Blog How the Renters’ Rights Act has changed renting forever On May 1st 2026, private renting changed. Late last year, the Renters’ Rights Act was passed into law by Parliament. Our partners at the Renters’ Reform Coalition have described the Act as “the most significant reform of the English private rented sector in more than a generation”, and now some of its main provisions are coming into effect. Here’s what that means in practice: What’s changed for renters Increased tenancy security The most significant change is the end of Section 21 evictions. Previously, landlords could evict tenants without giving any reason, but now they will need to give a valid reason for a legal eviction to take place: for example, the tenant not paying rent, or the landlord wanting to sell the property. One of the benefits of this is that renters living in sub-standard conditions can file a complaint without worrying as much about getting an eviction notice in response. You can find out more about Section 21 and why it was banned by reading one of our previous blog posts. A related change is that tenancies are no longer fixed-term, and will automatically be ‘rolling’ – with the tenant needing to give two months of notice as standard to leave. Fewer rent increases and more restrictions Within a tenancy, landlords can now only raise rents once each year. It can only be to “the market rate” and they must give two months of notice. If a tenant thinks that the increase is unfair, they can challenge it at a ‘First-Tier Tribunal’, which will cost £47, and which cannot lead to the rent being higher than what the landlord asked for. More pet rights Renters now have the legal right to request keeping a pet in their home. The landlord will then usually have 28 days to respond to the request in writing, and cannot say no without a good reason (eg because of an allergy or if the property is not suitable). Previously, landlords had no obligation to provide any reason and it was very difficult for people with pets to find anywhere to rent. Empowerment of prospective tenants The amount of money that landlords can ask for up-front is now capped at one-month’s rent (previously there was no limit), and ‘bidding wars’ are banned – the landlord needs to include what the rent is when advertising a property, and they are not allowed to accept anything higher than that amount. Importantly, it is also now illegal to refuse to rent to someone just because they are receiving benefits or because they have children. What hasn’t changed for renters Rent will keep going up On a less positive note, it is unclear how effective the First-Tier Tribunal system will be at stopping rent increases from being unaffordable, and it is very likely that private rents will continue to rise at a rapid rate. This lessens the positive impact on renters’ security, as an unaffordable rent increase is effectively no different to an eviction. Because of this, organisations like the Renters’ Reform Coalition advocate for clear legal limits on how much rent can be increased within a tenancy. We looked at the arguments for and against these kinds of policies in a blog post a few months ago. Landlord accountability challenges It’s not clear whether much has changed in practice for tenants who have been mistreated by their landlord or are living in poor quality conditions (apart from being less worried about being evicted if they make a complaint). On paper, councils have been given more powers to hold criminal landlords to account, but much more resourcing is needed for them to actually be able to make use of all of these new powers. What’s still to come The Renters’ Rights Act included a number of other things that have not yet been introduced, such as: A database of private rented properties An Ombudsman for private rental issues to be resolved without going to court Extending Awaab’s Law to private rented housing, which currently obliges social landlords to address damp and mould issues within clear timeframes Applying the Decent Homes Standard to private rented housing The government has said that the database and Ombudsman will both start to be introduced "from late 2026". Currently there is no clear commitment about the extension of Awaab’s Law, but it has been suggested that it might be made in 2027. A new Decent Homes Standard was published earlier this year following a consultation, but unfortunately it will only apply from 2035, which is far longer away than we initially hoped. What needs to happen next Despite its shortcomings, the Renters’ Rights Act and end of Section 21 represents a genuine step forward that should be celebrated. However, in order to make a real meaningful impact, it needs to be seen as the first step and something to be built upon, not the end of the story. Giving local authorities a lot more resources for enforcement would make a big difference, ensuring that there are consequences for landlords who break the law and that tenants living in awful conditions have more options. Most impactful would be if the Act’s provisions were accompanied by an urgent plan to improve the affordability of private rents, as well as significantly expanding the supply of social housing. This would give tenants true security, directly tackle the housing crisis, and help to reduce homelessness going forwards. Manage Cookie Preferences
