Renters Rights Act 2025: What landlords and tenants need to know

Renters Rights Act 2025: What landlords and tenants need to know

Beth Donaldson, Dispute Resolution

Despite significant delays, The Renters Rights Bill received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025 and has become law. The Renters Rights Act 2025 (RRA) sets out the framework for the new regime however significant further regulations are required to effect implementation. The government has recently published their ‘road map’ which finally provides some clarity as to key dates for implementation.

We earlier outlined the headline reforms proposed by the Renters Rights Bill. Now that the Bill has become an Act, it seems the key proposals contained in the Bill have been maintained and we now know when each of the reforms will be implemented, which can be summarised as follows:

• Replacement of fixed-term tenancies – All private rented sector tenancies will be converted from assured shorthold tenancies (ASTs) into assured periodic tenancies (APTs) from 1 May 2026.
• Changes to information that must be provided to tenants – The RRA imposes a new duty on landlords to provide a written statement of terms and other information before an APT is entered into. More guidance on what is required will be set out in future regulations which will be implemented on 1 May 2026.
• Tenancy deposits – Deposits will continue to be capped at five weeks’ rent where the annual rent is less than £50,000 and the existing requirements in respect of protection in a tenancy deposit protection scheme will continue to apply to new APTs.
• Abolition of Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions – From 1 May 2026 Landlords will not be able to serve s.21 notices and will have to rely on one of the grounds listed under section 8 of the Housing Act 1988.
• Introduction of new Section 8 grounds - The RRA introduces new section 8 grounds under the Housing Act 1988 such as a ground seeking possession on the basis that a Landlord wishes to sell the property. The new grounds will come into effect from 1 May 2026.
• Increased notice periods under section 8 – With the introduction of new grounds comes increased notice periods in respect of section 8 grounds for possession which generally affords tenants a longer period of time to vacate the property. These increased notice periods will take effect from 1 May 2026.
• Ban on rent bidding wars – From 1 May 2026, landlords will not be able to invite, accept or encourage offers of rent higher than advertised.
• Rent Reviews – From 1 May 2026, landlords will only be able to increase the rent once per year on provision of at least 2 months’ notice, by following a revised procedure under section 13 of the Housing Act 1988.
• Prohibition on discrimination - Tenants will be protected from discrimination based on whether they have children or receive benefits from 1 May 2026.
• Decent Homes Standard and Awaab’s law – The RRA extends both the Decent Homes Standard and Awaab’s law into the private sector and requires Landlords to take action to fix health and safety hazards within set time limits. The government is still to confirm the outcomes from its consultation on reforming the Decent Home Standards which closed on 10 September 2025 but has proposed that the new standard be enforceable from either 2035 or 2037. The government road map confirms that the timescales for implementation will be subject to further consultation.
• Private Rented Sector Database/Ombudsman Scheme - There will be a new private landlord database where all landlords and their properties will be registered. Along with the database, landlords will need to register with the Landlord Ombudsman where disputes will be resolved. The indication at the present time is that this will be implemented by sometime in 2028.
• Pets – From 1 May 2026 it will be an implied term of all APTs that tenant will have the right to keep a pet in the property with the landlord’s consent which is not to be unreasonably withheld. To date there has been little guidance as to when it would be considered reasonable to withhold consent. Previous provisions under the draft bill allowed a landlord to require insurance for pet damage however this has been removed from the Act.
• Increased penalties – the RRA will provide increased investigatory powers to local authorities to impose various sanctions on landlords for breaches such as attempting to let a property for a fixed term or discriminating against those on benefits or with children, which will be implemented on 27 December 2025. These include increasing the level of civil fine that can be imposed on landlords up to £40,000 and criminal prosecution which will be implemented on 1 May 2026.

As the sector adjusts to a new legislative landscape under the RRA, now more than ever it is important that landlords seek proactive legal advice to understand their new obligations moving forward, implement effective management strategies and minimise their risk.

We will be covering the regulatory updates and the implementation of the RRA in future editions, so do look out for further updates and get in touch with any queries you have in the meantime.