General information, not legal advice. Rules change; check the current position for your property.

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 changes how private renting works in England. Its first and largest phase came into force on 1 May 2026. More follows over the next few years: a national landlord database, a landlord ombudsman, a Decent Homes Standard for private homes, and deadlines for fixing dangerous hazards. Here is what is in force, what is coming, and what we do to help.

What changed on 1 May 2026

Assured shorthold tenancies became assured periodic tenancies, and new tenancies are periodic too: a tenancy agreement can no longer have an end date (GOV.UK)
Section 21 "no fault" evictions ended. A landlord needs a legal ground for possession and must serve a section 8 notice, usually with four months' notice (GOV.UK)
A landlord cannot use the selling or moving-in grounds in the first 12 months of a tenancy (GOV.UK)
Rent can go up only once a year, using Form 4A with at least two months' notice, and tenants can challenge an increase above the open market rent (GOV.UK)
Landlords must publish an asking rent and cannot invite or accept offers above it (GOV.UK)
Rent in advance is limited: no more than one month's rent can be asked for upfront (implementation roadmap)
Tenants can ask to keep a pet, and a landlord can refuse only with a valid reason (GOV.UK)
Landlords cannot discriminate against applicants who have children or receive benefits (GOV.UK)

Landlords with existing written tenancies had to give each tenant the government's Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet by 31 May 2026. Where a tenancy was agreed only verbally, the landlord had to give a written statement of its terms instead (GOV.UK). If you have not done this, speak to your letting agent or a solicitor now.

Penalties

Councils can fine a landlord up to £7,000 for breaches such as failing to give the required written information, or using an invalid notice. For more serious offences, such as re-letting within 12 months after using the selling or moving-in ground, the fine can be up to £40,000 as an alternative to prosecution (GOV.UK enforcement guidance). A tenant can also be awarded a rent repayment order of up to 2 years of rent (GOV.UK).

What is coming

The landlord database. Every private landlord will have to register themselves and their properties on a national database, and pay an annual fee that has not yet been announced. Registration will include safety information such as gas, electrical and EPC details (implementation roadmap). The database launches on 15 December 2026, starting in the West Midlands and reaching other areas over the following year. When your area is called, you will have 3 months to register, and every landlord letting a property must be registered by 14 November 2027 (GOV.UK).

The landlord ombudsman. Landlords will have to join a new ombudsman service, which will handle tenants' complaints. The government expects membership to become mandatory in 2028 (implementation roadmap).

The Decent Homes Standard. For the first time, privately rented homes will have to meet the Decent Homes Standard. The government intends it to apply from 2035. It covers serious hazards, the state of repair, kitchens and bathrooms, heating and energy efficiency, and a new requirement that homes be free of damp and mould. Councils will enforce it (policy statement).

Awaab's Law. Awaab's Law sets legal deadlines for landlords to investigate and fix dangerous hazards such as damp and mould. It already applies to social housing. The government is consulting, from 9 October 2026 to 18 December 2026, on extending it to private tenancies. Its starting proposals include investigating a possible hazard within 10 working days and making emergency hazards safe within 24 hours. The start date for private landlords has not been set (consultation).

The certificates that still apply

The new Act sits on top of the safety duties landlords already have. In England:

A gas safety check every year by a Gas Safe registered engineer, with the record given to the tenant (HSE)
An electrical installation condition report (EICR) at least every 5 years, with a copy given to the tenant (GOV.UK)
A smoke alarm on every storey used as living accommodation, and a carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a fixed combustion appliance other than a gas cooker (GOV.UK)
A valid EPC at band E or above, rising to band C by 1 October 2030 (GOV.UK)

Our compliance tracking

We do not give legal advice, serve notices or run tenancies. What we do is keep the property side of compliance in order, so that you, your agent or your solicitor can rely on it.

Every certificate stored in your portal with its date and expiry, shown plainly as in date, renewal due or past expiry
Renewals booked before they fall due: gas safety, EICR, alarms, EPC and the rest
Repairs logged with the date reported, the date attended and photographs, the kind of dated record that matters once deadlines for fixing hazards apply
Gas, electrical and EPC details kept together, ready for when your area opens for database registration
A monthly owner report, in English or Arabic