Renters’ Rights Act 2025: what letting agents must do now

News | 24 Apr 2026

The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025 but the most significant changes come into effect from 1 May 2026. For agents and landlords operating in London and across the UK, the question is no longer what the Act says. It is whether you are ready for it.

The broad strokes of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 are already familiar to most agents. What matters now is the operational detail: the specific deadlines, the new documentation requirements, the mechanics of possession, and the compliance gaps that could prove costly if left unaddressed.

With the start date just days away, here is what you need to be acting on right now.

30 April 2026: the last day to rely on the old rules

30 April 2026 is arguably the most pressing date in the calendar. After this point, Section 21 notices can no longer be served, and the current grounds for possession under Section 8 give way to a revised set of statutory grounds.

There is a narrow window for notices already served. Section 21 notices issued before 1 May can still be relied upon, but possession proceedings must be issued by 31 July 2026. Miss that deadline and the notice becomes unenforceable, regardless of when it was served. Note that where a Section 8 notice seeking possession was also served before 1 May 2026, the landlord may similarly be able to proceed under the previous rules; tenants in that position should seek legal advice.

For agents managing portfolios with any pending possession matters, whether rent arrears, breach of tenancy, or a landlord wanting to sell or move back in, these dates need to be in the diary now.

31 May 2026: the paperwork deadline you cannot miss

From 1 May, the Act requires written documentation for every assured tenancy. The obligations differ depending on how the existing tenancy was originally created:

Existing written tenancy: landlords and agents must serve the prescribed information sheet on tenants by 31 May 2026. This form has been published and you can find it here.
Existing wholly oral tenancy: landlords must provide a full written statement of terms by 31 May 2026. There is no prescribed form, but the required content is set out in the regulations.
New tenancies agreed on or after 1 May 2026: the written statement of terms must be provided before the tenancy is entered into.

Civil penalties apply for non-compliance. For student accommodation, there is an additional specific deadline: notice of reliance on Ground 4A which must be served by 31 May 2026.

Fixed-term tenancies are abolished. All tenancies become periodic.

From 1 May, assured shorthold tenancies (fixed-term ASTs) cease to exist as a legal entity. Every tenancy, whether new or existing, becomes an assured periodic tenancy with no fixed end date. The rental period will usually be monthly, unless the tenancy agreement provides for a shorter period such as weekly or fortnightly.

Any fixed end date in an existing tenancy will no longer apply from 1 May. Tenants wishing to end a tenancy may do so by giving two months’ written notice, though a shorter period can be agreed in writing with the landlord (with all named tenants’ consent). There is no prescribed form for this notice.

For agents, this removes the renewal moment that has historically structured the lettings cycle. The checkpoint where rent gets reviewed, the tenancy relationship reassessed, and possession considered no longer arrives automatically. What replaces it is a more continuous, advisory model of tenancy management, one that places greater weight on getting the tenancy right at the outset.

Possession grounds: what has changed and what it means in practice

With Section 21 abolished, landlords must rely on specific statutory grounds to recover possession. A number of those grounds have been amended or newly introduced under the Act.

The grounds most relevant to landlords are as follows:

Ground 1 (occupation by landlord or family): amended. Cannot be used within the first 12 months of a tenancy.
Ground 1A (sale of dwelling house): new. Cannot be used within the first 12 months of a tenancy.
Ground 1B (rent-to-buy): new.
Ground 2 (mortgage repossession): amended.
Ground 4A (student accommodation): new. Notice of reliance must be served by 31 May 2026 for existing relevant tenancies. Possession notices under this ground can then be served between 1 May and 30 July 2026, with at least two months’ notice ending between 1 June and 30 September.
Ground 6A (enforcement action): new.
Ground 8 (rent arrears): amended.

The 12-month restriction on Grounds 1 and 1A is a significant practical constraint. For landlords who may need to sell or move back in within that window, this needs to be discussed and understood before the tenancy is agreed.

Rent: a new statutory process, with tribunal oversight

Rent increases are limited to once per year and must follow a formal statutory process using a Section 13 notice (Form 4A). Landlords must give at least two months’ written notice before any increase takes effect. Any existing contractual rent review clauses in tenancy agreements will no longer apply from 1 May.

Tenants can challenge a proposed increase at the First-tier Tribunal, which will determine the open market rent of a property. Tenants can also challenge the initial rent during the first six months of a tenancy.

Where a tribunal determines the rent, the new figure becomes payable from the start of the new rent period following the determination. It does not apply retrospectively. Landlords should be aware that any increase above what the tribunal sets will not be recoverable for the period before the determination.

The ban on rent bidding adds further weight to accurate pricing from the outset. Properties must be marketed at a fixed asking price, and accepting offers above that figure is prohibited. In a market where competitive upward pressure has historically been a feature, pricing accuracy is now a compliance issue as much as a commercial one.

Pets, deposits and the landlord database

The Act implies a clause into every assured tenancy that landlords cannot unreasonably withhold consent to a tenant keeping a pet. Tenants must request permission in writing, and landlords have 28 days to respond. Refusal must be in writing with reasons given, and tenants can challenge the decision in court.

On deposits, the 30-day registration requirement remains, as does the obligation to serve prescribed documents. Late registration is permitted but carries a financial penalty. In the pressure of managing a large portfolio, compliance on this point is worth auditing proactively.

Looking further ahead, all private landlords will be required to register on a new private rented sector (PRS) database, expected towards the end of 2026. A dwelling cannot be marketed for a residential tenancy without an active entry for both the landlord and the property. Courts will be unable to grant possession orders where the landlord has failed to register. The Landlord Ombudsman follows in 2028.

Priority actions for agents in the next six weeks

Diarise 30 April, 31 May and 31 July as non-negotiable compliance deadlines.
Download the prescribed information sheet and prepare to serve it on all existing tenants with written tenancies by 31 May.
Identify any oral tenancies and prepare written statements of terms to serve by 31 May.
Review any pending possession matters and confirm that notices are served and proceedings issued within the relevant windows.
Check marketing materials and listing descriptions for compatibility with the new rent advertising rules.
Brief landlords on the 12-month restriction on Grounds 1 and 1A before any new tenancy is agreed.
Plan rent increase processes for existing tenancies so that the Section 13 statutory timeline is followed from the outset.
Audit compliance documentation and keep a clear trail.

Prepare for Section 13 disputes with the LonRes Rental Checker

One of the most significant practical consequences of the Act is the increased risk of Section 13 rent disputes. Tenants can challenge any proposed increase at the First-tier Tribunal, and where the tribunal determines the rent, any increase above that figure will not be recoverable for the period before the determination. Getting the rent right, and being able to evidence it, matters more than ever.

The LonRes Rental Checker is built specifically for this. It provides robust, impartial evidence of achieved market rents, which is the standard the tribunal applies, drawn from real letting data contributed by agents across London. Where a dispute does proceed to tribunal, Rental Checker reports can be used to support the rent review and must be reviewed by the panel.

For agents, it also addresses the pricing problem the Act creates at the outset. With rent bidding banned and asking prices fixed, the risk of mispricing is higher than it has ever been. Rental Checker gives agents and their landlord clients the evidence to price accurately from day one.

Access is available to agents who contribute data to LonRes. Reports are generated directly from the Lettings section of your LonRes platform.