The one-paragraph version
Section 21 "no-fault" evictions are gone. As of 1 May 2026, every assured shorthold tenancy in England - new or existing - is now an open-ended periodic tenancy. You can no longer end a tenancy just because you want to; you need a specific legal reason (a Section 8 ground). You can only raise rent once a year, by serving the correct statutory notice, and your tenant can challenge it at a tribunal for free. Fixed terms, rent-in-advance demands, and rent review clauses are effectively dead for new tenancies. The big back-office pieces - a national landlord database and an ombudsman - arrive from late 2026 onward.
Stop thinking in "fixed terms" and "notice periods you control." Start thinking in "grounds I can evidence." That's the whole shift.
How we got here
The Renters' Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025. The government confirmed the commencement date on 13 November 2025, and the core tenancy reforms came into force on 1 May 2026 - the "big bang" date. It is the largest overhaul of the private rented sector in more than 30 years, affecting roughly 2.3 million landlords and 4.4 million rented households in England.
The Act rolls out in phases. Phase 1 - the tenancy reforms - is already live. The PRS Database, the Landlord Ombudsman, and the new Decent Homes Standard all land later. See the rollout timeline below.
The change was a long time coming. The Renters (Reform) Bill had been working through Parliament in various forms since 2019. The version that passed into law is more tenant-protective than many earlier drafts, and the "big bang" commencement - converting all existing tenancies at once, rather than grandfather-clausing the old stock - was the most significant late-stage decision that caught many landlords off guard.
What changed on 1 May 2026
1. Section 21 is abolished
You can no longer serve a Section 21 notice. The last valid Section 21 notices could be served on or before 30 April 2026, and any court proceedings on those notices had to start by 31 July 2026. After that, the mechanism simply doesn't exist anymore.
To regain possession now, you serve a Section 8 notice citing one or more legal grounds, and - if the tenant doesn't leave - you go through the court. There is no "no reason needed" route left.
A valid Section 8 claim almost always depends on your compliance pack being complete at the time of service. Rentl's Compliance page stores your gas safety certificate, EPC, EICR, deposit protection certificate, and How to Rent guide - and surfaces which documents are expired or missing before they become a problem in court.
2. Every tenancy is now periodic
Fixed-term ASTs are gone. All tenancies - including ones that started years ago - automatically converted to open-ended assured periodic tenancies on 1 May 2026. Practical consequences:
- Rent periods can't exceed one month. Longer periods on older tenancies get pro-rated.
- Break clauses are now redundant - there is nothing to break out of.
- Tenants can leave with two months' notice, expiring at the end of a rent period, at any point. In theory a tenancy could last as little as two months. You don't get the same flexibility - you need a ground.
Rentl keeps a complete record of each tenancy - start date, rent period, tenancy terms, and correspondence history. When you're asserting a ground at a tribunal, that audit trail is your evidence base.
3. Rent increases: once a year, by the book
From 1 May 2026, the only lawful way to raise rent on a periodic tenancy is a statutory Section 13 notice (Form 4A):
- Once every 12 months maximum.
- At least two months' notice before the new rent takes effect.
- Market rate only - you can't use the increase as a backdoor eviction by pricing someone out.
- Rent review clauses are void. Any clause in an existing agreement stopped working on 1 May 2026. You also can't agree an increase informally outside the Section 13 process - though your tenant can agree to a lower figure than the one on your notice.
Tribunal challenge - what to know
Your tenant can refer the increase to the First-tier Tribunal for free in the two months before it's due to take effect. The tribunal cannot set the rent higher than what you proposed - the downside is capped at "you don't get your increase." But the new rent applies from the tribunal's decision date, not your proposed date, and there's no backdating. Make your increases defensible with comparable evidence - expect more challenges now the deterrent is gone.
Rentl's rent tracking module logs every rent period, payment, and shortfall. It surfaces when a Section 13 notice can next lawfully be served (no sooner than 12 months after the last increase) and keeps a timestamped record of each increase - the evidence you need if a tribunal asks when and how you notified your tenant.
