against prospective tenants on the basis that they are or might be in receipt of state benefits or they might or will have children living at the property or visiting regularly. Landlords may only discriminate if accepting children would lead to the property being overcrowded. Income is also a valid consideration when considering tenants on benefits and nothing prevents them being refused on the basis that they cannot afford the rent.

Tenancy terms: Landlord must give the tenant a written statement of the terms of the tenancy in the form specificed by the government. Existing tenants must be given a government provided note of what is changing within one month, but do not need their tenancy agreements replaced. Rent cannot be taken in advance of the tenancy agreement being signed and executed, but the deposit can be.
Tenancies: The Act abolished all Assured Shorthold Tenancies (ASTs) from 1st May 2026. This is where all tenancies became assured periodic tenancies from the outset. Tenancies continue indefinitely until termination by tenant notice or landlord notice for specific reasons. Private, purpose-built student accommodation were also removed from the AST system. Any exemptions for student tenancies only includes landlords renting HMOs to students.
Rent: Landlords are limited to increasing rents once a year for existing tenancies, by service of a statutory Section 13 notice with two months' notice and only to the market rate. In-tenancy rent increase clauses and agreements to increase the rent are banned. Tenants can challenge the rent via the First-Tier Tribunal (FTT) where the FTT will use the rents for comparable properties to determine the proper market rent. Landlords are not able to require multiple months’ rent in advance to secure a property as rent periods may only be monthly or less. Nothing longer can be asked for and for the first month only one month can be accepted.

Decent Homes Standard: Landlords must ensure that all rental properties are free from serious hazards to meet the new minimum safety standard as part of the Decent Homes Standard being added to the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS). This allows local authorities to immediately issue fines for more serious failings of standards.
Awaab's Law: This law, already applied to social housing, will extend to the private sector. Landlords will need to follow strict timescales for inspecting and repairing serious hazards such as damp and mould. Tenants can seek damages alongside those for disrepair if landlords fail to comply.

Notices: Landlords can no longer serve a Section 21 notice to gain possession of their property from tenants. Instead, landlords can only terminate the tenancy by serving a Section 8 notice, specifying one or more appropriate grounds for possession and providing four months' notice. Different grounds have different notice periods. The notice must be provided on the government website and can be changed at any time by amending it on the website. This applies to both new and existing tenancies, providing immediate protection to private tenants. The grounds for possession include: the landlord wishing to sell the property, the landlord wishing to occupy the property themselves, or the landlord wishing for their family to occupy the property. A tenant may terminate the tenancy at any point by serving a two-month notice in writing on the landlord. The notice must expire the day before the rent is due. If there are joint tenants, then notice by one will be effective for all tenants.

Section 8 notices: Grounds are introduced and amended. These notices must include a reason, such as when landlords are selling or moving in family. These include:

New ground 1A: For landlords selling their property. Requires four months’ notice and cannot expire within the first 12 months. Landlords cannot remarket for let (short or long term) for 12 months.
Amended ground 1: For landlords or family moving in. Notice periods mirror ground 1A. Landlords cannot re-let the property for 12 months.
Amended ground 8: For serious rent arrears. Tenants must have at least three months of arrears (previously two), and the notice period increases from two weeks to four weeks.
New ground 4A: Possession of student accommodation. Applies only to HMO-licensed properties and can only expire between 1st June and 30th September.

Although part of the Act, the following is under consultation and will follow after the initial implementation. Timescales are yet to be confirmed by the government:

Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs): While the Act acknowledges the goal of upgrading properties to a minimum EPC band C, these changes are not yet law. Landlords should still prepare for future updates.

When will each phase of the Renters' Rights Act be implemented?

