The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 will reshape many aspects of the landlord lifecycle in England, affecting how rental properties are marketed, let, and managed. With the Government confirming a three-phase implementation timetable, landlords need to prepare themselves and their properties ahead of Phase one, coming into effect on 1 May 2026.
From preparing yourself and your property to let and securing a tenant, right through to managing and ending a tenancy, a lot of rules are going to change.
Here, we’ve summarised the 12 key changes in the Act and how the rules will change within the different stages of the lifecycle of being a landlord.
Currently, England is the only country in the UK that doesn’t require landlords to be licensed or registered, but this will change under the Renters’ Rights Act.
A new national digital Private Rented Sector Database will be created, which will:
Landlords will be legally required to register themselves and their properties.
Find out more in our blog, ‘What’s the new Private Rented Sector Database and how does it work?’.
While letting agents have to belong to either Property Redress or The Property Ombudsman, there is currently no such requirement for landlords.
The Act introduces a new Private Rented Sector landlord ombudsman, which all private landlords in England with assured or regulated tenancies will be required by law to join including those who use a managing agent. The Government has announced that the new Landlord Ombudsman and Private Renter Sector Database will come into effect late 2026, as part of phase two of the implementation roadmap.
The new ombudsman will:
This change is expected to reduce the number of cases escalating into lengthy and costly legal proceedings.
Find out more in our blog, ‘How will the new Private Rented Sector Ombudsman work?’.
Landlords already have a legal obligation to keep their rental property safe and free from health hazards, in line with the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018. As such, responsible landlords and agents carry out risk assessments and to make sure they mitigate the hazards outlined in the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS).
The Act strengthens and clarifies these obligations by introducing a Decent Homes Standard to the private rented sector. This will require landlords to check that their rented properties meet specific minimum health and safety standards. Every home will need to be in a reasonable state of repair, contain modern facilities, and provide a warm, dry, and secure living environment.
The aim of the Decent Homes Standard is to improve housing quality and reduce the number of properties falling below acceptable standards. If a property fails to meet the requirements of the Decent Homes Standard, the local council will have the power to issue an improvement notice. This will formally require the landlord to carry out necessary works within a specified timeframe, failure to comply with such a notice could result in a civil penalty or criminal prosecution.
Find out more in our blog, ‘What’s the Decent Homes Standard?’.
Getting everything in place ready to let a property can seem like a huge task and a legal minefield, so we’ve put together an ‘Ultimate guide to preparing your property to let’ covering all the essential points
Some landlords and letting agents still refuse to consider applications from tenants who have children or who receive benefits. Although this practice is already recognised as a form of indirect discrimination under equality law and should therefore be avoided, the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 goes further by making such “blanket bans” explicitly illegal.
Under the new legislation, landlords and agents will no longer be able to state or imply that tenants with children or those in receipt of benefits are not welcome to apply for a tenancy. Instead, all applications must be assessed fairly on an individual basis, taking into account the applicant’s suitability rather than their family circumstances or financial situation.
Find out more in our blog, ‘Are ‘no DSS’ tenant blanket bans and discrimination against families being outlawed?’.
As the supply of rental accommodation has failed to keep up with demand across much of the country in recent years, it has become common for tenants to get into bidding wars. The result is that the successful tenant is often simply the one who can afford to pay the most, and the final agreed rent is sometimes far above the original advertised price.
The Act introduces greater protection for tenants and places some control on rents by outlawing bidding wars. Landlords and letting agents will be legally required to publish an asking rent for their property, and banned from asking for, encouraging, or accepting any bids above this price.
Find out more in our blog, ‘What’s happening with rent rises and bidding wars?’
The new Act will prohibit blanket “no pets” clauses in tenancy agreements. Under this legislation, landlords will no longer be able to refuse pets without providing reasonable grounds for doing so. Decisions must be considered on a case by case basis, with valid reasons for refusal including the landlord’s headlease prohibiting pets or the property being too small for the size or type of pet. If a tenant disagrees with the landlord’s decision, they have the right to challenge it. Complaints can be raised with the private rented sector ombudsman or if necessary, pursued through the courts.
Earlier drafts of the Act allowed landlords to require tenants to take out pet insurance. However, this provision has since been removed. With landlords no longer able to impose blanket bans on pets or insist on tenant insurance, it becomes especially important for landlords to make their own arrangements to protect their property from potential damage.
Total Landlord offers pet damage protection as an optional add-on to our landlord insurance policies for both new and existing customers. This extension provides cover of up to £2,500 for damage to either the building or its contents and applies to up to three pets. Unlike most pet damage policies, Total Landlord’s product covers both one-off accidental events during the tenancy, and gradual wear and tear caused by pets over time, giving landlords comprehensive protection throughout the tenancy.
