The Renters' Rights Act 2025 has officially become law. Although it's been passed, the first changes are not taking effect until 1 May 2026. This gives landlords, tenants, and councils extra time to prepare.
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Landlords can evict tenants without giving a reason.
From 1 May 2026, this will no longer be allowed. All tenancies will be periodic without a fixed end date. Evictions must only be based on specific legal reasons (e.g. rent arrears, anti-social behaviour).
Tenants gain more security. Landlords must follow the clear legal grounds for evictions.
Rent can be increased multiple times a year.
Only one rent increase per year will be allowed. Tenants can challenge unfair increases via a tribunal.
Landlords must plan rent reviews carefully to ensure compliance.
Landlords can ask for several months’ rent upfront.
Advance rent payments will be capped at one month.
Reduces financial barriers for tenants. Landlords must adjust their rental setup.
Some landlords ban pets entirely.
Tenants can request to keep pets. Landlords must consider requests and cannot refuse without good reason.
Landlords will need to make sure they deal with pet requests fairly. Restrictions may still apply in HMOs or lease agreements.
Some landlords refuse tenants with children or on benefits.
Blanket bans refusing tenants with children or those on benefit will be illegal.
Fairer access to housing. Landlords must review their adverts and selection criteria.
Disputes often require legal action.
A mandatory Ombudsman will offer free, impartial complaint resolution. This change is unlikely to happen until 2028.
Landlords and tenants benefit from a faster way to resolve disputes.
Councils enforce housing standards under existing laws and policies.
Landlords will need to make sure they comply with the tenants’ rights law changes. Councils will have more power to issue financial penalties when landlords breach the requirements. From late 2026 a national landlord database will be created. Landlords must sign up to the database and pay an annual fee.
Landlords must comply with tenancy changes and register their properties to avoid possible fines.
Changes will roll out in stages, starting on 1 May 2026.
Read the governments implementation roadmap to find out what is happening and when.
