Renters' Rights Act 2025 — Your Questions Answered

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 is the most significant reform to the private rented sector in England and Wales in over 30 years. It received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025 and Phase 1 comes into force on 1 May 2026. The Act abolishes Section 21 no-fault evictions, replaces fixed-term Assured Shorthold Tenancies with Assured Periodic Tenancies, restricts rent increases to once per year using the Section 13 process, and introduces new rules on pets, discrimination and rent in advance.

Official source: Guide to the Renters' Rights Act — GOV.UK

Phase 1 of the Act comes into force on 1 May 2026. This is described by the government as a "big bang" commencement date — the new tenancy regime applies to both new and existing tenancies from this date. You do not need to do anything to convert existing tenancies; the change is automatic. Phase 2, covering the Private Rented Sector Database and the Landlord Ombudsman, is expected from late 2026.

Official source: Government implementation roadmap — GOV.UK

Most provisions of the Act apply to England. Wales has its own separate tenancy law framework under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016. Some provisions do apply to Wales — including the discrimination ban against tenants with children or on benefits, which applies in Wales from 1 June 2026. If you let properties in Wales, seek specific Welsh legal advice.

Yes. From 1 May 2026, no new Section 21 notices can be served. Section 21 "no-fault" evictions are permanently abolished in the private rented sector in England. The last valid date to serve a Section 21 notice is 30 April 2026.

Official source: Renters' Rights Act 2025, legislation.gov.uk

Yes, provided it was correctly served before 1 May 2026. However, you must issue court proceedings by 31 July 2026 or the notice will lapse and you will not be able to rely on it. After 31 July 2026, Section 21 cannot be used under any circumstances, even if the notice was validly served before 1 May.

If you have a pre-May Section 21 and need to act, do not delay in issuing possession proceedings.

Official source: NRLA guidance on Section 21 transitional rules

A Section 21 notice served on or after 1 May 2026 has no legal effect. It is void. Attempting to use it as the basis for a possession claim will fail. From 1 May 2026, you must use the Section 8 process and establish one of the statutory grounds for possession.

Section 8 of the Housing Act 1988, as amended by the Renters' Rights Act 2025, is now the only legal route to possession. Landlords must rely on one or more of the revised grounds in Schedule 2 of the Housing Act 1988. Key grounds include serious rent arrears (Ground 8), the intention to sell the property (new Ground 1A), and the intention to move in (Ground 1). See the full explanation in our Section 21 abolished guide.

No. Existing Assured Shorthold Tenancies automatically convert to Assured Periodic Tenancies on 1 May 2026. You do not need to issue new agreements. However, you must provide your existing tenants with the government's official information sheet explaining the new rules by 31 May 2026. Failure to do so can result in a civil penalty of up to £7,000.

Official source: Government implementation roadmap — GOV.UK

No. From 1 May 2026, fixed-term Assured Shorthold Tenancies are abolished. All new residential tenancies in England must be Assured Periodic Tenancies with no fixed end date. The fixed term is unenforceable even if included in the agreement.

Use the LetSecure AI Assured Periodic Tenancy generator to produce a compliant agreement for new lettings from 1 May 2026.

An Assured Periodic Tenancy (APT) is a residential tenancy with no fixed end date. It rolls on a periodic (typically monthly) basis indefinitely until either party ends it lawfully. The tenant can end it by giving 2 months' written notice at any time. The landlord can only end it by serving a valid Section 8 notice and obtaining a court order for possession.

Tenants can serve notice to quit at any point during the tenancy, from day one, by giving 2 months' written notice. There is no minimum term before they can do this.

Most standard tenancy agreement clauses remain valid. However, the following clauses are specifically unenforceable from 1 May 2026:

• Fixed-term end dates — tenancy continues as periodic
• Rent review clauses — rent increases must use Section 13 Form 4A
• Blanket pet prohibition clauses — landlords must consider pet requests
• Requirements for rent in advance beyond one month after signing

From 1 May 2026, the only lawful way to increase rent is through the Section 13 procedure. You must serve Form 4A on the tenant with at least 2 months' notice before the proposed increase takes effect. You can only do this once every 12 months. Any contractual rent review clause in your tenancy agreement is unenforceable from this date.