4. Rent in advance and bidding wars are banned
For tenancies entered into from 1 May 2026:
- You can't demand rent before the tenancy is signed, and you can't take more than one month's rent at a time.
- You must advertise a fixed asking rent and can't invite or accept bids above it.
Existing pre-May tenancies with an advance-rent arrangement can continue collecting in advance until that tenancy ends.
5. You can't "purport to let" on a fixed term
Telling a tenant they're in a fixed term on or after 1 May 2026 can attract a civil penalty of up to £7,000 from the local authority. The fixed-term mindset isn't just outdated - it's now an enforcement risk. Update your tenancy agreements and any template language you use.
6. The information sheet requirement
For tenancies that existed before 1 May 2026, you were required to give tenants the government's Information Sheet by 31 May 2026 (electronic or hard copy is fine). For new tenancies you must provide a written statement of key terms before the tenancy begins.
Rentl's compliance checklist flags the Information Sheet as a required document on every pre-existing tenancy, so it doesn't fall through the cracks the way hard-copy obligations often do.
The new Section 8 grounds
Section 21 is replaced by an expanded set of Section 8 grounds - the list grew from 17 to 37. They split into mandatory (if you prove it, the judge must grant possession, barring exceptional circumstances) and discretionary (the judge weighs it up). The ones small landlords use most:
Selling the property
- You intend to sell.
- Can't be used in the first 12 months of a new tenancy.
- If the sale falls through, a 12-month re-letting restriction applies.
Moving yourself or close family in
- Same shape as Ground 1A: four months' notice, no use in first 12 months, 12-month re-let restriction if it doesn't happen.
Serious rent arrears
- Arrears threshold rose to three months' rent (from two).
- Arrears must still be at or above that level at the court hearing, not just when you serve notice.
Other arrears / persistent late payment
- Ground 10: some arrears at service and at hearing.
- Ground 11: persistent late payment even without current arrears.
Anti-social behaviour
- Ground 14 has no notice period - proceedings can begin immediately.
- Ground 7A covers serious criminal behaviour.
Breach of tenancy
- Any other breach of the tenancy agreement not covered by other grounds.
Student HMOs
- Lets you recover a student HMO for the next academic cohort.
- Only if the tenancy was agreed no more than six months before it started. Agreeing too far in advance forfeits this ground.
The throughline
Every possession now requires a stated, evidenced reason. The notice period, the arrears threshold, and the evidence you'll need all depend on which ground you're relying on - so picking the right ground and documenting it properly is the new core skill.
Grounds 8, 10, and 11 live or die on your arrears ledger. Rentl's rent tracking module maintains a timestamped payment log for every tenancy - showing exactly what was owed, what was paid, and when. That ledger is what you hand to a solicitor or submit to the court. For Grounds 1 and 1A, the compliance record also matters: judges expect landlords who invoke a "selling" ground to have had their documentation in order throughout the tenancy.
Other tenant protections
Pets
Tenants have a right to request a pet, and you can't unreasonably refuse. You can require the tenant to hold pet insurance as a condition of consent, but a blanket "no pets" clause is no longer enforceable.
Discrimination
You can't refuse tenants because they're on benefits (DSS) or have children. Advertising that excludes benefit claimants or families is unlawful. This was already inconsistent with the Equality Act 2010 in many cases; the Renters' Rights Act makes it explicit in PRS tenancy law.
Awaab's Law
Fixed statutory deadlines for responding to serious hazards - damp, mould, and similar health risks. The deadlines vary by severity: emergency repairs must be started within 24 hours; investigation of any reported hazard within 14 days.
Rentl's maintenance module logs every repair request with a timestamp and tracks it through to completion. For Awaab's Law compliance, that log demonstrates you received the report and responded within the required window - the exact evidence a council inspection or legal claim would look for.
