The Renters’ Rights Act: a landlord’s guide.

The short version

The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 became law on 27 October 2025 and its first and biggest phase took effect in England on 1 May 2026. Fixed terms and Section 21 have gone, rent goes up once a year through a formal notice, tenants can ask for pets and landlords need a good reason to say no, and bidding wars and large advance payments are banned. A national landlord database starts opening in December 2026, and a compulsory landlord ombudsman is expected in 2028.

None of this stops a well-run tenancy working well. It does mean paperwork has to be right first time, because the old safety net of a no-reason notice has gone. That is most of what we do for landlords, and the rest of this page explains each change, when it applies and how we handle it.

Key dates at a glance

Sources: GOV.UK, Implementing the Renters’ Rights Act 2025: our roadmap (13 November 2025); Register your rental property service: guidance for landlords (29 October 2026); Assured tenancy forms (updated 1 May 2026).

1. Section 21 has gone. Possession now needs a reason.

In force since 1 May 2026. You can no longer serve a Section 21 “no fault” notice in England. To end a tenancy you serve a Section 8 notice on Form 3A, stating one or more of the legal grounds in Schedule 2 of the Housing Act 1988, as rewritten by the Act. The grounds landlords ask us about most:

• Selling the home (Ground 1A) or moving in yourself or a close family member (Ground 1). Four months’ notice. Neither ground can be used in the first 12 months of a tenancy, and after using one you can’t market or re-let the home for 12 months.
• Serious rent arrears (Ground 8). The tenant must owe at least three months’ rent (13 weeks if rent is paid weekly or fortnightly) both when the notice is served and at the court hearing. Four weeks’ notice. This is a mandatory ground: if it’s proved, the court must order possession.
• Other grounds cover anti-social behaviour, breach of tenancy, persistent late payment, deterioration of the home and more, each with its own notice period. The full list is in the government’s Guide to the Renters’ Rights Act and its guidance on repossessing your privately rented property on or after 1 May 2026.

What it means for you. Choosing the tenant well matters more than ever, and so does keeping the paperwork clean, because a notice served on the wrong form or without the deposit properly protected can fail. What we do: thorough referencing before anyone moves in, and under Fully Managed we prepare and serve Section 8 notices for you at no extra charge. Under Let Only it’s £234 inc. VAT. Court work beyond that is quoted separately.

2. Every tenancy is now periodic

In force since 1 May 2026. All assured tenancies in England, new and existing, became periodic tenancies with a rent period of no more than a month. There are no fixed terms and no “minimum six months”. A tenant can leave with at least two months’ written notice. Landlords with tenancies that started before 1 May 2026 had to give their tenants the government’s information sheet by 31 May 2026. If you’re not certain yours was sent, put it right now.

What it means for you. A tenant who is happy has every reason to stay, and a tenant who isn’t can go with two months’ notice. Good homes, prompt repairs and a responsive agent are what keep tenancies long. What we do: written statements of terms on the new basis, inspections with written reports, and re-letting started the day a tenant gives notice.

3. Rent goes up once a year, by notice

In force since 1 May 2026. You can increase the rent once in any 12 months, and not in the first year of the tenancy, by serving Form 4A (the Section 13 notice) at least two months before the new rent starts. Rent review clauses in agreements no longer have effect. If the tenant thinks the new rent is above the open-market rate they can apply to the First-tier Tribunal before it starts; the tribunal decides the market rent and can set it at or below your figure, never above it, and in cases of hardship can delay the increase by up to two months. The government announced on 9 September 2026 that the Valuation Office Agency will in future make the first decision on challenges, with the tribunal still deciding appeals; until that change is made, challenges go straight to the tribunal. See GOV.UK’s guidance on rent increases.

What it means for you. Propose a rent you can evidence. Our St Albans rent report shows the official averages, and a free valuation gives you a figure for your own home. What we do: we advise on the figure, prepare and serve Form 4A for £114 inc. VAT, and keep the evidence on file in case of a challenge.

4. Pets: a reasonable request can’t be refused

In force since 1 May 2026. A tenant can ask in writing to keep a pet. Under section 16A of the Housing Act 1988, inserted by the Act, you must give or refuse consent in writing on or before the 28th day after the request, and you can’t refuse unreasonably. If you reasonably ask for more information within those 28 days, you have until seven days after the tenant provides it; if a superior landlord’s consent is needed, you can wait until seven days after their answer. Refusing is reasonable where keeping the pet would put you in breach of your own lease, or where a superior landlord’s consent is needed and hasn’t been given despite reasonable steps.

