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Category: Renters Rights Bill

Called “a historic day for the private rented sector” by Ben Beadle of the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA), the first phase of the Renters’ Rights Act was implemented on Friday 1st May.

For many people, that Friday was just like any other. But for landlords, the legal landscape of their industry has been entirely reshaped.

As well as summarising the changes from the first phase, this article explains what is still to come in later phases of the Renters’ Rights Act, including one significant deadline on 31st May that landlords might not be aware of.

Recap of key changes already in effect

The changes brought by the first phase are as follows:

Section 21 banned

The ‘no-fault- eviction rule is officially gone, leaving more limited options for landlords looking to possess their properties.

Section 8, which requires specific legal grounds to evict tenants, can still be used. Inevitably, more landlords will be forced to use this route. However, the court processes for Section 8 are not as fast or straightforward as Section 21 once was. 

End of fixed-term tenancies

Fixed-term Assured Shorthold Tenancies (AST) have been replaced with rolling contracts known as Assured Periodic Tenancies (APT). These have no end dates, so will continue indefinitely until a tenant decides to leave, or is evicted. Any new tenancies issued will now need significant wording changes to be legally compliant. 

Pet rights

Landlords can no longer refuse a tenant’s request for a pet without a ‘reasonable’ written justification. 

In addition, landlords can no longer stipulate that a tenant must have insurance in place to cover any damage potentially caused by their pets.

A request for a pet must be put in writing to a landlord and that written request must include a description of the pet. If the tenant doesn’t give any information about the pet, the landlord is not required to give consent. A written response must be given to the tenant within 28 days of receiving a request to confirm whether consent is given or denied.

Rent restrictions

Landlords cannot increase rent more than once per year under Section 13. They must provide at least 2 months’ notice if they intend to increase rent.

Before a tenancy begins, landlords will not be able to request more than one month’s worth of rent in advance. 

Anti-discrimination rules

Anti-discrimination laws are now in effect which prevent landlords from refusing to house tenants that have children, or are on benefits.

Written statement of terms to be sent to new tenants from 1st May 2026

Landlords must provide new tenants with a written statement of terms, under Section 12 of the Renters’ Rights Act. 

This means that landlords must give tenants all the information they need about a tenancy agreement before it begins. This includes explanations of:

  • Full name and address of the landlord and all tenants
  • Start date of the tenancy
  • Amount of rent payable
  • Rent due dates
  • How rent increases work under Section 13
  • Deposits
  • Minimum notice period that a tenant must give in order to terminate the tenancy
  • When and how landlords can possess a property
  • How the property is fit for human habitation
  • Responsibilities of the landlord for repairs and maintenance of the property
  • Electrical and gas safety standards
  • How tenants can request pets
  • Responsibility of the landlord to make property improvements for disabled tenants

This information can be contained within a newly-written APT. Landlords with tenants who signed an AST prior to 1st May instead have to provide them with the government’s Information Sheet; more on that below.

Upcoming changes

Most of the headlining policies of the Renters’ Rights Act are now in effect. The next steps are less time-bound, without clear deadlines in place, since they require more planning on the part of Labour.

Information Sheet must be sent to existing tenants by 31st May 2026

For landlords with pre-existing ASTs, a consequence of the first phase is that they must send The Renters’ Right Act Information Sheet 2026 from GOV.uk by 31st May. 

This sheet can be served as a physical document – handed personally or posted to the tenant – or sent digitally via email or text message. 

The civil penalty for a landlord failing to provide the Information Sheet by the end-of-May deadline is a £7,000 fine. 

It is advised that landlords get this done sooner rather than later, so that the deadline does not pass them by.

Landlord Database

Labour have planned for the database of all PRS landlords to be introduced from late 2026. However, there is still an overall lack of information about how this database will be constructed, and what systems will need to be in place for landlords to access it.

It’s important to note the wording – “from” late 2026. Labour’s Implementation Roadmap indicates that a staggered “regional rollout” will act as a testing ground for the database before it is rolled out for the rest of the nation throughout 2027. It is unknown which area of the UK will be given early access to the database.

PRS Landlord Ombudsman

In due course, landlords will have to join the PRS Landlord Ombudsman, a redress scheme designed to “provide quick, fair, impartial and binding resolutions for tenants’ complaints about their landlord”. This is currently due to be introduced in 2028.

Regardless of whether they use letting agents to manage their properties, all landlords will be subject to the Ombudsman scheme.

Social housing standards extend to PRS

Two housing laws, originally designed for social housing but expected to apply to the private rented sector, do not yet have confirmed implementation dates.

Awaab’s Law, which requires landlords to remove any hazards such as black mould, will be extended to the PRS at a currently unknown date.

The Decent Homes Standard, meant to sit alongside existing health and safety legislation, is due to be introduced to the PRS in 2035. This will set new minimum standards for living conditions in all habitable properties.

Overreaction?

While the Renters’ Rights Act has certainly shaken the PRS, some voices in the sector believe that the immediate impact (of the first phase, at least) was somewhat overblown by the media coverage surrounding it.

Philippa Martinez, regional sales manager of the Kent branch of Auction House, said that the Renters’ Rights Act caused a “knee-jerk reaction”, leading to an influx of landlords keen to sell their properties quickly.

Professional landlords who run their rentals as a business have been less affected as they were probably already playing by these new rules. 

Now, there is an attitude of waiting to see what happens. 

Some landlords may see that the new conditions were not as frightening as they first appeared. I believe this will tighten up the market giving the landlords that remain the chance to thrive.

Meanwhile, Investec Bank has claimed that the trend of landlords selling properties has been going on since the Renters’ Rights Bill was first proposed by Labour back in September 2024, with Q1 2025 seeing the sharpest increase in former rental properties being put up for sale.

Regardless of opinions on the matter, it is vital that landlords stay on top of all the recent and upcoming compliance changes. If you are unclear on how you currently stand in relation to any of the above guidance, it is best to seek professional legal advice.