Renters Rights Act 2025: new provisions to take effect from 1 May 2026

From the 1 May 2026, several important changes will take effect, including:

• Landlords in the private rented sector will no longer be able to use section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 to evict their tenants. Landlords will therefore only be able to evict tenants when they have a valid reason. However, possession grounds will be extended to make it easier for landlords to evict tenants who commit anti-social behaviour, or who are in serious persistent rent arrears.

• The vast majority of new tenancies and existing tenancies in the private rented sector will become assured periodic tenancies. This will mean that there will be no set end date on tenancies allowing for tenants to remain in their property for as long as they wish or until a landlord serves a valid section 8 notice.

• Landlords and letting agents will not be able to do anything to make a tenant less likely to rent a property (or prevent them from renting it) because they have children or receive benefits. This will include withholding information about a property (including its availability), stopping someone from viewing it, or refusing to grant a tenancy. Social landlords will likely welcome this change in the private rented sector, as it reinforces the standards they already follow.

• Rent increases in the private rented sector will be limited to once per year. Landlords will be required to follow the updated section 13 procedure and give tenants notice of their proposed rent increases at least 2 months before it takes effect and the reasoning behind the increase.

• Landlords will be obligated to consider tenants requests to rent with a pet. The Act will provide landlords an initial 28-day period to consider their tenants request, and they will have to provide valid reasons if they refuse it.

• Landlords will be prohibited from asking, encouraging, or accepting an offer that is higher than the advertised rent for a property.

• Civil penalties will be expanded, and there will be a new requirement for local councils to report on enforcement activity.

Whilst these first set of provisions will primarily affect the private rented sector; there is a clear theme amongst these changes which focuses around increasing the protection for tenants. These reforms will inevitably influence social housing policy over time.