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The Renters' Rights Act 2026: What Every Tenant and Landlord Needs to Know Before 1 May

The biggest overhaul of private renting in England in more than 30 years arrives in less than two weeks. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 comes into force on 1 May 2026, and whether you rent your home or own one, it changes almost everything about how private tenancies work.

For 11 million private renters in England, it brings the strongest legal protections they have ever had. For landlords, it fundamentally reshapes how you can manage tenancies, increase rents, and regain possession of your property. The rules apply to new and existing tenancies alike — your current tenancy agreement will be affected even if you signed it years ago.

This guide explains every key change, what it means in practice, and the deadlines neither side can afford to ignore.

The Single Biggest Change: No More No-Fault Evictions

For decades, landlords in England could end a tenancy without giving any reason by issuing a Section 21 notice — commonly called a "no-fault eviction." It required no explanation and gave tenants as little as two months to leave their home, even if they had done nothing wrong.

From 1 May 2026, Section 21 is abolished. No new Section 21 notices can be issued under any circumstances after that date. This is permanent and applies to every private landlord in England.

From that date, landlords who want to end a tenancy must use a Section 8 notice and prove at least one legal ground for possession. These grounds include rent arrears, anti-social behaviour, the landlord wanting to sell the property, or the landlord or a family member needing to move in. Each ground comes with its own notice period and conditions.

For tenants, this means genuine security of tenure for the first time. You can only be asked to leave your home if your landlord has a legally valid, provable reason.

All Fixed-Term Tenancies Become Rolling Contracts

From 1 May 2026, all assured shorthold tenancies — including existing ones signed before that date — automatically convert into assured periodic tenancies. These are rolling monthly or weekly contracts with no set end date.

No new fixed-term assured tenancies will be permitted. If you sign a new tenancy on or after 1 May 2026, it will be periodic from the start.

What this means for tenants: Your tenancy now continues until you choose to end it, or until your landlord proves a valid ground for possession. You can leave at any time by giving your landlord two months' notice in writing.

What this means for landlords: You can no longer rely on the end of a fixed term to recover your property. Every departure or possession must go through the Section 8 process, with evidence of a valid ground. This is a fundamental shift in how tenancy management works.

The New Grounds for Possession Landlords Must Use

Because Section 21 is gone, the Section 8 grounds have been expanded and reformed to give landlords workable routes to possession when they have a legitimate reason. The key grounds to know:

Selling the property: A landlord who wants to sell can serve notice under a new mandatory ground, but only after the tenant has been in the property for at least 12 months. The notice period is four months. The landlord cannot relet or remarket the property for 12 months after using this ground.

Moving in or family occupation: The same 12-month minimum tenancy requirement and four-month notice period applies. A landlord cannot use this ground in the first year of a new tenancy.

Rent arrears: Ground 8 (mandatory eviction for serious arrears) now requires three months of unpaid rent before it can be used — up from two months under the old rules. The notice period doubles from two weeks to four weeks. Grounds 10 and 11 still allow eviction for smaller arrears and persistent late payment, but on a discretionary basis — the court can decide whether eviction is reasonable.

Anti-social behaviour: Landlords can still act quickly where tenants are committing serious anti-social behaviour or criminal activity. In severe cases, no notice period is required.

Redevelopment: A landlord who needs vacant possession for major works or demolition can use a new ground, subject to notice requirements.

For all evictions, landlords must go to court if the tenant does not leave voluntarily. Courts are not expected to move quickly — the abolition of Section 21 is likely to increase contested hearings significantly in the short term.

Rent Increases: Once a Year, With Notice

The Act introduces strict controls on how and when landlords can increase rent.

From 1 May 2026, rent can only be increased once every 12 months. Every increase must be served via a formal Section 13 notice, giving the tenant at least two months' notice — up from one month under the old rules. Any tenancy clause that purports to allow rent increases in any other way will no longer apply.

The increase must not exceed the open market rent for the property — what you could expect to achieve if you advertised the property freshly on the market today. If a tenant believes the proposed increase is above market rate, they can challenge it at the First-tier Tribunal. Crucially, the Tribunal cannot award the landlord more than they originally asked for, and increases are not backdated if there is a delay.

Landlords cannot use excessive rent increases as a backdoor means of forcing a tenant out. Courts and tribunals will treat this as an attempt to circumvent the eviction rules.

What this means for tenants: You have a guaranteed minimum of two months' notice before any rent rise, you cannot be hit with more than one rise in any 12-month period, and you have a free route to challenge it at Tribunal if you think it is above market rate.

What this means for landlords: Rent review clauses in existing tenancy agreements that allow more frequent increases or different mechanisms are overridden by the Act. You must use Section 13 for every increase, without exception.

No More Rental Bidding Wars

Landlords and letting agents are now legally required to advertise a property at a set asking price and to stick to it. It is a criminal offence to invite, encourage, or accept offers above the advertised rent. This includes hints or suggestions to prospective tenants that a higher bid would be successful.

Councils have stronger enforcement powers to act against landlords and agents who breach this rule.

Rent in Advance Capped at One Month

Landlords can no longer request more than one month's rent upfront before or at the start of a tenancy. Requiring two, three, or six months' rent in advance — a practice that has effectively locked many people on lower incomes or benefits out of the rental market — is now banned.

After the tenancy starts, landlords can only ask for rent one month at a time.

Discrimination Against Tenants on Benefits or With Children Ends

It is now illegal for a landlord or letting agent to refuse a tenancy, or to treat a prospective tenant less favourably, simply because they receive benefits — such as Universal Credit or Housing Benefit — or because they have children.

"No DSS" policies and blanket bans on families are unlawful from 1 May 2026. Landlords and agents who discriminate can face civil penalties from local councils. This rule also applies in Scotland and Wales.

