Renters' Rights Act 2025

The Renters’ Rights Bill received Royal Assent in October and is officially the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, representing the most significant reform to England’s private rented sector in almost four decades. Ministers have now announced the major changes will come into effect from 1 May 2026.

The End of Section 21 'no fault' evictions

A key part of the new Act is the abolition of Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 — the rule that currently allows landlords to regain possession of their property without giving a specific reason once a fixed term ends.

The Government’s aim is to give tenants more security and confidence to raise concerns about poor conditions or unfair rent increases without the fear of a retaliatory eviction.

Under the new system, all assured tenancies will become periodic by default, meaning there will no longer be fixed terms. Tenants will be able to end their tenancy with two months’ notice, while landlords will instead need to rely on existing, revised, or new grounds for possession through the Section 8 process.

The Government has stated that these updated grounds are designed to safeguard legitimate landlord interests — for example, where the property needs to be sold or the landlord wishes to move back in — while ensuring tenants benefit from greater long-term stability.

Pets and Discrimination

Also under the Act tenants will have the right to request a pet, which landlords cannot refuse without a good reason. It will also become illegal for landlords or agents to discriminate against tenants with children or those receiving benefits.

Decent Homes

The Decent Homes Standard and Awaab's Law will both be extended to the private rented sector (PRS). The intention is to raise property standards and impose clear timeframes for addressing problems such as damp and mould.

Rents, Deposits and 'Bidding Wars'

The Act will:

• Aim to end 'rental bidding wars' by prohibiting landlords and agents from inviting or accepting offers above the advertised rent.
• Limit rent in advance by preventing landlords from demanding more than one month's rent upfront
  
• Strengthen the ability of tenants to challenge excessive rent increases, particularly where used as a backdoor method of eviction.

New Ombudsman and Landlord Database

The Act will establish a new Private Rented Sector Ombudsman, designed to provide quick, binding, and impartial resolution of tenant complaints. The Ombudsman will have the power to compel landlords to apologise, provide information, take remedial action, or pay compensation.

In addition, a new Private Rented Sector Database will be created. Landlords will be required to register and demonstrate compliance with their legal obligations, providing better transparency for tenants and helping local authorities target enforcement.

It's expected that these will be introduced after the other provisions have started.

What's Next?

The changes will happen in phases with the end of the Section 21 'no fault' evictions part of the first changes, with phase two introducing the Private Landlord Ombudsman and the Private Rented Sector Database. The database will be rolled out in two stages and the need for landlords to sign up will be staggered by areas across England.

The Decent Homes Standard and introducing Awwab’s Law into the PRS will be the last element of the Renters’ Rights Act to be implemented with the former coming in last with no date yet for implementation, while the Decent Homes Standard will come in between 2035 and 2037.