What England landlords have to do under the Renters' Rights Act — in force, dated, and still TBC
Last verified: 24 August 2026, against the cited gov.uk, legislation.gov.uk and HSE sources. England only — Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have different rules.
The Renters' Rights Act 2025 (Royal Assent 27 October 2025; legislation.gov.uk, c. 26) brought its main tenancy reforms into force on 1 May 2026. Since then: Section 21 is abolished, every assured tenancy is periodic, rent rises only via a Section 13 notice on Form 4A, bidding is banned, at most one month's rent in advance, no blanket bans on children or benefits, pet requests cannot be unreasonably refused, and new tenancies need a written statement of terms before they start. Next comes the PRS database, opening area by area from late 2026 — every landlord and every property must register. The Act's penalty scale runs to £7,000 for a first or less serious breach and £40,000 for serious or repeated ones (gov.uk Guide to the Renters' Rights Act).
The full timeline — labelled honestly
Every row is labelled IN FORCE (applies today), DATED (announced with a date), or DATE TBC (announced, no date set).
| When | What | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1 May 2026 | Section 21 abolished; all assured tenancies periodic; possession only on Section 8 grounds | IN FORCE |
| 1 May 2026 | Rent rises only via Section 13 (Form 4A): 2 months' notice, once a year, tribunal challenge available | IN FORCE |
| 1 May 2026 | Bidding ban; one month's rent in advance max; no blanket bans on children/benefits; pet requests | IN FORCE |
| 1 May 2026 | Written statement of terms required before new tenancies | IN FORCE |
| 31 May 2026 | Deadline (now passed) to give existing tenants the official Information Sheet | IN FORCE |
| Ongoing | Gas (annual), EICR (5-yearly), EPC min E, alarms, deposit rules, Right to Rent, licensing | IN FORCE |
| Late 2026 → | PRS database registration opens, phased by area; national coverage expected during 2027 | DATED (per-area dates TBC) |
| By end 2026 | Consultation expected on extending Awaab's law to private tenancies | DATE TBC |
| Date TBC | PRS Landlord Ombudsman — mandatory membership, after the database | DATE TBC |
| 1 Oct 2030 | EPC C required for all private lets (new-style EPC metrics, £10,000 cost cap) | DATED |
| By 2035 | Decent Homes Standard applies to the PRS (2035 at the latest) | DATED |
Sources: gov.uk Guide to the Renters' Rights Act · Commencement No. 2 Regulations · Warm Homes Plan consultation response, 21 Jan 2026.
What changed on 1 May 2026, in practice
The tenancy itself. Fixed terms and assured shorthold tenancies are gone. Every assured tenancy — including ones that already existed — became periodic on 1 May 2026. Tenants can leave with two months' notice; landlords can only seek possession using a Section 8 ground. Possession now always depends on evidence — of arrears, of what was served and when, of your own compliance — which is why record-keeping is the practical heart of the new regime.
Rent increases. One lawful route: a Section 13 notice on Form 4A — at least 2 months' notice, no more than once a year; rent-review clauses in old agreements no longer operate. The tenant can refer the proposed rent to the First-tier Tribunal, which can set the market rent or your figure, whichever is lower (gov.uk assured tenancy forms). Always download the current Form 4A from gov.uk immediately before serving — prescribed forms get revised.
Advertising and taking on tenants. Bidding is banned — advertise a fixed rent and don't accept offers above it. At most one month's rent in advance. No blanket bans on tenants with children or on benefits. Pet requests cannot be unreasonably refused.
The paperwork duties. New tenancies from 1 May 2026 need a written statement of terms before the tenancy starts (superseding the old "How to Rent" handout). Tenancies that existed on 1 May 2026 needed the official Information Sheet by 31 May 2026 (gov.uk Information Sheet page). That deadline has passed — if you served yours, keep a record of when and how; if you didn't, read the official page and consider taking advice. Against the £7,000/£40,000 penalty scale, "I gave it to them at some point" is no longer a good enough record.
The PRS database — who registers, when, what happens if you don't
- Who: every private landlord in England, and every rental property individually. An agent can do it for you, but the legal duty is yours.
- When: phased, area by area, from late 2026, expected to reach all of England during 2027. Per-area dates come by secondary legislation — as of August 2026 no area list is law yet, so the honest status for most landlords today is "not open in my area yet — keep checking".
