Policy & law · 24 July 2026 · 8 min read
Renters' Rights Act 2025: what changes first
Royal Assent came in October 2025. These are the five changes landlords will actually feel first as the main provisions commence through 2026.
By RentDocs editorial team · Last reviewed 24 July 2026
Key takeaways
- Fixed terms are replaced by rolling periodic tenancies
- Section 21 is abolished; possession runs through Schedule 2 grounds
- One statutory rent increase a year, challengeable at tribunal
- Mandatory landlord database registration and ombudsman membership
- Decent Homes and Awaab's Law timescales reach the private rented sector
Overview
The Renters' Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent in October 2025, with the main provisions commencing during 2026. It is the largest single change to the private rented sector in England since the Housing Act 1988, and almost every landlord will need to change something about how they let, document and end a tenancy.
Why it matters
Most of the Act's obligations are paperwork obligations. Landlords who already keep clean, dated records of compliance documents, rent, repairs and communications will absorb the change with very little friction. Landlords who rely on memory, WhatsApp threads and a shoebox of certificates will find that the new possession grounds and enforcement powers are unforgiving.
Common mistakes
- Assuming existing fixed terms are grandfathered — they convert.
- Serving a rent increase by email or letter instead of the statutory notice.
- Refusing a pet request with no recorded reason.
- Letting gas, electrical or EPC certificates lapse between tenancies.
Practical guidance
- Move your agreements to a periodic template now rather than at commencement.
- Keep every compliance certificate, serving date and tenant acknowledgement in one place with timestamps.
- Diarise one rent review a year and save the comparable evidence you relied on.
- Write down the reason for every refusal — a pet request, an application — on the day you make it.
- Check whether any planned possession relies on section 21 and re-plan it around a Schedule 2 ground.
1. Fixed terms become periodic tenancies
Assured shorthold tenancies are replaced by a single system of assured periodic tenancies. New lets will be periodic from day one, and existing fixed terms convert on commencement. Practically, this means your agreement templates, your renewal reminders and your rent-review process all need rewriting around a rolling tenancy rather than a 6 or 12 month term.
2. Section 21 goes, and grounds replace it
No-fault eviction under section 21 is abolished. Possession must be sought under a ground in Schedule 2, such as the landlord or a family member moving in, sale of the property, serious rent arrears or antisocial behaviour. Several grounds carry longer notice periods and evidence requirements, and some cannot be used in the first twelve months of a tenancy.
3. One rent increase a year, by statutory notice
Rent increases run through a single statutory route: one increase per year, on notice, with the tenant able to challenge the proposed rent at tribunal. Rent review clauses that try to sidestep the statutory route will not work. Landlords should diarise the annual increase and keep evidence of comparable local rents in case of a challenge.
4. A national landlord database and ombudsman
Landlords will be required to register on a national database and join an approved redress scheme. Letting a property while unregistered, or ignoring an ombudsman decision, carries penalties. Registration is not a one-off: your entry has to stay accurate as properties and certificates change.
5. Standards, pets and discrimination
The Decent Homes Standard and Awaab's Law timescales extend into the private rented sector, blanket bans on tenants with children or on benefits become unlawful, and tenants gain a right to request a pet that landlords cannot unreasonably refuse. Each of those is a decision you may have to justify in writing later, so record your reasoning at the time.