The Renters' Rights Act for accidental landlords: what changed and what's next

If you let out the flat you used to live in, or a house you inherited, you probably didn't set out to follow housing law closely. But the Renters' Rights Act 2025 applies to you exactly as it does to a landlord with fifty properties, and using a letting agent doesn't move the legal responsibility off your shoulders.

Here's the short version.

What changed on 1 May 2026

• No more fixed terms. Tenancies now roll on from month to month. Your tenant can leave by giving two months' notice.
• No more no-fault evictions. Section 21 has gone. To get your property back you need a legal reason under section 8, such as selling, moving back in, or serious rent arrears.
• Rent rises once a year, the formal way. You need to use a section 13 notice on Form 4A with at least two months' notice, you can't raise the rent in the first year of a tenancy, and your tenant can ask a tribunal to check the new rent against the market. The tribunal can't set it higher than you proposed.
• No bidding wars. Adverts must show an asking rent, and you can't invite or accept offers above it.
• Pets. Tenants can ask to keep a pet. You must reply within 28 days and can only refuse for a good reason.
• Fair choices. You can't refuse a tenant because they have children or receive benefits.
• Bigger fines. Councils can now issue civil penalties of up to £40,000 for the most serious breaches.

What you should already have done

If your tenant was living in the property before 1 May 2026, they should have been given the government's Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet by 31 May 2026. If the tenancy was only ever agreed verbally, they needed a written record of the key terms instead. New tenancies need the required information in writing from the start.

If an agent manages your property, ask them for proof that this was done and when. Getting it wrong can mean a civil penalty of up to £7,000, and the responsibility is yours as the landlord.

If you might sell or move back in

You can't use the selling or moving-in grounds in the first 12 months of a tenancy, and you must give four months' notice. If you do use them, you're barred from re-letting the property for 12 months. If a sale is on the horizon, plan well ahead.

If rent goes unpaid

To use the main arrears ground, your tenant must owe at least three months' rent, both when you serve notice and at the court hearing, and the notice period is four weeks. A clear, dated rent record matters more than ever.

What's coming next

The rental property register

Every landlord will have to register themselves and each property on the government's new Register your rental property service. It opens in the West Midlands on 15 December 2026 and reaches a new region each month, and you'll have three months to register once your area opens. London's window runs from 15 July to 14 October 2027.

It costs £65 per property per year. Your agent can add some of the information, but you have to start the registration yourself. Landlords who don't register face fines of up to £7,000, rising to £40,000 for serious or repeated breaches, and generally can't get a possession order except on anti-social behaviour grounds.

A landlord ombudsman

Membership of a new ombudsman scheme for private landlords is expected to become compulsory in 2028. Your tenant will be able to complain about you directly, not only about your agent.

Higher standards

Rented homes will need an EPC rating of C by 1 October 2030 unless an exemption applies, with spending capped at £10,000 per property and improvements made since October 2025 counting towards the cap. The Decent Homes Standard is also coming to private renting, proposed for 2035 or 2037, and Awaab's Law, which sets deadlines for fixing hazards such as damp and mould, is expected to follow.

Three questions to ask your agent this week

1. Can you send me proof that my tenant was given the Information Sheet, or written terms, and when?
2. When do my gas safety record, electrical report and EPC expire, and who's booking the renewals?
3. When does my region's registration window open, and what will you need from me?

If the answers come back slow or vague, that tells you something too. If you decide to move on, here's how to switch letting agents without upsetting your tenant.

This guide covers England and is general information, not legal advice.