Private Renting Has Changed in 2026
What landlords need to know about the Renters’ Rights Act
he Renters’ Rights Act 2025 introduced significant changes to private renting in England from 1 May 2026.
The reforms changed how most private tenancies operate, how properties are advertised, how rent is increased and the process landlords must follow when seeking possession.
These changes sit alongside landlords’ existing responsibilities for tenancy deposits, tenant checks, property safety, licensing, repairs and record keeping.
This is a practical, but non-exhaustive overview and it does not constitute legal advice - Landlords should obtain specialist advice where required.
On this page you will find information on the following:
- Assured periodic tenancies
- Ending tenancies and possession
- Rent increases
- Rent in advance
- Rental bidding
- Discrimination protections
- Tenant requests to keep a pet
- Security and holding deposits
- Existing landlord responsibilities
- Further reforms still to come
- Renters Rights FAQs
Assured periodic tenancies
Most Assured Shorthold Tenancies have been replaced by assured periodic tenancies.
Existing assured tenancies, including most Assured Shorthold Tenancies, automatically became rolling tenancies on 1 May 2026. New assured tenancies must also operate on a rolling basis rather than having a fixed end date.
The tenancy will normally continue weekly or monthly until:
- The tenant gives notice
- The landlord and tenant agree to end it
- The landlord regains possession using the correct legal process
Tenants can give the notice required by their agreement, up to a maximum of two months. Landlords cannot rely on the expiry of a fixed term and must instead have a valid statutory ground if they need the property back.
What landlords need to do
Landlords should:
- Use tenancy documents that reflect the assured periodic system
- Avoid creating new agreements with fixed end dates
- Provide tenants with the required written tenancy information
- Retain evidence of the information supplied
- Maintain clear tenancy, rent and communication records
Landlords with existing written agreements did not generally need to replace them, but should have supplied each named tenant with the Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 by 31 May 2026. Different requirements applied where an existing tenancy was entirely oral.
How Holding Homes can help
Depending on the agreed management service, Holding Homes can coordinate tenancy documentation, provide required information to tenants, maintain key tenancy records and retain evidence of important communications.
Ending a tenancy and possession
Section 21 “no-fault” notices can no longer be served for affected private tenancies.
Section 21 was not replaced by another equivalent notice. Landlords must now use the reformed Section 8 process and rely on one or more legally recognised grounds for possession.
These grounds cover circumstances including:
- Sale of the property or occupation by the landlord
- Serious rent arrears or persistent late payment
- Antisocial or criminal behaviour
- Breach of the tenancy agreement
- Damage or deterioration to the property
- Certain specialist tenancy arrangements
Different grounds have different conditions, evidence requirements and notice periods.
If the tenant does not leave after a valid notice has expired, the landlord must apply to the court for a possession order. Serving notice does not permit a landlord or agent to remove the tenant, change the locks or take possession without following the required legal process.
What landlords need to do
Before starting possession action, landlords should:
- Identify the correct statutory ground
- Confirm that all conditions attached to that ground have been met
- Use the correct prescribed form
- Provide the required notice period
- Explain which grounds are being relied upon
- Retain evidence supporting the claim
- Apply to the court if the tenant does not leave
Because possession depends on specific grounds, landlords should retain clear and dated records of:
- Tenancy terms and written information
- Rent due, rent received and arrears
- Tenant and landlord communications
- Notices and evidence of service
- Complaints and antisocial-behaviour reports
- Property inspections
- Reported repairs and maintenance responses
- Photographs, invoices and contractor reports
- Deposit protection and prescribed information
- Relevant safety and licensing documentation
Deposit protection failures can affect whether a court is able to grant possession.
How Holding Homes can help
Holding Homes can maintain tenancy documents, rent records, communication histories, inspection reports and maintenance records as part of the agreed management service.
Holding Homes does not provide legal advice or conduct possession proceedings.
Landlords should obtain specialist advice before serving notice or beginning court action.
Rent increases
Landlords can normally increase the rent no more than once in a 12-month period. Rent cannot be increased during the first year of a new tenancy.
A proposed increase must use the prescribed Form 4A and follow the Section 13 process.
The tenant must receive at least two months’ notice, and the proposed amount should reflect the open-market rent for a comparable property.
Tenants can ask the First-tier Tribunal to determine the rent if they believe the proposed increase is above the open-market rate.
What landlords need to do
Landlords should:
- Maintain an accurate record of previous rent increases
- Review the current local rental market
- Use the prescribed form
- Provide at least two months’ notice
- Retain evidence supporting the proposed rent
How Holding Homes can help
Holding Homes can monitor rent-review dates, provide rental valuations, coordinate the prescribed notice process and retain records supporting the proposed market rent.
Rent in advance
Landlords and letting agents must not ask for, encourage or accept rent before both parties have signed the tenancy agreement.
After the agreement has been signed but before the tenancy begins, a landlord can usually request:
- Up to one month’s rent where rent is paid monthly
- Up to 28 days’ rent where rent is paid at another interval
Once the tenancy begins, rent should be paid on the dates set out in the agreement.
Limited exceptions apply to some council-arranged, social and supported housing tenancies.
What landlords need to do
Landlords should:
- Avoid requesting rent before the agreement is signed
- Ensure advertising and application processes do not encourage advance-rent offers
- Record when the agreement was signed
- Maintain a clear rent schedule
- Avoid requesting payments before they fall due
How Holding Homes can help
Holding Homes can coordinate the initial rent payment, maintain rent schedules, collect ongoing rent and provide landlords with clear payment records and statements.
Rental bidding
Written advertisements must state a specific asking rent.