Official source: NRLA guidance on rent increases under the Renters' Rights Act

Yes. Tenants have the right to challenge a Section 13 rent increase at the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber). The challenge is free for tenants. If the Tribunal determines a lower rent than you proposed, that lower figure applies. The rent increase takes effect only from the date of the Tribunal's determination — it is not backdated.

The Section 13 process requires the proposed rent to reflect the open market rent for the property. The Act also bans "rental bidding wars" — landlords cannot accept or encourage offers above the advertised rent.

A Section 8 notice is the formal legal document a landlord must serve on a tenant to begin possession proceedings. From 1 May 2026, it is the only route to recovering possession of a private residential property. The notice must specify the grounds being relied upon from the revised Schedule 2 of the Housing Act 1988.

Under the Renters' Rights Act 2025, the mandatory rent arrears threshold under Ground 8 has increased from 2 months to 3 months (or 13 weeks for weekly tenancies). The arrears must exist both at the date you serve the notice and at the date of the court hearing. The notice period has doubled from 2 weeks to 4 weeks.

Any arrears attributable to delayed Universal Credit payments are excluded from the calculation.

Official source: Keystone Law — Grounds for possession and notice periods

If the tenant pays down their arrears below 3 months before the court hearing, the court cannot grant a mandatory possession order on Ground 8 alone. This is why many practitioners recommend also including discretionary Ground 10 (some rent arrears) or Ground 11 (persistent late payment) alongside Ground 8 in your Section 8 notice.

Yes. Ground 1A is a new mandatory ground introduced by the Renters' Rights Act 2025 for this situation. The notice period is 4 months and the ground cannot be used in the first 12 months of the tenancy. If you obtain possession using Ground 1A, you cannot re-let the property for 12 months. Misuse can result in a fine of up to £40,000.

Yes, using Ground 1. This covers situations where you or a close family member wishes to occupy the property as their only or principal home. The notice period is 4 months and it cannot be used in the first 12 months of the tenancy.

Ground 14 (nuisance and antisocial behaviour) allows possession proceedings to be issued immediately — there is no notice period required before applying to court. Ground 7A (serious criminal convictions or closure orders) is mandatory and also requires no notice period.

You can refuse a specific pet request, but you must have reasonable grounds. From 1 May 2026, landlords cannot impose a blanket ban on pets. You must respond within 28 days with either consent or a written refusal giving reasonable grounds.

Official source: Renters' Rights Act 2025, Section 11

The Act permits landlords to require tenants to take out pet insurance as a condition of consent. However, the deposit cap under the Tenant Fees Act 2019 still applies — the deposit cap remains at five weeks' rent for annual rents under £50,000.

Not yet. The PRS Database is Phase 2 of the Act's implementation, expected from late 2026 with a regional rollout. Registration will be mandatory for all private landlords once the database launches.

Key penalties include:

• Up to £7,000 for failing to provide the government information sheet to existing tenants by 31 May 2026
• Up to £40,000 for misusing Ground 1A (sale) to evict a tenant and then re-letting
• Civil penalties for discriminating against tenants on benefits or with children

• Guide to the Renters' Rights Act — GOV.UK
• Renters' Rights Act 2025 — Full legislation at legislation.gov.uk
• NRLA — National Residential Landlords Association
• Shelter — housing advice for landlords and tenants
• Citizens Advice — housing section

LetSecure AI has updated all its document templates to reflect the Renters' Rights Act 2025. Available documents include:

• Assured Periodic Tenancy Agreement — compliant with the new regime from 1 May 2026
• Section 8 Notice — all revised Schedule 2 grounds with updated notice periods
• Section 21 Notice — for transitional use only, with built-in validity calculator
• Section 13 Rent Increase Notice — the only lawful method of raising rent from 1 May 2026
• Late Rent Reminder Letter — updated to reflect the new Section 8 arrears thresholds
• Deposit Dispute Letter — itemised deduction letter for deposit scheme disputes