On the 27th October 2025, the Renters' Rights Act became law. The Act started implementation from 27th December 2025 and it includes several phases:

Phase 1 - 27th December 2025: Enhance rights of inspection for local landlords

Phase 2 - 1st May 2026: Section 21 notices end, Section 8 strengthens, fixed-term tenancies change to periodic tenancies, new grounds of possession, notice periods change, new rent increase rules, ban on rental bidding, new wording for tenancy agreements, ban on rent in advance, introduce non-discrimination provisions, permissions for pet requests change

Phase 3 - Late 2026: Introduce PRS database, establish PRS Landlord Ombudsman. Implementation of phase 3 will be in two stages with exact dates yet to be announced by the government

Phase 4 - 2035 - 2037: Extend Awaab's Law to the PRS, introduce the Decent Homes Standard

How can Hamptons support you with the Act?

We’ll guide you through the changes and handle the hard work for you.

At Hamptons, we will ensure our landlords are ready for the switch to periodic tenancies.

We’re also offering advice to help landlords avoid rent arrears and long eviction processes.

Many of our new tenancies are non-ASTs, thanks to strong relationships with relocation agents who provide corporate tenants, so most of the above won’t apply.

If you choose to have your property managed by Hamptons, you will have an expert responding to any property-related issues and access to our panel of approved, reliable contractors. This is why, as a client of Hamptons, you can rest assured that your investment is in very capable hands.

If you're a tenant, you can be confident that your tenancy will remain compliant and that you're renting a home that meets all of the industry standards.

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020 3582 1504

If you're seeking advice on how the Renters' Rights Act may impact you, get in touch with one of our letting experts today.

Renters' Rights Act FAQs

We’re with you at every step. Explore our frequently asked questions about the Renters' Rights Act below.

The Renters' Rights Act means that landlords and tenants can no longer have fixed tenancies. Instead, tenancies are periodic, which run from month to month until either the tenant serves notice, or the landlords meets one of the grounds for regaining possession of the property. The Act aims to improve housing affordability, quality and security for all housing tenures by changing private renting.

The Renters' Rights Act means that tenants no longer have a fixed term for their tenancy. There are periodic tenancies instead, running month to month until either the tenant serves notice, or the landlords wishes to regain possession of the property. The Act aims to give tenants greater security and stability through transforming the private renting system.

It became law on the 27th October 2025. Each part of the Act will take effect across four phases, which started on 27th December 2025, but the majority of changes were implemented on 1st May 2026.

It provides greater protections for tenants. With the shift to periodic tenancies, landlords may experience longer-term occupancies. While this can reduce void periods, it also means adapting to potentially less predictable tenancy end dates. However, the Section 13 notice provides the opportunity to increase rents annually, in line with market rates.

The Act changed new and existing tenancies on 1st May 2026.

The Act introduced changes to tenancy agreements, including the end of Assured Shorthold Tenancies (ASTs) and introducing assured periodic tenancies.

Section 21 notices were removed from 1st May 2026. The Act amended Section 8, with new and adjusted notices that must include a landlords reason for repossession, such as when landlords are selling or moving family in. This could potentially make the process more complex and time-consuming, emphasising the importance of thorough tenant screening and clear communication of tenancy terms.

Once an asking rent is published, landlords and agents cannot accept bids above the asking price.

Only one months' rent can be taken upfront for a tenant to secure a property.

An annual rent increase can be proposed by landlords by serving a Section 13 notice. The proposed increase must be in line with local market rents and provide evidence if required.

During the first year of a tenancy, landlords cannot move back into their property or sell it unless they sell to another landlord who will take over the tenancy. Tenants have a 12 month protected period, but a tenant can serve notice to end the tenancy during this time. Tenants must give two months' notice to leave and in line with the rent payment date.

The landlord cannot unreasonably refuse a tenants pet requests. Landlords need to carefully consider their pet policies and insurance policies to protect their property.

The introduction of the Decent Homes Standard will require greater attention to serious safety hazards such as damp and mould. Subsequently, some landlords may be required to invest in property improvements or upgrades. Regular property inspections and maintenance will become even more crucial to ensure compliance. This will allow compliant landlords to secure the best tenants.

The introduction of the PRS database means landlords will need to ensure they're up to date with all compliance requirements and may need to regularly update information about their properties.