Private landlords

Renting is changing

Reforms to the private rented sector in England are bringing in new rights and responsibilities for landlords, letting agents and tenants.

As a landlord, you play an important role in delivering these reforms and will need to understand what these changes mean for you and your business. That way, you can be confident that you are complying with the law and providing your tenants with a safe, affordable and decent home.

This web page is for private landlords with rental properties in England only. These changes will not apply to private registered providers of social housing until 2027.

Our guidance is designed to help you understand how the reforms will affect you when you rent out a home in the private rented sector. It’s written in clear and accessible language, and it’ll help you get on top of these important changes.

Read the full landlord guidance

The following changes will happen on 1st May 2026. If a letting agent acts on your behalf, then they will need to follow these rules too.

New rules on starting and ending tenancies

Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions will be abolished:

you’ll no longer be able to use Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 to evict your tenants.

Reformed possession grounds will be fairer for both parties:

you’ll only be able to evict tenants when you have a specific, legally valid reason, otherwise known as a ‘possession ground’.
possession grounds will be extended to make it easier for landlords to evict tenants when they want to sell the property, move into the property or move in members of their family.
the changes will also make it easier to evict tenants who commit anti-social behaviour.

Fixed term tenancies will be banned:

most new and existing tenancies in the private rented sector will become assured periodic tenancies, or ‘rolling tenancies’.
this means renters will be able to stay in their property until they end the tenancy or until a landlord serves a valid notice to end it or obtains a court/possession order.
renters will be able to end the tenancy at any point by giving two months’ notice.

Changes to rent and payments

Rent increases limited to once per year:

you’ll have to follow the new legal process for increasing the rent.
this will include providing the tenant with notice, detailing the proposed rent increase at least two months’ before that increase is due to take effect.

Rental bidding will be banned:

you’ll have to include a specific price on any written property advertisement.
you won’t be allowed to ask for, encourage or accept an offer that’s higher.

Requiring large amounts of rent in advance will be banned

you’ll only be able to require up to one month’s rent in the period between all parties signing the tenancy and the tenancy starting.
you won’t be able to accept any payment of rent before this period.
once the tenancy’s begun, you won’t be able to require any payment of rent before it’s due.

New requirements for tenancies

Landlords will need to make sure they’ve understood the new rules for tenancy agreements:

You’ll need to make sure that you give your tenant written information about the terms of their tenancy.

tenancies that started before 1st May 2026 – you won’t need to change or re-issue any existing written tenancy agreements. Instead, all you’ll need to do is send your tenants a government-produced information sheet before 31st May 2026. We’ll publish this information sheet in March 2026.
tenancies that start on or after 1st May 2026 – you’ll  need to provide your tenants with certain information about the tenancy in writing. You could do this in a tenancy agreement. In January 2026, we’ll publish details on what information must be included to give you sufficient time to prepare your tenancy agreement template.

Discrimination against renters who have children or receive benefits will be illegal:

you won’t 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 includes withholding information about a property (including its availability), preventing them from viewing it, and refusing to grant a tenancy.

You must consider tenant requests to rent with a pet:

you’ll have to consider and respond to your tenant’s request within a set timeframe and will have to provide valid reasons if you choose to refuse it.

Other elements of the Renters’ Rights Act will take effect in later phases. In the future, a database, an ombudsman, Awaab’s Law, and the Decent Homes Standard will all be implemented in the private rented sector. We’ll publish guidance to help you understand what these changes mean for you and your business nearer the time.

As a landlord, it is your responsibility to read the guidance in full. You must make the necessary changes to your letting practices to ensure you’re compliant with the new law when it’s implemented on 1st May 2026.

Read the full landlord guidance

The existing law will remain in place until 30th April 2026.