Find out more in our blog, ‘What landlords need to know about pets and insurance’ and read ‘Eight surprising reasons why you need landlord insurance’.
Whether you’re letting out one or two properties or managing a buy to let portfolio, you’ll need to plan how to market and advertise your rental property to find and keep the best tenants. We’ve identified seven steps to your rental property marketing so that you attract and retain your ideal tenants.
Assured shorthold tenancy agreements (ASTs) will disappear and every tenancy will become periodic.
Find out more in our blog, ‘How are rental tenancies changing?’.
Awaab’s Law came into effect on 27 October 2025. Originally introduced for social housing, it now applies to the private rented sector. The legislation is named after Awaab Ishak, a two year-old boy who tragically died in 2020 from a respiratory condition caused by prolonged exposure to damp and mould in his home.
Under this law, landlords are required to investigate and resolve reported health and safety hazards within strict timeframes. Emergency hazards must be investigated within 24 hours, while potential hazards must be addressed within 10 days. Failure to comply may result in civil penalties or legal enforcement action by the local authority.
Find out more in our blog, ‘What is Awaab’s Law?’.
The way landlords can legally increase rents will change. Currently, rent rises can be written into rental agreements, and rents can be increased if tenants agree. However, under the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, landlords will only be able to increase rent once per year, and solely by serving a Section 13 notice. This notice must set out the proposed new rent, reflect the current market rate, and give tenants at least two months’ notice before the increase takes effect. Any other form of rent increase, such as through rent review clauses in tenancy agreements, will no longer be permitted.
If a tenant believes the proposed rent exceeds the market rate, they can challenge it at the First-tier Tribunal, which will determine what the fair market rent should be. The Tribunal cannot set a rent higher than the landlord’s proposal, and any increase will only apply from the date of the Tribunal’s decision, not retrospectively. This means tenants may be more inclined to challenge rent increases, as there would be no financial risk for tenants in making a challenge.
The Labour government has also confirmed that it does not plan to introduce rent caps, as has happened in Scotland.
Find out more in our blog, ‘What’s happening with rent rises and bidding wars?’
Local councils can currently issue civil penalties of up to £30,000 to landlords who breach certain lettings regulations.
Under the Act:
In the original draft of the Act, it was proposed that Rent Repayment Orders (RROs) should be extended to superior landlords and the maximum penalty increased from 12 to 24 months’ rent. At the third reading in the Commons, an amendment was accepted that RROs could be made against any landlord in the chain, irrespective of which landlord receives the rent.
Find out more in our blog, ‘What are the new powers being given to local councils?’.
With over 400 separate rules and regulations, and potentially huge penalties for breaking the law, you have to be able to manage your rental professionally if you want to make and hold on to good returns. Read our ‘Ultimate landlord’s guide to rental property management’ for detailed guidance and advice.
Currently, landlords can end a tenancy after the fixed term or during a periodic tenancy by issuing a Section 21 notice, which gives tenants two months’ notice and does not require any reason for eviction. However, under the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions will be abolished. This means that all evictions will instead need to proceed under Section 8, where landlords must provide a valid legal reason for seeking possession.
Landlords will be required to demonstrate one or more lawful grounds for eviction, such as rent arrears, antisocial behaviour, selling the property, or moving back in themselves. If the tenant refuses to vacate, landlords will need to apply to the court for possession.
It is important to note that 30 April 2026 is the last day landlords will be able to use Section 21 notices. Additionally, the Government has confirmed that any assured shorthold tenancy starting on or after 1 January 2026 cannot be ended using a Section 21 notice.
Find out more in our blog, ‘What’s happening to evictions and Section 21?’.
While the expanded grounds will make sure that landlords can regain possession of their properties when it is reasonable to do so, many minimum notice periods have been increased. This is to give tenants more time to find a new home and reduce the risk of them becoming homeless.
Three of the most significant upcoming changes:
Landlords will still be able to bring proceedings to evict a tenant at any point if they have breached their tenancy, for instance, if they have committed antisocial behaviour or are damaging the property.
See the bottom of this section of the government guidance for more detail on the proposed new grounds and notice periods.
Our ‘Ultimate end of tenancy checklist for landlords’ covers the steps you need to take to make sure you are complying with the law when bringing a tenancy to an end and maximising your chances of having the smoothest possible transition from one tenancy to the next.
You can access more detailed information on the Renters’ Rights Act and stay up to date with the latest changes via our Renters’ Rights Act hub and linked articles on all the provisions in the Act.
We have also created a series of guides on the tenancy lifecycle, the ‘Ultimate guide to the landlord lifecycle: How to be a landlord’, which takes you through the different stages being a landlord and signposts you to all our ultimate guides. You will find comprehensive information on topics from creating an investment strategy and preparing your property to let, to tenant referencing, inventory management tenancy deposit protection and managing the property during the tenancy.
