Renters rights act guide for landlords - what changed on 1 May 2026
Phase 1 of the Act commenced on 1 May 2026 and applied to existing tenancies as well as new ones - there was no grandfathering. The core changes:
- Assured shorthold tenancies abolished - every AST converted automatically to a periodic assured tenancy; fixed terms can no longer be created
- Section 21 abolished - the no-fault route is closed; transitional Section 21 notices served before commencement expired for court purposes on 31 July 2026
- Tenant notice - tenants can leave with two months’ notice at any time; landlords recover possession only through the reformed Section 8 grounds
- Prescribed information sheet - landlords had to serve the government information sheet on all existing tenants; missing it is a civil penalty of up to £7,000
- Advance rent capped - no more than one month’s rent can be taken before a tenancy begins, and rent in advance demands are banned
- Rental bidding banned - the advertised rent is the maximum you may accept
Section 21 abolition rules UK - how possession works now
The section 21 abolition rules UK landlords must work within do not mean possession is impossible - they mean possession now needs a ground. The reformed Section 8 regime includes strengthened mandatory grounds: selling the property (not usable in the first 12 months of a tenancy, four months’ notice), the landlord or close family moving in (same protections), redevelopment, and rent arrears - with the mandatory arrears threshold now three months and four weeks’ notice. Antisocial behaviour grounds were strengthened and act faster.
The practical shift for landlords is evidential: every possession now runs through the court with a ground to prove, so record-keeping - arrears schedules, notices served, condition reports - has moved from good practice to the difference between winning and losing possession.
Periodic tenancy rules UK - running lets without fixed terms
The periodic tenancy rules UK landlords now operate under change portfolio economics in quieter ways. Tenants can serve two months’ notice from day one - so the “guaranteed” 12-month term is gone, and void-risk modelling matters more. Rent increases run once a year through the Section 13 procedure with two months’ notice, and tenants can challenge them at the First-tier Tribunal. Deposits, gas safety, EICRs, and deposit protection all continue unchanged - the Act layered onto existing duties rather than replacing them.
The renters rights act compliance checklist
The renters rights act compliance checklist below is what we walk portfolio clients through - each item is either already enforceable or lands later in 2026, and each missed item is a separate penalty.
Work through every property against this list:
- Prescribed information sheet served on every tenant - and proof of service filed
- All tenancy templates rebuilt for periodic assured tenancies - no fixed-term clauses
- Advertised rents honest - bidding above the advertised figure is banned
- Advance rent capped at one month - holding deposit rules unchanged
- Section 13 diary set - one rent review per property per year, two months’ notice
- Pet request procedure ready - 28-day written response, refusals only on reasonable grounds
- Possession evidence files live - arrears schedules, notices, inspection records
- PRS Database registration prepared for the late-2026 rollout - and Ombudsman scheme awareness
The renters rights act compliance checklist - information sheets, periodic tenancy templates, Section 13 diaries, and the evidence files that win possession cases.
What is still coming in late 2026
Phase 2 arrives later this year: the Private Rented Sector Database - a national landlord register every landlord must join before marketing a property - and the mandatory Landlord Ombudsman scheme, alongside the Decent Homes Standard being extended to the private sector and Awaab’s Law hazard timescales. Registration details, fees, and deadlines are covered in our companion guide to PRS database registration for landlords UK - preparing now beats scrambling at the deadline.
What the Act means for your finance
Lenders have absorbed the Act calmly - but underwriting has sharpened. Expect buy to let mortgage applications to probe compliance readiness, void assumptions, and arrears procedures, because possession timelines now affect security realisation. Well-run compliance is quietly becoming a pricing factor, and for portfolio landlords the whole-book review covered in our portfolio landlord rules UK guide now includes RRA readiness. Landlords selling down in response to the Act are also creating buying opportunities for those staying - funded, structured, and compliant.
Disclosure: Money Pilot Ltd (FRN: 968705) is an Appointed Representative of Yellow Stone Finance Group Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN: 814533). Yellow Stone Finance Group Ltd is a credit broker not a lender. Money Pilot Ltd is Registered in England and Wales No: 13621432. You should always make sure you are able to afford any repayments as late or missed payments can affect your credit rating and access to future finance.
YOUR PROPERTY MAY BE REPOSSESSED IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP REPAYMENTS ON A MORTGAGE OR ANY OTHER DEBT SECURED ON IT.
