The Renters' Rights Act 2025 Explained — Plain English Guide

What is the Renters' Rights Act 2025?

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 (RRA) is a piece of primary legislation that fundamentally changes the relationship between landlords and tenants in England. It received Royal Assent in 2025 and its provisions are being brought into force in stages through 2026.

The Act replaces core parts of the Housing Act 1988, which has governed private renting in England for over 35 years. The most headline change is the abolition of Section 21 "no-fault" evictions, but the Act goes much further — introducing Awaab's Law for private landlords, changing how rent can be increased, giving tenants the right to request pets, and applying the Decent Homes Standard to private rentals for the first time.

This guide covers every major provision of the Act that affects landlords. It is written for landlords and letting agents, not lawyers — plain English throughout.

Key changes from the Housing Act 1988

The Renters' Rights Act makes the following fundamental changes to how private renting works in England:

Timeline — when does each part come into force?

The Act's provisions are being brought into force in stages. Here are the key dates that landlords need to know:

Who is affected?

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 applies to all private landlords in England who let residential property on an assured shorthold tenancy (or an assured tenancy). This includes:

• Individual landlords with one or more rental properties
• Portfolio landlords with multiple properties
• Letting agents and managing agents acting on behalf of landlords
• Build-to-rent developers
• Companies or trusts that own residential rental property

The Act does not apply to Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland (which have their own tenancy legislation), nor does it apply to social housing tenancies, licences to occupy, or certain specialist housing types.

Section 21 abolition

Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 allowed landlords to end an assured shorthold tenancy without giving a reason — commonly called a "no-fault eviction". The landlord simply had to give 2 months' notice and the tenancy would end, regardless of whether the tenant had done anything wrong.

From 1 May 2026, Section 21 is abolished entirely. Any Section 21 notice served on or after this date is void. This means:

• You cannot end a tenancy without grounds — you must use Section 8 and prove a specific ground for possession
• Existing Section 21 notices served before 1 May 2026 will have a limited validity window — check the transitional provisions
• If you need to regain possession, you must identify the correct Section 8 ground, serve the right notice with the right notice period, and be prepared to prove your case at court
• If you serve an invalid Section 21 notice after abolition, you risk a fine of up to £5,000 and the court will dismiss your possession claim

For a comprehensive guide to every Section 8 ground — including the new grounds added by the RRA — see our Section 8 Grounds Guide.

Periodic tenancies

Under the Housing Act 1988, most private tenancies started as fixed-term ASTs — typically 6 or 12 months. After the fixed term, they could roll into a periodic tenancy or the landlord could issue a new fixed term.

The Renters' Rights Act changes this completely:

• All new tenancies created after the Act comes into force are periodic from day one — there is no fixed term
• Existing fixed-term ASTs will convert to periodic tenancies when the fixed term ends
• Tenants can end a periodic tenancy by giving 2 months' notice at any time
• Landlords can only end a periodic tenancy using Section 8 grounds
• There is no minimum tenancy length — but the tenant's 2-month notice period provides practical stability

The shift to periodic tenancies means tenants have more flexibility to leave, and landlords cannot lock tenants into long fixed terms. However, it also means landlords need to be more attentive to tenant satisfaction and property management — since tenants can leave with just 2 months' notice.

Section 8 changes

With Section 21 abolished, Section 8 of the Housing Act 1988 becomes the only legal route to possession. The Renters' Rights Act has made significant changes to Section 8:

• New grounds added, including grounds for the landlord selling the property and for repeated rent arrears
• Notice periods updated for many existing grounds
• Some existing grounds strengthened to make them more effective now that Section 21 is gone
• The court process has been updated, with an aim to speed up possession hearings
• New ground for student accommodation (Ground 4A) to allow turnover at the end of academic years

Understanding Section 8 grounds is now essential for every landlord. See our comprehensive Section 8 Grounds Guide for a detailed breakdown of every ground, including notice periods and evidence requirements.

Awaab's Law

Awaab's Law is named after Awaab Ishak, a two-year-old boy who died in 2020 from a respiratory condition caused by extensive mould in his family's social housing flat in Rochdale. The law was originally introduced for social landlords and is now being extended to private landlords through the Renters' Rights Act.

Under Awaab's Law, when a tenant reports a Category 1 hazard (a serious health and safety risk as defined by the Housing Health and Safety Rating System), the landlord must:

• Begin an investigation within 5 working days of the report
• