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Having received Royal Assent at the end of October 2025, the Government recently announced when the, long-awaited, Renters' Rights Act 2025 (the Act) will come into force.
Since it had its first reading in parliament back in September 2024, both landlords and tenants in the private rented sector (PRS) have been waiting for this news.
England's 11 million private renters have been granted, what the Government has said, is the most significant increase to their rights in a generation.
The Government's intention is to introduce the Act in three phases.
When will the Renters' Rights Act come into force?
The Act comes into force on 1 May 2026 and will apply to both new and existing tenancies.
Although from 27 December 2025, local authorities will be given stronger powers to carry out property inspections and enforce housing standards.
How?
Phase 1
Under the first phase from 1 May 2026 changes are:-
- Section 21 'no fault' evictions will be abolished. Landlords will no longer be able to serve notice under section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 to evict tenants.
- To gain possession, landlords will need to rely on the expanded
grounds under section 8 of the Housing Act 1988 which include:-
- Selling the property
- The landlord (or a close family member) is moving into the property
- Redevelopment
- Serious rent arrears
- An introduction of Assured Periodic Tenancies in the PRS with tenancies automatically becoming open-ended.
- Tenants will be able to give two months' notice to end their tenancy.
- Rent increases will be limited to once a year.
- There will be a ban on rental 'bidding' and no more than 1 months' rent can be requested in advance.
- It will be illegal for landlords to discriminate against tenants with children and against those who are in receipt of benefits.
- Tenants will have strengthened rights to keep a pet.
Phase 2
Starting in late 2026, phase 2 will be introduced in two key stages.
- Stage 1:-
- Roll-out of the PSR database; it will be mandatory for PSR landlords to register on the database and pay an annual fee which is likely to include landlord's contact details, property details and the statutory safety certificates. The Government will provide more information closer to its launch.
- Stage 2:-
- Public access of the database will be enabled; and
- Introduction of the (mandatory) PRS Landlord Ombudsman which will provide a redress service for PRS tenants and give guidance and training on handling tenant complaints.
Phase 3
The Government will introduce a Decent Homes Standard for the PRS and will review the Housing Health and Safety Rating System as well as extending Awaab's Law to remove poor quality homes.
The Government is currently considering responses to its consultation and will announce details of the standards and confirm the implementation timeline as soon as possible.
Conclusion
Whilst the start date has been announced, the Government still needs to introduce secondary legislation to abolish 'no fault' evictions and implement the Assured Periodic Tenancies.
It is clear there will be an adjustment period and private landlords and tenants are advised to review their position in an attempt to understand the new system early.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
