The Renters’ Rights Bill received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025 and is now the Renters’ Rights Act 2025. The first phase of implementation began on 1 May 2026, marking the most significant reshaping of the private rented sector in England since the Housing Act 1988, with major changes now in force for landlords, tenants, and letting agents.

• Abolition of Section 21 and periodic tenancies: Fixed-term assured shorthold tenancies have been removed, with all tenancies now periodic. Section 21 “no-fault” evictions have ended, meaning landlords must rely on legitimate legal grounds such as rent arrears, selling the property, or moving back in.
• Fair rent rules: Rent increases are limited to once per year via a Section 13 notice, with two months’ notice required and the right for tenants to challenge excessive increases through a tribunal process.
• Private Rented Sector Ombudsman and digital database: A PRS Ombudsman and national property database are being rolled out in stages over the coming years, giving tenants a formal route for complaints and giving councils better oversight of landlords.
• Decent Homes Standard and Awaab’s Law: Minimum property standards are being extended into the private rental sector on a phased timeline, requiring landlords to address hazards such as damp and mould within defined timeframes.
• Right to keep pets and anti-discrimination rules: Landlords must reasonably consider pet requests and can no longer impose blanket bans on tenants with children or those receiving benefits.
• Ban on rent bidding: Landlords and agents are prohibited from asking for or accepting offers above the advertised rental price.

What this means in practice

With Phase 1 now in force, every existing tenancy has automatically converted to the new periodic system, and any possession must go through the correct statutory grounds and notice periods. Further stages — including the national database and Ombudsman scheme — will continue to roll out over the next few years, so this is an area that will keep evolving rather than settling once and for all.

Letting agents are no longer simply intermediaries. The legislation places direct responsibility on agents for compliance failures, including missing documentation, licensing breaches, and safety standard violations, and agents will need to verify that landlords and properties are properly registered as the database comes online.

Many smaller landlords are finding it hard to keep on top of the pace of change, making experienced, up-to-date professional guidance more important than ever.

How letting agents can support landlords

• Monitoring legislative changes as they come into force and keeping documentation, licences, and safety requirements compliant.
• Making sure existing tenancies have correctly transitioned to periodic agreements and that any possession is handled on the right statutory grounds.
• Managing rent reviews, Section 13 notices, and tenant appeals correctly and efficiently.
• Registering properties on the PRS database and liaising with the Ombudsman scheme as each stage rolls out.
• Keeping marketing processes and tenancy agreements compliant with the rental bidding ban and pet ownership rules.

With penalties for non-compliance continuing to rise and further stages of the Act still to come into force, working with a qualified and proactive letting agent is one of the safest ways to navigate the changing rental landscape.

At Hood Homes, keeping up to date with rental legislation, compliance requirements and changing market conditions is built into how we manage every property — so our landlords never have to navigate these changes alone.