What we do: we log every request on the day it arrives, check the lease, ask the tenant the right questions and get your written answer out well inside the 28 days.

5. No bidding wars, no more than a month in advance

In force since 1 May 2026. Every advert must state a single asking rent, and you can’t ask for, encourage or accept offers above it (penalty up to £7,000). You can’t take any rent before the agreement is signed, and at most one month’s rent in advance after signing (penalty up to £5,000). Refusing applicants because they have children or receive benefits is unlawful. Source: GOV.UK, Fees you can charge as part of a tenancy.

What we do: one priced advert, affordability checked properly through referencing rather than through advance rent, and a holding deposit of no more than a week’s rent.

6. The national landlord database

Not yet in force; opens 15 December 2026. Every private landlord in England must register themselves and each home they let on the government’s Register your rental property service. It opens region by region: for St Albans and the rest of the East of England the requirement starts on 15 January 2027 and the deadline is 14 April 2027. You can register from 15 December 2026 if you’d rather get it done. The fee is £65 per property per year (no VAT, pro-rated during the rollout). You’ll need a GOV.UK One Login, the property details and rent, and your gas safety, electrical and energy certificates. Fines run to £7,000 for not registering and £40,000 for false information or repeated breaches, and tenants can apply for rent repayment orders. The regional dates are set in regulations laid before Parliament in September 2026 and on the government’s Get ready to register page.

What we do: registration is the landlord’s own legal duty, so you start it. Once a home has its registration number, your agent can add the tenancy and safety information. That help is included under Fully Managed; under Let Only we collate the information for £114 inc. VAT. Our blog post on the landlord database in 2027 has the full walkthrough.

7. The landlord ombudsman

Not yet in force; expected 2028. The Act creates a Private Rented Sector Ombudsman that every private landlord will have to join, so tenants can take a complaint to an independent body without going to court. The government’s roadmap puts compulsory membership in 2028, after the database is running, and says landlords will be told when to sign up. No joining date had been announced on GOV.UK when we checked on 9 November 2026. Letting agents already have to belong to a redress scheme: we’re members of the Property Redress Scheme (PRS015139).

8. Still to come: Decent Homes, Awaab’s Law and EPC C

Proposed, not in force. The roadmap proposes applying a Decent Homes Standard to private rented homes from 2035 or 2037, with the final date to be confirmed. Awaab’s Law, which sets fixed timescales for fixing damp, mould and other serious hazards, applies to social landlords now and the government will consult on timescales for private landlords. Separately, the government has consulted on a minimum EPC rating of C for private rented homes by 2030; the roadmap lists it as not yet confirmed, and the minimum remains E until any change is made. Our landlord FAQs cover the EPC proposal in more detail.

What we do: damp and mould reported by tenants is treated as urgent now, not in 2035, and we tell you your EPC rating and what would lift it when you instruct us.

What AH&L does for you under the Act

• Thorough referencing: credit, sanctions, right to rent, affordability, landlord and employer references.
• Section 8 notices on Form 3A, included under Fully Managed; Section 13 rent increases on Form 4A for £114 inc. VAT.
• Pet requests answered in writing inside the 28 days, after checking your lease and the tenant’s details.
• Single-price adverts with every fact the law requires, no bidding and no advance rent beyond a month.
• Deposits protected and prescribed information served, so a notice never fails on a technicality.
• Certificates and deadlines tracked, with reminders before anything runs out.
• Help with your landlord database entry when registration opens for St Albans on 15 January 2027.

Every fee is published here. If you’d like all of this on one page to tick off, get our free landlord checklist.

Questions landlords ask us

Related reading

• Landlord Database 2027: what St Albans landlords need to do and when
• St Albans rent report: the official figures to set a rent against
• Letting agent fees in St Albans: what landlords pay and what to ask
• Landlord FAQs and the landlord checklist
• St Albans City and District Council runs a free Landlords’ Forum for private landlords and agents; the most recent was on 27 October 2026 and new dates are posted on that page. The council operates mandatory HMO licensing only (five or more people).

This guide is general information for landlords in England, not legal advice, and it was checked against GOV.UK and legislation.gov.uk on 9 November 2026. Dates marked “expected” or “proposed” can change; we review this page every quarter. Main sources: Guide to the Renters’ Rights Act (GOV.UK, 6 November 2025); Renters’ Rights Act: an overview for landlords (GOV.UK); press release of 13 November 2025 and press release of 9 September 2026 (GOV.UK); The Private Rented Sector Database Regulations 2026 (legislation.gov.uk).