The Short Answer
The main reforms in the Renters' Rights Act 2025 came into force on 1 May 2026, the biggest change to private renting in England in roughly four decades. For landlords, the headline is that Section 21 no-fault evictions are gone: possession now requires a statutory Section 8 ground, with notice periods of four months to sell or move in, and three months' arrears before the main rent-arrears ground applies. Rents can rise only once a year by statutory notice, bidding above the advertised rent is banned, and rent in advance is capped at one month. Councils can fine up to £7,000 for a breach, and up to £40,000 — or prosecute — where it's an offence; taking rent before the tenancy is signed falls under the Tenant Fees Act, capped at £5,000 and £30,000.
This guide is written for landlords and letting professionals. It covers what actually changed on 1 May 2026, how to regain possession now that Section 21 has gone, the new rules on rent and conduct, and the obligations still to come.
Renting, not letting? Our plain-English guide to what changed for tenants in 2026 covers the same Act from the renter's side, with a source for every rule.
What changed for landlords on 1 May 2026?
On 1 May 2026 most assured shorthold tenancies in England converted automatically to assured periodic tenancies, and the core reforms of the Renters' Rights Act applied to new and existing tenancies on the same day. There was no phase-in by tenancy start date — it was a single commencement.
Practically, that means fixed terms no longer exist for new lettings. A tenancy runs on a rolling periodic basis until it is lawfully ended, the tenant can leave on two months' notice, and the landlord can only end it on a statutory ground. Landlords were also required to provide existing tenants with the government's Information Sheet explaining the changes by 31 May 2026. The official Guide to the Renters' Rights Act and the full statute on legislation.gov.uk are the authoritative references.
How do you regain possession now Section 21 is gone?
Possession now requires a statutory Section 8 ground, served on Form 3A with the right notice period, and a court application if the tenant does not leave. There is no longer any route to possession without a reason. The grounds landlords use most often, and their post-reform notice periods, are below.
| Ground | Reason | Notice period | Key conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ground 1A | Landlord is selling the property | 4 months | The date in the notice must be at least a year after the tenancy began; no re-letting or marketing to let for 12 months after that date |
| Ground 1 | Landlord or close family moving in | 4 months | Same one-year rule and 12-month re-letting ban as Ground 1A |
| Ground 8 | Serious rent arrears | 4 weeks | Three months' arrears (13 weeks' if rent is weekly or fortnightly) at both the notice date and the hearing |
| Ground 14 | Anti-social behaviour | Can be immediate | Evidence required |
| Grounds 12-13 | Breach of tenancy terms | 2 weeks | Breaking a term of the tenancy (Ground 12) or letting the home deteriorate (Ground 13) |
Two changes bite hardest. The rent-arrears threshold under Ground 8 rose from two months to three months, and that arrears level must hold both when the notice is served and at the hearing — a tenant who brings the arrears below that level before the hearing defeats a Ground 8 claim, though the discretionary arrears grounds remain. And the sale and moving-in grounds can't be used until a tenancy is a year old, and both are followed by a 12-month ban on re-letting or marketing the property to let, which removes the option of using "sale" as a quick route to a vacant, re-lettable property.
A Section 21 notice served on or before 30 April 2026 could only be used if the landlord asked the court to issue a possession claim by 31 July 2026 at the latest, or sooner if the notice's own time limit ran out first — usually six months from the notice. That window has now closed.
What are the new rules on rent increases?
Landlords can increase the rent at most once a year, by serving Form 4A, the statutory Section 13 notice, with at least two months' notice. The new rent cannot start in the first 52 weeks of the tenancy or within 52 weeks of the last increase (53 weeks in some cases), and a rent review clause can no longer raise the rent. The days of mid-tenancy increases written into a contract are over.
