The Renters' Rights Act in 2026: what every landlord now lives under
The Renters' Rights Act 2025 came into force for tenancies on 1 May 2026 – the biggest rewrite of English tenancy law since 1988. This is the working guide: what the Act did, what it demands of landlords day to day, and where the fines sit.
What the Act actually changed
- Fixed terms and ASTs abolished. Every tenancy is now an assured periodic tenancy rolling month to month, with no end date and nothing to renew.
- Section 21 abolished. No-fault eviction is gone; possession requires a Section 8 ground – selling or moving in (4 months' notice, unusable in the first 12 months), serious arrears (4 weeks), breach (2 weeks), antisocial behaviour.
- Rent increases by Section 13 only. Once in 12 months, two months' notice on the prescribed Form 4A, challengeable at tribunal – contractual rent-review clauses no longer bite.
- Pets by request. Tenants can ask; landlords must answer in writing within 28 days and refuse only where reasonable – see the pet rules.
- Written information duties. Tenants must receive the key terms in writing before the tenancy is entered into, alongside the How to Rent guide and safety certificates.
Landlord preparation: the working checklist
If you did nothing in May, this is the catch-up list: reissue outdated ASTs as compliant periodic agreements; confirm the deposit sits within the five-week cap and the prescribed information was served; diarise gas, EICR and rent-increase anniversaries; and put the written-information pack at the front of your onboarding for every new tenant. The step-by-step version is our 2026 compliance checklist.
Fines and enforcement
Local authorities enforce the information and process duties with civil penalties – up to £7,000 for first breaches of the written-information requirements, with repeat or serious breaches escalating further, alongside rent repayment orders in the worst cases. The pattern across the Act: paperwork failures that used to block a Section 21 notice now attract direct financial penalties instead.
Notice periods at a glance
Tenants: two months, ending on the last day of a rent period. Landlords: four months (selling/moving in), four weeks (serious arrears), two weeks (breach). Rent increases: two months. Pet requests: 28 days to respond. The full table lives in our notice periods reference.
Inspections and access
The Act did not change the basics: 24 hours' written notice for inspections or repairs at reasonable times, emergencies excepted, and the tenant's quiet enjoyment in between. What changed is the consequence of getting the relationship wrong – with no Section 21 backstop, a landlord's position in any dispute rests entirely on documented compliance.
Want the dates and figures worked out for you? Try the free notice period calculator and the free rent increase calculator.
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Start my agreement →Frequently asked questions
When did the Renters' Rights Act come into force?
The Act received Royal Assent in 2025 and applied to tenancies from 1 May 2026 – including existing tenancies, which converted to periodic on that date.
Does the Act apply to tenancies signed before May 2026?
Yes. Existing ASTs converted automatically: fixed terms fell away and the periodic regime applies. The old paperwork still binds where consistent with the Act, but reissuing a compliant agreement is the clean fix.
Does the Renters' Rights Act apply to lodgers?
No – lodgers sharing a resident landlord's home are excluded occupiers outside the Act. See our lodger vs tenancy guide.