Landlord guide · England
The biggest change to private renting in England in more than thirty years. The Act became law on 27 October 2025 and its main rules have applied since 1 May 2026: no more fixed terms, no more section 21, and new limits on rent rises. A landlord register, an ombudsman and new housing standards follow. Here is what has changed, what is still coming, and what it means for your property.
Checked 4 November 2026.
Fixed terms and section 21 end. Every assured shorthold tenancy becomes a rolling assured tenancy. New rules on possession, rent increases, bidding, rent in advance, discrimination and pets all start.
Landlords with written tenancies in place on 30 April had to give each tenant the government's Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet by this date.
The private rented sector database, called the ‘register your rental property’ service, is rolled out region by region. Registration becomes compulsory in each region as it opens, with an annual fee.
Fixed deadlines for investigating and fixing serious hazards such as damp and mould, extended from social housing to private lets. The government consulted on this in October 2026.
Every private landlord must join the new ombudsman, whose decisions are binding. The government has promised notice before membership becomes compulsory.
A minimum standard for repair, facilities, heating and hazards applies to private rented homes for the first time.
The Act changes the risk in every buy-to-let. Start by knowing what yours actually earns.
Read →Almost every private let in England. A few kinds of letting sit outside the Act.
Read →Every tenancy now rolls month to month. The tenant can leave on two months' notice.
Read →Section 21 has gone. You need a ground, the right notice, and often a court order.
Read →Once a year, by section 13 notice, and the tenant can take it to tribunal.
Read →No bidding wars, no big upfront payments, and no blanket bans on families or benefits.
Read →Tenants can ask to keep a pet. You must answer within 28 days and need a good reason to say no.
Read →Every landlord and property must be registered, and every landlord must join an ombudsman.
Read →Fines of up to £7,000 a breach, up to £40,000 for repeat breaches, and repayment of up to two years' rent.
Read →Deadlines for fixing hazards are coming to private lets, then a minimum standard in 2035.
Read →Short answers on possession, rent, deposits, pets, the register and whether to sell.
Read →First-tier Tribunal cases where the rent was set below what the tenant was already paying.
Read →Add your property and LEXIT shows what it leaves you after costs, mortgage and tax for each of the next ten years, including the April 2027 tax rates, and what a sale would leave you.
General information about the law in England, checked on 4 November 2026. It is not legal advice. Rules and dates can change, and individual cases turn on their facts.
Sources: GOV.UK: Guide to the Renters' Rights Act; GOV.UK: Implementation roadmap; GOV.UK: Repossessing your property on or after 1 May 2026; Renters' Rights Act 2025 on legislation.gov.uk.