If the tenant disputes the increase, they can apply to the First-tier Tribunal before the new rent starts. The tribunal assesses the open market rent, and the tenant then pays that or the proposed rent, whichever is lower. A change worth noting: the tribunal can no longer set a rent higher than the figure the landlord proposed, so the old deterrent — where challenging risked a worse outcome — has gone, and challenges are likely to become more common. Pitching increases at a genuinely defensible market level, with evidence of comparable local rents, is now the safer approach. Dwellio's city-level median rents are one way to sense-check where the local market sits — for example in Manchester, Leeds or Nottingham.
What can landlords no longer do?
Several long-standing practices became unlawful on 1 May 2026, and most carry a civil penalty. The cleanest way to stay compliant is to treat the advertised rent as a firm figure and the tenant's circumstances as off-limits as selection criteria beyond ordinary affordability referencing.
- Accept offers above the advertised rent. Landlords and agents cannot ask for, encourage, or accept bids above the advertised figure. Set the advertised rent at the level you want.
- Take more than one month's rent in advance. No rent can be requested before the agreement is signed, and only up to one month's rent in advance afterwards.
- Refuse pets unreasonably. A tenant's written request to keep a pet cannot be unreasonably refused. You cannot make the tenant buy pet insurance or charge them for it, and any pet deposit counts towards the tenancy deposit cap below.
- Use blanket "No DSS" or "No children" criteria. Advertising or refusing on the basis of benefits status or having children is unlawful. Ordinary, individual affordability referencing remains permitted.
Deposit rules under the Tenant Fees Act 2019 are unchanged and still apply: a holding deposit capped at one week's rent, and a tenancy deposit capped at five weeks' rent, or six weeks where the annual rent is £50,000 or more.
What are the penalties for getting it wrong?
Local authorities can impose a civil penalty of up to £7,000 for a breach. Where the law treats the conduct as an offence — including continuing or repeating some breaches of a landlord's duties under assured tenancies — they can prosecute or impose a civil penalty of up to £40,000 instead, although repeated rental bidding or discrimination breaches don't become offences. On top of that, tenants can apply for a rent repayment order of up to two years' rent where a relevant offence was committed on or after 1 May 2026 (12 months for earlier offences) (Housing and Planning Act 2016, section 44). The government's note on civil penalties under the Renters' Rights Act sets out how the tiers apply. Taking rent before the tenancy agreement is signed is a breach of the Tenant Fees Act 2019 instead, which keeps its own caps: up to £5,000, or £30,000 for an offence (Tenant Fees Act 2019, section 8).
Enforcement sits with local councils rather than the courts for most breaches, and a single non-compliant advert or an unlawful rent demand is enough to trigger a penalty. The cost of a compliance mistake now comfortably exceeds the cost of getting advice up front.
What is still coming: the implementation timeline
Not every part of the Act landed on 1 May 2026. Several obligations phase in over the following years, and landlords should plan for them now.
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 30 April 2026 | Last day a valid Section 21 notice could be served |
| 1 May 2026 | Main reforms commence — Section 21 abolished, tenancies convert to periodic, bidding ban, rent-in-advance cap and rent-increase rules take effect |
| 31 May 2026 | Deadline to give existing tenants the Information Sheet |
| 31 July 2026 | Last day to ask the court to issue a claim on a pre-1 May Section 21 notice (earlier where the notice's own time limit ran out first) |
| 15 December 2026 | Landlord registration opens — the first step towards the Private Rented Sector Database — starting in the West Midlands and reaching other areas over 12 months |
| 14 November 2027 | Every landlord actively letting must be registered |
| 2028 (expected) | Membership of the Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman becomes mandatory for landlords |
| 2035 | The new Decent Homes Standard applies to the private rented sector |
Registration is the next big operational change: when your area is called forward, you have three months to sign up yourself and each let property, and the government says not registering risks a fine. Awaab's Law, which sets statutory timeframes for fixing serious hazards such as damp and mould, is also being extended to the private rented sector on a date still to be confirmed — the government is consulting on it until 18 December 2026.
What should landlords do now?