- What you'll provide: landlord and property details plus key compliance documents — gas safety record, EICR, EPC. Keep those current and registration day is a copy-paste job.
- Fee: an annual, per-property, cost-recovery fee. Amount TBC.
- If you don't register once your area is live: you cannot lawfully advertise or let the property; civil penalties up to £7,000, rising to £40,000 or prosecution for continued breaches; and — the part with real teeth — an unregistered landlord is blocked from obtaining most possession orders. With Section 21 gone, that closes essentially every door.
The certificate cadences you already had
None of these changed on 1 May 2026 — but the database and the penalty regime make the paper trail matter more than ever.
| Duty | Cadence / deadline | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Gas safety check (CP12) by a Gas Safe engineer | Every 12 months; record to existing tenants within 28 days, to new tenants before move-in; keep records 2 years | HSE |
| Electrical installation report (EICR) | At least every 5 years, or sooner if the report says so; copies to tenants within 28 days; remedial work has a 28-day clock | gov.uk |
| EPC | Valid EPC to let; lasts 10 years; minimum E today (£3,500 cap); EPC C from 1 Oct 2030 (£10,000 cap) | gov.uk MEES |
| Smoke & CO alarms | Smoke alarm every storey; CO alarm in rooms with fixed combustion appliances; shown working at the start of each tenancy | gov.uk |
| Deposit protection + prescribed information | Both within 30 days of receiving the deposit; cap five weeks' rent (annual rent under £50,000) | gov.uk |
| Right to Rent | Check every adult occupier before the tenancy starts; keep the evidence | gov.uk |
| Licensing (selective / additional / HMO) | Council-by-council — ring or search your council; once the database matures, HMO licence renewal will require registration too | gov.uk |
If your EPC is a D or below, 2030 is a budgeting question worth starting early — the confirmed change to EPC C comes from the government's consultation response of 21 January 2026 under the Warm Homes Plan.
What "keep records" actually means now
Councils have stronger investigation and civil-penalty powers, tenants have new challenge routes, and the database will surface your compliance documents. In practice, "compliant landlord" means being able to answer five questions with a date and a document: what certificates does each property hold and when do they run out; was the deposit protected and the prescribed information given within 30 days; what documents has each tenant been given, when, and how; when did rent last change, with how much notice; and is the property registered where registration is open?
Free official help: the gov.uk landlord overview, the forms page, your council for licensing and rollout news, and a landlord association (such as the NRLA) for advice lines and templates. For anything contested — possession, disputes, tribunal referrals, penalty notices — use a solicitor.
If you want the tracking on one dashboard
Let Sorted (£9) is a no-macro Excel/Google Sheets compliance tracker for self-managing England landlords with 1–10 properties: a traffic-light dashboard with a light per duty and days remaining on every dated one; a Certificate Log that always watches the latest gas/EICR/EPC record; a Section 13 Rent Increase Log that flags less-than-2-months notice or two rises within 12 months; a Document Log for what was served on which tenant, when, and how; a phased Duty Calendar with the same IN FORCE / DATED / DATE TBC labels as this page; and a monthly two-minute Health Check. Plus a 2,460-word cited guide.
Honesty first: it is not legal advice, contains no notice templates or tenancy drafting, doesn't register you on the PRS database, and can't check council-specific licensing — it records all of it so registration day and any dispute finds your file in order. England only.
Quick answers
- Can I still use a Section 21 notice served before 1 May 2026?
- Section 21 no longer exists for assured tenancies from 1 May 2026 — possession runs on Section 8 grounds. For anything already in motion, take advice from a solicitor or landlord association.
- I missed the 31 May 2026 Information Sheet deadline. What now?
- Read the official gov.uk page and consider taking advice. The regime the deadline belonged to is permanent — written statements, Section 13 records and the database are ahead of you, not behind.
- When exactly does my area's PRS registration open?
- Not yet knowable — per-area dates come by secondary legislation and none were law as of August 2026. Check the gov.uk guide or your council monthly.
- Does the Act change my tax?
- No — but separately, Making Tax Digital already applies from April 2026 if your gross property income (plus any self-employment) is over £50,000, falling to £30,000 in April 2027 (gov.uk). See our MTD page.