Decent Homes Standard
The standard is being extended to the private rented sector, but this is a later phase - expected after 2035. Properties will need to meet minimum condition requirements covering structure, services, thermal comfort, and absence of Category 1 hazards. Local authority enforcement powers are being strengthened in the meantime.
What's still coming
| What | When | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Council investigatory powers | Live since 27 Dec 2025 | Councils can inspect, demand documents, access third-party data |
| Phase 1 tenancy reforms | Live since 1 May 2026 | Everything above |
| PRS Database | Regional rollout from late 2026, full launch ~2027 | Mandatory registration for all PRS landlords; annual fee TBC |
| PRS Landlord Ombudsman | Likely 2028 | Mandatory membership; binding complaint resolution |
| Decent Homes Standard | After ~2035 | Minimum property condition standard extended to PRS |
Council enforcement readiness is uneven - an early 2026 survey found only a handful of major councils fully ready to enforce on day one. Penalty levels for some breaches are being set locally, so the exact fines you face can vary by area.
Rentl's calendar lets you pin the phased rollout dates - PRS Database registration opening, your next Section 13 window, certificate renewal deadlines - so you're not relying on memory or a sticky note to stay compliant.
Practical checklist for self-managing landlords
These are the actions that reduce your legal exposure most. Every item maps to something you can do inside Rentl.
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1Stop using fixed-term language. Update your agreements and your listings. "Fixed term" on a current tenancy is now a liability that can attract a £7,000 civil penalty.
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2Build a rent-increase routine. One Form 4A per tenancy per year, two months' notice minimum, with comparable-market evidence saved in case of a tribunal referral.
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3Kill your rent review clauses. They don't work and shouldn't be relied on. Check every tenancy agreement you have in circulation.
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4Get your compliance pack airtight. Deposit protection, gas safety, EPC, EICR, Right to Rent, How to Rent guide. An invalid possession claim usually fails on a missing certificate, not on the ground itself.
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5Document everything that could become a ground. Arrears ledgers, breach correspondence, anti-social behaviour logs. If you ever need possession, the case is only as good as your records.
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6Diarise the phased dates. PRS Database registration will be mandatory and easy to miss. Set reminders now.
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7If you're selling or moving family in, plan four months ahead and remember the 12-month re-let restrictions if the plan changes.
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8Log maintenance requests the moment they arrive. Awaab's Law imposes fixed response windows. A timestamped record is your defence if a council or court asks whether you acted in time.
How Rentl maps to the Act
Every compliance obligation introduced by the Renters' Rights Act maps to a feature inside Rentl. Here's the direct connection:
Compliance
Certificates & documents
Gas safety, EPC, EICR, deposit protection, How to Rent - all stored with expiry tracking. Invalid S8 claims usually fail on a missing document.
Rent Tracking
Arrears ledger
Timestamped payment log for every tenancy. Grounds 8, 10, and 11 depend on a ledger you can hand to a court or solicitor.
Rent Tracking
Section 13 history
Records when each increase was served and when it took effect. Essential if a tribunal asks about your notice process.
Maintenance
Awaab's Law log
Every repair request is timestamped. Demonstrates you received the hazard report and responded within the statutory window.
Tenants
Tenancy record
Full tenancy history, correspondence, and breach records. The audit trail you need to assert a Section 8 ground credibly.
Calendar
Deadline reminders
PRS Database rollout, Section 13 windows, certificate renewals - all pinned so the phased rollout doesn't catch you off guard.
Rentl · Property Management
Everything on this checklist is built into Rentl
Compliance documents. Arrears ledgers. Maintenance logs. Certificate expiry reminders. Deadline calendars. Rentl is built for the post–Section 21 world - around the evidence trail you now need to manage a tenancy and recover possession lawfully.
This guide covers the law in England and is written for self-managing landlords and small portfolios. It is general information, not legal advice - every possession case turns on its facts, and getting a notice wrong can cost you months. For a specific situation, check the current GOV.UK guidance or speak to a qualified practitioner.
Last reviewed June 2026.