The Renters’ Rights Bill 2025 represents the most significant reform of the private rented sector in decades. With the bulk of the Act due to be implemented on 1 May 2026, landlords, tenants and agents alike must begin preparing now for a fundamentally different landscape.
This article provides a practical overview of the key changes and what they mean in real terms.
Renters Rights Bill implementation timeline
1 May 2026
- Abolition of the ability to serve no fault Section 21 notices
- Reform of Section 8 grounds
- New notice periods and financial penalties will apply
Late 2026
- Private Rented Sector Database
- Landlord Ombudsman Scheme
- Extension of Awaab’s Law to the private sector
Assured Shorthold Tenancies (ASTs) may continue beyond May 2026 only where a valid Section 21 has already been served and is not time-barred, or proceedings have been issued.
Court reform
Despite widespread concern, the Government has confirmed:
- No increase in sitting days or possession lists at implementation
- Court performance will be “monitored”
Currently, it takes about 8–12 weeks to reach a possession hearing. If this rises to 15–18 weeks, additional sitting days may be considered, but only after sufficient data has been gathered.
In practice:
- Every possession claim will now require a hearing due to the abolition of Section 21 notices
- A significant court backlog is anticipated
- Delays are likely to worsen before improving
Abolition of Section 21 and fixed-term tenancies
From 1 May 2026
- All Section 21 evictions are abolished
- All new tenancies will be periodic
- No new ASTs can be created
12-month protection period
Tenants will benefit from a 12-month protection period at the start of a tenancy, during which certain grounds (such as landlord moving in or selling) cannot be used.
Important clarifications
- This protection only applies to new tenancies or those less than 12 months old
- The twelve months does not reset on implementation
- Example: a tenancy starting in December 2025 is protected until December 2026
After the protection period
- A termination notice can be served
- Notice can be served at month 8 to expire at month 12
Tenant notice to terminate
The current six-month minimum term is removed.
Tenants may:
- Serve notice from day one of the tenancy
- In practice, this could create a two-month tenancy
This significantly reduces security for landlords.
Grounds for possession – key changes
Amended Ground 1 – landlord or family occupation
- Extended to include wider family members, not just a spouse
- No requirement that the landlord or family has previously lived in the property
- No requirement to notify the tenant before the tenancy begins
- Cannot be used within the first 12 months
- Notice period increased to 4 months
New Ground 1A – intention to sell
- Applies once outside the 12-month protection period
- Cannot be used within the first 12 months (unless compulsory purchase)
- Restriction: the property cannot be re-let for 12 months if it does not sell
- It is suggested that landlords will need to log sales activity on the future database
- 4 months’ notice required
Amended Ground 6 - redevelopment
Landlords can at present seek possession if they wish to reconstruct or demolish the property, or carry out substantial works, but the tenant being in occupation prevents this.
This ground cannot be exercised within the first 6 months, unless compulsory purchase applies
Amended Ground 8 – rent arrears
- Threshold increased to 3 months’ arrears
- 4 months’ notice up from 2 months’ notice required
- Universal Credit (UC) payments:
- Late UC payments are excluded from arrears calculations
- Landlords bear the risk of UC delays
New Ground 4A – student accommodation
- Applies only to HMOs meeting the “student test” – a student is defined as someone in full-time education
- Cannot be used for non-HMO student lets e.g. a let without a proper HMO license
- Must inform students before the tenancy that the ground may be relied upon
- Notice must be served during the ‘relevant date’ so it expires between 1 June and 30 September
- Notice period increased to 4 months
- Many student landlords may need to serve precautionary notices annually
- Risk: if students do not vacate, possession may not be obtained before the next academic year so a landlord could miss out on a new tenant.
Deposit protection and prescribed information
- Deposit must be protected before any Section 8 notice can be served
- Late protection is now curable:
- Landlords can protect the deposit and serve prescribed information late
- No need to return the deposit
- EPCs, “How to Rent” guides and other prescribed information will need to be registered on the new database
Notice periods and penalties
- Most notice periods are doubled
- Where breaches occur, penalties can apply in accordance with the below:
- Up to £40,000 under civil penalties
- Criminal sanctions also apply
New landlord duties (and agent liability)
Landlords and their agents (potentially including solicitors) must comply with new statutory duties, including:
- Providing a written statement of terms within 28 days
- Ending tenancies only using prescribed forms
- No verbal terminations or notices to quit
- Notices may only be served where there is an objectively reasonable belief that possession will be obtained
Post-possession restrictions (Grounds 1 & 1A)
For 12 months after possession:
- The property must not be re-let, licensed or marketed
- Each act of marketing is a separate breach
Financial and criminal consequences
- Up to £7,000 per breach where a tenant leaves within 4 months of a breach
- Up to £40,000 civil penalty
- Criminal liability could also apply
- Company officers and partners may be personally liable so it is crucial to seek legal advice
Rent, rent bidding and increases
- Landlords must state rent clearly and avoid bidding wars
- Breach can attract a £7,000 fine
- Rent can only be increased once per year through serving a proper notice
- All rent review clauses in current agreements become ineffective
- Rent in advance limited to one month only
Pets and discrimination
- Tenants have a right to request a pet
- Refusal must be reasonable
- Blanket pet bans are unlikely to be lawful unless required by superior lease terms
- Landlords cannot require pet insurance
- Discrimination against tenants with children or on benefits may attract fines of up to £7,000
Private Rented Sector database
- A New mandatory registration for landlords
- Landlords in breach of the duty to register on the database will not be able to get a possession order except if the ground under which possession is sought is ground 7A or ground 14 (tenant anti-social behaviour)
- EPCs and Gas Safety Certificates must be uploaded
- False information may lead to fines of £40,000 or criminal conviction
- Section 8 notices cannot be served unless database requirements are met
- Registration fees expected (details pending)
- Local councils will be able to take enforcement action against private landlords who fail to join the PRS Database.
If a landlord lets or advertises a property without it first being registered on the database, they can be issued with a civil penalty of up to £7,000 by the local council. If a landlord repeatedly breaches the requirement, or commits a serious offence such as providing fraudulent information to the database, they may be issued with a civil penalty of up to £40,000 or face criminal prosecution.
Currently, there is a lack of clarity around what information on the database will be available to the public, but there is some commentary that whatever is made available will probably relate to property standards and offences by the landlord, so that tenants can make an informed decision before deciding to rent a property.
Landlord Ombudsman Scheme
- Compulsory registration to let, market or sell property
- Binding dispute resolution for tenants
- Repeat breaches within 5 years lead to harsher penalties
- Landlords must register as soon as the scheme opens
Decent Homes Standard and Awaab’s Law
- Extended to the private rented sector
- Focus on damp and mould initially
- Strict timescales:
- Emergency hazards: 24 hours
- Damp/mould: investigate in 10 days, repairs started in 5 days
- Temporary accommodation may be required
- Landlords may face civil claims for damages
Final thoughts
The Renters’ Rights Bill 2025 places significantly greater responsibility, risk and liability on landlords and their advisers, while strengthening tenant protections across the board.
Preparation, compliance and careful handling of possession matters will be critical well before and after 1 May 2026.
This information is for guidance purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. We recommend you seek legal advice before acting on any information given.