The transition rewards landlords who get their paperwork and processes in order rather than wait for a dispute to expose a gap. A practical checklist:
- Confirm every tenancy has converted. Assured shorthold tenancies are now periodic, unless an old Section 21 court case is still running. Do not issue new fixed-term assured shorthold agreements.
- Check the paperwork went out. Every tenant named on a pre-May written agreement should have had the Information Sheet by 31 May 2026, and every new tenant needs the written statement of terms before the tenancy is agreed.
- Rebuild your possession process around Section 8. Know which ground fits which situation, the notice period, and the evidence you would need in court.
- Document arrears carefully. Ground 8 now needs three months' arrears at both notice and hearing, so accurate, dated rent records matter more than ever.
- Set advertised rents at the figure you want. With bidding banned, there is no upward adjustment after listing.
- Benchmark rent increases against the local market before serving Form 4A, since challenges are now lower-risk for tenants.
- Prepare for registration. Gather the property and compliance documents the Private Rented Sector Database will require.
The National Residential Landlords Association maintains detailed guidance and template forms for members working through each of these steps.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can landlords still evict tenants after the Renters' Rights Act?
Yes. Landlords can still regain possession, but only by using a statutory Section 8 ground rather than the old no-fault Section 21 route. Each ground carries its own notice period and evidence requirement, and the landlord must apply to court if the tenant does not leave. The common grounds are selling the property, moving in a close family member, serious rent arrears, and anti-social behaviour.
Can a landlord still serve a Section 21 notice in 2026?
No. No valid Section 21 notice can be served on or after 1 May 2026. A Section 21 notice served on or before 30 April 2026 could only be used if the landlord asked the court to issue a possession claim by 31 July 2026 at the latest, or sooner if the notice's own time limit ran out first — usually six months from the notice. That window has closed, so all possession now goes through Section 8.
How much notice must a landlord give to sell or move in?
Four months. The grounds for selling the property or moving the landlord or a close family member in both require four months' notice, and neither can be used until the tenancy is a year old: the date in the notice must be at least a year after the tenancy began. A landlord who uses either ground cannot re-let or market the property to let for 12 months after that date.
How often can a landlord increase the rent?
Once a year at most. The landlord must serve Form 4A, the Section 13 notice, with at least two months' notice, and the new rent cannot start in the first 52 weeks of the tenancy or within 52 weeks of the last increase (53 weeks in some cases). The tenant can apply to the First-tier Tribunal before the new rent starts, and then pays the open market rent or the proposed rent, whichever is lower, so the tribunal cannot set the rent higher than the figure the landlord proposed.
What are the penalties for breaching the Renters' Rights Act?
Local authorities can impose a civil penalty of up to £7,000 for a breach. For an offence, which includes continuing or repeating some breaches of a landlord's duties, they can prosecute or impose a civil penalty of up to £40,000, though repeated rental bidding or discrimination breaches don't become offences. Tenants can separately apply for a rent repayment order of up to two years' rent for offences committed from 1 May 2026.
Does the Renters' Rights Act apply to existing tenancies?
Yes. Most assured shorthold tenancies in England converted automatically to assured periodic tenancies on 1 May 2026, whenever they began and however much of a fixed term remained. Landlords were required to provide existing tenants with the government's Information Sheet by 31 May 2026.
Where to Go From Here
The reforms shift the advantage toward tenants who can move quickly, which makes a well-priced, well-presented, compliant listing more important than ever for landlords who want a good tenant fast. Pricing to the market — not above it — and filling voids quickly is the new discipline.
On the other side of the same market, Dwellio helps renters track new listings across Rightmove, OpenRent, OnTheMarket, SpareRoom, PrimeLocation, and Leaders, and publishes the monthly UK Rental Index of median rents by city. If you are searching as a renter as well as letting as a landlord, you can sign up free — no card needed — and upgrade to the 7-day free trial (card required, cancel anytime) whenever you're ready.