Landlords and agents must not ask for, encourage or accept an offer above the advertised amount. They must also avoid price ranges or statements that suggest applicants need to offer more to secure the property.
These requirements apply to online listings, printed advertisements, social media and direct digital communications.
What landlords need to do
Landlords should ensure that:
- Every written advertisement shows a specific rent
- Applicants receive consistent information
- Offers above the advertised amount are not accepted
- The original advertisement and application records are retained
How Holding Homes can help
Holding Homes can prepare and manage property advertisements, applicant enquiries and viewing communications in line with the current rental-bidding rules.
Discrimination protections
Landlords and letting agents must not disadvantage prospective tenants because they have children or receive benefits.
This includes withholding information, preventing or obstructing viewings, applying blanket exclusions or refusing a tenancy for either of those reasons.
Landlords may still assess applicants using relevant and consistent criteria, including affordability, referencing, property suitability and lawful occupancy requirements.
Applications should be considered on their individual circumstances
What landlords need to do
Landlords should:
- Remove blanket “no children” or “no benefits” restrictions
- Use consistent application and referencing criteria
- Record the reasons for application decisions
- Consider applicants individually
- Ensure agents and referencing providers follow the same approach
How Holding Homes can help
Holding Homes can manage enquiries, applications, affordability checks and referencing through a consistent and documented process.
Tenant requests to keep a pet
Tenants and prospective tenants can ask for permission to keep a pet in the property.
The request should be made in writing and should provide reasonable information about the animal, such as its type, size and accommodation needs.
Landlords must consider each request fairly and cannot refuse without a valid reason. Relevant considerations may include the property type, available space, shared areas, allergies, leasehold restrictions and the likely effect on other occupants.
The landlord should respond in writing within 28 days and explain the reason if permission is refused. Permission for one pet does not automatically grant permission for additional animals.
If a tenant keeps a pet without obtaining the required permission, they may be breaching the tenancy agreement.
What landlords need to do
Landlords should:
- Require requests to be made in writing
- Obtain sufficient information about the pet
- Consider the property and tenancy individually
- Check any superior lease or freeholder restrictions
- Respond and record the decision in writing
- Retain the request and supporting correspondence
How Holding Homes can help
Holding Homes can receive and record pet requests, obtain further information, communicate the landlord’s decision and retain the correspondence within the tenancy records.
Security and holding deposits
The principal rules governing tenancy and holding deposits remain under the Tenant Fees Act 2019.
The maximum tenancy or security deposit is:
- Five weeks’ rent where annual rent is below £50,000
- Six weeks’ rent where annual rent is £50,000 or more
A holding deposit used to reserve a property is capped at one week’s rent for the property as a whole.
Tenancy deposits must be protected in a government-approved scheme within 30 days of receipt. The tenant must also receive the required prescribed information explaining where the deposit is held, how it will be returned and how deductions or disputes will be handled.
What landlords need to do
Landlords should:
- Check that the deposit does not exceed the applicable cap
- Protect the tenancy deposit within 30 days
- Supply the prescribed information
- Retain evidence of protection and service
- Maintain inventories, photographs and inspection records
- Support proposed deductions with clear evidence
Only one holding deposit should be accepted for a property at any one time. The usual deadline for entering into the tenancy is 15 days after the holding deposit is received, unless another deadline is agreed in writing.
How Holding Homes can help
Holding Homes can coordinate holding deposits, tenancy deposit protection, prescribed information, inventories and end-of-tenancy deposit administration as part of the agreed management service.
Existing landlord responsibilities
The Renters’ Rights Act did not replace the wider legal responsibilities attached to renting out a property.
Depending on the property, tenancy, installations, location and licensing arrangements, landlords may also need to manage:
- Gas safety inspections
- Electrical installation inspections
- Energy Performance Certificates
- Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms
- Relevant fire-safety measures
- Tenancy deposit protection
- Right to Rent checks
- Property or HMO licensing
- Repairs and property condition
- Required tenancy documents
- Inspection, certificate and maintenance records
Landlords must maintain rented properties appropriately and respond when repairs, defects or hazards are reported.
What landlords need to do
Landlords should maintain a property-specific schedule covering:
- Required inspections and renewal dates
- Licence requirements and conditions
- Reported maintenance and repairs
- Contractor instructions and completed work
- Tenant communications
- Supporting certificates, photographs and invoices
How Holding Homes can help
Depending on the agreed service, Holding Homes can coordinate inspections, monitor certificate dates, receive repair reports, instruct approved contractors and maintain related property records.
The landlord remains legally responsible for the property and should obtain specialist advice where required.
Further reforms
The changes introduced on 1 May 2026 were the first phase of the Renters’ Rights Act reforms.
The government intends to begin the regional roll-out of the Private Rented Sector Database from late 2026. Registration will become mandatory as the system is introduced.
Mandatory landlord membership of the new Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman is currently expected in 2028.
The introduction of Awaab’s Law and a revised Decent Homes Standard for private rented properties remains subject to further consultation and confirmed implementation dates.
Landlords should monitor current government and local-authority guidance as these later phases are implemented.
What landlords need to do
Landlords should:
- Check that the deposit does not exceed the applicable cap
- Protect the tenancy deposit within 30 days
- Supply the prescribed information
- Retain evidence of protection and service
- Maintain inventories, photographs and inspection records
- Support proposed deductions with clear evidence
Only one holding deposit should be accepted for a property at any one time. The usual deadline for entering into the tenancy is 15 days after the holding deposit is received, unless another deadline is agreed in writing.
How Holding Homes can help
Holding Homes can coordinate holding deposits, tenancy deposit protection, prescribed information, inventories and end-of-tenancy deposit administration as part of the agreed management service.