Renters' Rights Act: what landlords in England must do now

Who this guide covers

This guide is for private landlords who let homes on assured tenancies in England. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 changes most of those rules. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are different, and the last sections of this guide point you to the right rules.

In short, in England:

• you cannot serve a new section 21 notice
• you must give existing tenants the Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet and give new tenants a written statement of terms
• you will need to register each property on the private rented sector database once it opens in your region

Each dated item below carries one of 3 statuses. 'In force' means the rule already applies. 'Confirmed' means the date is in a statutory instrument that has been made but not yet reached. 'Announced' means the government has said what it plans but the regulations have not been made. At the date of this guide nothing is confirmed. The database, the Landlord Ombudsman, the Decent Homes Standard and Awaab's Law in private renting are all announced.

Section 21 notices after 1 May 2026

The main tenancy reforms came into force on 1 May 2026 for private assured tenancies in England. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 (Commencement No. 2 and Transitional and Saving Provisions) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/421, made on 16 April 2026) set that date. It ended section 21 'no-fault' possession.

If you need your property back, serve a section 8 notice on a ground in the Housing Act 1988 and apply to the court. Check your deposit is protected before you serve any notice. Read Tenancy deposit protection first.

Steps to take now

Work through these steps in order. Each one links to the detail further down the page.

Tenancies are now periodic

Since 1 May 2026 (in force) your tenancy agreement cannot have an end date. Existing assured shorthold tenancies became assured periodic tenancies on that day.

Raising the rent

Since 1 May 2026 (in force) the section 13 process is the only way to raise the rent on an assured periodic tenancy. If a tenant thinks your proposed rent is too high, they can ask the First-tier Tribunal to decide. Start from the GOV.UK guide to rent increases.

Advertising and offers

The rental bidding ban (in force from 1 May 2026) is in sections 56 and 57 of the Act. It covers adverts, listings and offers, whether you or your agent write them.

Rent in advance

The Act does not set a numerical cap on rent in advance. It bans rent before the tenancy agreement is signed and limits what you can require afterwards. GOV.UK gives a maximum amount of rent in advance after signing. The exact figure and the legal wording are in the box below.

Discrimination against tenants

Since 1 May 2026 (in force) you must not refuse to let to an applicant because they have children or receive benefits. These provisions are in Chapter 3 of Part 1 of the Act and were brought into force by SI 2026/421.

What you must tell your tenants

There are 2 written duties. Which one applies depends on when the tenancy began. Both are in force and both carry a financial penalty if you miss them. The Information Sheet deadline for existing tenancies has passed, so treat it as overdue if you have not done it.

Register your property on the database

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 creates a private rented sector database that landlords in England will have to join. The duty is not yet in force: the database regulations have not been made. The government has announced that registration will open region by region from 15 December 2026, starting in the West Midlands (announced). It has also said landlords will have 3 months to register once their region opens (announced). Your deadline depends on where the rented property is, not where you live.

Your agent's role and the documents the form asks for are listed in the box above.

Property standards and how councils enforce

Councils enforce these rules, and they can already investigate (in force). The financial penalty for a category 1 hazard and the higher rent repayment order limit are also in force. The box below gives the dates. Check your property against the fitness standards guide before a tenant or the council does.

Changes still to come

3 further changes are announced. None has regulations in force, so do not plan around a firm date for any of them.

The Awaab's Law consultation was published on 9 October 2026 and is open for responses. No decision has been made. Check GOV.UK for the government response before you plan repairs processes around it.

Houses in multiple occupation

If you let an HMO, the licensing and fire safety rules still apply alongside the Act. The database form asks for your HMO licence number. Read Landlord safety and legal duties for rented homes and Fire safety for landlords.

If your property is outside England

Everything above applies to private assured tenancies in England. The Act extends to England and Wales, with Chapter 5 applying to Scotland only. Section 144 of the Act does not state an extent for Northern Ireland.

Wales

The Act's Welsh chapter on discrimination (sections 43 to 49) came into force on 1 June 2026 (in force, Welsh Statutory Instrument 2026/6). The England tenancy reforms in this guide do not apply to Welsh lettings. Section 21 and assured shorthold tenancies do not apply in Wales, where the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 governs. You register with Rent Smart Wales instead of the English database. Read Renting Homes (Wales): landlord duties.

Scotland

The Act's Scottish chapter on discrimination (sections 50 to 55) came into force on 1 May 2026 (in force, Scottish Statutory Instrument 2026/125). The England tenancy reforms in this guide do not apply to Scottish lettings. Private lets use the private residential tenancy under Scottish law, and you register with your local council.

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland has its own landlord registration and tenancy law. Read Landlord safety duties in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for the safety duties there.

What to do next and who to ask

Start with step 1 above, because an unusable old notice or a missing Information Sheet is the most urgent risk. Then put the database dates for your region in your diary.

Possession is a court matter, and enforcement of these rules sits with your local council. If you are unsure whether a duty applies to your tenancy, ask your council's private rented sector or housing enforcement team. Find yours at Find your local council on GOV.UK.