Read the guidance on the current rental system

What you need to do

Provide information to your tenants:

you’ll need to give a government-produced information sheet to your tenants which will explain what the new rules mean for the tenancy.
we’ll publish the information sheet on our website in March 2026. You’ll need to send this to your tenants on or before 31st May 2026.
if your current tenancy is based entirely on a verbal agreement, you’ll need to give your tenant a written record of specific terms of the agreement. You will have to do this instead of providing the information sheet.
we’ll publish further guidance in January 2026 on the information you’ll need to provide. You will have to give this to your tenants in writing on or before 31^st May 2026.

Prepare your new tenancies created on or after 1st May 2026:

if you create a new tenancy on or after 1st May 2026, you’ll need to provide the tenants with certain information about the tenancy in writing. You can do this by including it in a written tenancy agreement.
we’ll publish further guidance in January 2026 on the information you’ll need to provide, to give you time to update your tenancy agreement templates.

Prepare to use Ground 4A, if you’re a student landlord:

if you’re a student landlord and want to use Ground 4A to evict your tenants in the future, you’ll need to write to them to let them know.
we’ll publish further guidance on how to do this in March 2026.

Read the guidance and think about how you can prepare for your next new tenancy:

for example, on or after 1st May 2026, you’ll need to publish an asking rent for your property in any written adverts you put out.
you won’t be able to ask prospective tenants to bid above this amount (or accept any such bids), and you won’t be able to ask them to pay more than a month’s rent in advance.

Familiarise yourself with the new forms

we’ll publish new forms that you’ll need to use under the new system, including to increase the rent on your property.
you should familiarise yourself with these forms when we publish them in early 2026.

Our simple checklist will also help show what you need to do to prepare you and when.

Taking professional advice

If you’re using a letting agency, you should consider talking to them about what these changes mean for you. You should also consider taking your own legal advice about complex matters.

Read the full guidance for detailed answers

How will my existing tenancies be affected?

On 1st May 2026, any existing assured shorthold tenancy will automatically become an assured periodic tenancy – or ‘rolling’ tenancy. Under an assured periodic tenancy, you’ll no longer be able to agree a fixed rental term with your tenant or create a tenancy with an end date. Instead, the tenancy will continue until either party ends it.

You’ll no longer be able to evict your tenants from a property without giving them a legally prescribed reason that you can evidence. You’ll be able to regain possession of your property in a range of circumstances, but you’ll need to have a specific, legally valid reason to do so.

Your tenant will need to give you two months’ notice when they want to leave. They can do this at any time during their tenancy.

Read guidance on regaining possession of your property

Read the guidance on valid possession grounds

Will I need to issue a new tenancy agreement for my tenants?

If you already have a written record of the terms of the tenancy agreement,  then you won’t need to change or reissue it. Instead, you’ll need to provide the tenant with a government-produced information sheet explaining how the tenancy has changed. We’ll publish this information sheet in March 2026.

If your existing tenancy doesn’t have any written record of the terms of the agreement – perhaps because it is based on a verbal agreement between you and your tenant – then you’ll need to provide certain information about the tenancy to your tenant in writing. You will need to do this instead of providing the information sheet. We will publish further guidance on this in January 2026.

What will these changes mean for me when I set up new tenancies?

The things that are likely to make the biggest difference to how you start or conduct future tenancies are:

Can I still end tenancies when I need to?

Yes, you can. You’ll no longer be able to use Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions, which are being abolished. Instead, you’ll need to use a specific legally defined possession ground, such as:

selling the property
moving into the property yourself
moving family members into the property
tenants breaching tenancy terms.

Read the guidance on valid possession grounds updated by the Renters’ Rights Act

What will happen if I don’t comply?

As a landlord, it’s important to familiarise yourself with the new requirements and take any necessary actions to make sure you comply. If you don’t comply with the law, local councils may impose a civil penalty on you of up to £40,000 or, in some cases, start a criminal prosecution.

Where can I get more help and information?

The government is providing comprehensive guidance for landlords before the new laws take effect. There will be important updates to the guidance that you will need to be aware of. You should check GOV.UK regularly for updates or sign up for alerts.

Reputable landlord and letting agent organisations are also likely to provide information and guidance on the new requirements, and how to comply with them.  

Get on top of the renting changes