The Right to Request a Pet

Tenants now have a legal right to request permission to keep a pet in their rented home. Landlords must consider the request and can only refuse if they have a reasonable, specific justification. They have four weeks to respond in writing; if they need more information, they have an additional week from receiving it.

Tenancy clauses that say no pets are allowed will no longer be enforceable after 1 May 2026. However, landlords can request that tenants take out pet insurance, or can require the tenancy deposit to reflect the potential for pet damage — within the deposit cap rules.

The Mandatory Information Sheet: A Critical Deadline for Landlords

If you are a landlord with an existing tenancy that was fully or partially in writing before 1 May 2026, you must provide your tenant with the government's official Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet by 31 May 2026. This is a legal requirement.

The Information Sheet must be the exact PDF downloaded from GOV.UK — you cannot paraphrase it, rewrite it, or link to it. You must give the physical or digital document itself to every tenant named on the tenancy agreement. Email and text links to the PDF are not valid; you must send the actual document.

If your current tenancy is based entirely on a verbal agreement, you cannot use the Information Sheet. You must instead provide a written record of the key terms of the tenancy by the same 31 May deadline.

Failure to provide the Information Sheet where required can result in a fine of up to £7,000 from your local council.

For new tenancies starting on or after 1 May 2026, you do not use the Information Sheet. Instead, you must provide certain mandatory written information — including the key terms of the tenancy — before the tenancy is signed. The NRLA has updated tenancy agreement templates that include this information.

Coming Later in 2026 and Beyond

The May 2026 changes are the first phase. Further reforms are planned:

The Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman will be launched later in 2026. All private landlords in England will be legally required to join. It will provide tenants with free, binding resolution of complaints about landlord conduct, standards, and service — without going to court. Landlords who fail to join will face civil penalties.

The PRS Database — a national register of all private landlords and rental properties in England — will be rolled out gradually from late 2026. Registration will be mandatory. Landlords who are not registered will lose access to most possession grounds, meaning they cannot legally evict tenants until they comply. The database will be publicly searchable by tenants.

Awaab's Law and the Decent Homes Standard will require landlords to address specific hazards such as damp and mould within defined timeframes. The timeline for these provisions in the private sector is still to be confirmed.

What Tenants Need to Do Right Now

For most tenants, the changes are automatic and require no action. Your tenancy will convert to a periodic assured tenancy on 1 May 2026 without you needing to sign anything or contact your landlord.

You should, however, know your new rights:

Check whether your landlord has served the Information Sheet by 31 May. If they haven't and they were required to, you can report this to your local council. Keep copies of all correspondence with your landlord, particularly anything relating to rent increases or requests to leave. If you receive a Section 13 rent increase notice and believe it is above market rate, you have six months from the date of the notice to refer it to the First-tier Tribunal — do not delay. If your landlord attempts a no-fault eviction or serves a Section 21 notice on or after 1 May 2026, it has no legal effect. Contact Shelter, Citizens Advice, or a housing solicitor immediately.

What Landlords Need to Do Right Now

The priority list for any landlord with existing tenants in England:

Download the official Information Sheet from GOV.UK and send it to every tenant named on your written tenancy agreement before 31 May 2026. Update your tenancy agreement templates to remove fixed-term clauses, Section 21 references, and any rent review provisions that are inconsistent with the Section 13 process. If you are considering selling a property or need to recover possession for another reason, take legal advice immediately. The 12-month minimum tenancy rule before you can use the sale or occupation grounds means timing matters significantly. Ensure your Section 13 notice procedure is in place for future rent reviews — you cannot increase rent any other way. Review your documentation for any upcoming possession proceedings. Section 21 notices served before 1 May 2026 remain valid, but only until 31 July 2026 if you have not started court proceedings by then. Landlords with properties in poor condition should begin addressing hazards now, ahead of the Decent Homes Standard being extended to the private sector.

For specialist guidance on how the transitional provisions affect your specific tenancy or portfolio, the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) has extensive updated guidance and template documents at nrla.org.uk. For legal advice on possession proceedings, consult a solicitor who specialises in residential landlord and tenant law.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the Renters' Rights Act apply to my existing tenancy? Yes. Most existing assured and assured shorthold tenancies automatically convert to assured periodic tenancies on 1 May 2026. The new rules on eviction, rent increases, pets, and discrimination apply regardless of when your tenancy was signed.

Can my landlord still evict me after 1 May 2026? Yes, but only with a valid legal reason (a possession ground) and a Section 8 notice. No-fault Section 21 evictions are completely abolished. If you have done nothing wrong, you cannot be asked to leave.

My fixed-term tenancy runs until December 2026. What happens? It automatically converts to a periodic rolling tenancy on 1 May 2026. The end date in your agreement no longer applies. You stay until you choose to leave or your landlord proves a valid ground for possession.

As a landlord, can I still increase rent? Yes, but only once every 12 months via a Section 13 notice with at least two months' notice, and only up to open market rent. Your tenant can challenge any increase they believe is above market rate at the First-tier Tribunal.

What if my landlord sends a Section 21 notice after 1 May 2026? It has no legal effect. You do not have to leave. Contact Shelter (shelter.org.uk) or Citizens Advice for free advice and support.

Where can I get more help? Tenants: Shelter and Citizens Advice both offer free housing advice. The government's guidance for tenants is at gov.uk/renting-private-sector. Landlords: NRLA has the most comprehensive landlord guidance and template documents. The government's landlord guidance is at gov.uk/rentingischanging.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 applies to England. Scotland and Wales have separate legislation. If you need advice specific to your tenancy or property, please consult a qualified housing solicitor or contact a free advice service such as Shelter or Citizens Advice.