Renters’ Rights Act: What landlords need to know

The Renters’ Rights Act, which came into force on 1 May 2026, applies to all private landlords with rental properties in England.

Dubbed as the biggest shake-up in private renting for 30 years, the new rules bring sweeping changes to the rental sector, providing much stronger rights for tenants.

The onus is on landlords to understand and adhere to the regulations. Where a private landlord is using a letting agent to manage their rental properties, the responsibility lies with the landlord to ensure the agent is fully compliant with the law.

Landlords must send a copy of the government-provided Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 to all named tenants, either in the post, by handing it to them in person, or as a PDF attachment in an email or text message, by 31 May 2026. This sheet can be downloaded from the government website.

If you are a landlord and have a letting agent who manages the property on your behalf, then the agent must provide the information sheet to the tenant as well, even if you have also provided it.

Failure to do this on time, or in the specific way outlined by the government, could lead to a fine of up to £7,000.

In addition, if a landlord has never provided a written record of the tenancy agreement to their existing tenants, they must now do so in writing.

Landlords with concerns about compliance with the new laws are being urged to get in touch with their letting agent, or seek professional legal advice from a specialist.

Summary of the new rules for landlords:

• Fixed term tenancies, such as contracts lasting 12 months for example, are banned. Properties must now only be let on a rolling basis. 
  Tenants can leave by giving two months’ notice.
• Landlords must give a minimum of four months’ notice if they need a tenant to leave. They must have a valid legal reason for this, such as wanting to sell or move into the property themselves. There are a small number of exceptions to the four months’ notice rule, such as where a tenant is in significant arrears, or there has been anti-social behaviour. Different rules can sometimes also apply on properties let to students, so landlords are advised to read the specific government guidance.
• No-fault evictions (known as section 21 evictions), where a landlord could evict without giving a reason, are banned.
• A landlord can only increase the rent on a property once a year, and there must be two months’ written notice of the change.
• Bidding wars on a rental property are illegal. It means a landlord can’t rent a property for more than the original advertised rate. The landlord also can’t ask for more than one month’s rent upfront before the tenancy begins.
• Landlords must not do anything to make it less likely a tenant will rent their property (or prevent a tenant renting their property) if they have children or are in receipt of benefits.
• Landlords must consider a tenant’s request for a pet and cannot ‘unreasonably’ refuse. If they refuse the request, a valid reason must be given.

The changes brought in with the Act will apply to private registered providers of social housing in England from October 2027. 

There will be further rules and features of the Renters’ Rights Act which will be implemented for private landlords later this year. These include a private rented sector (PRS) landlord database. Private landlords will be required by law to sign up to the database and pay the annual fee to be registered. An independent PRS ombudsman will also be established.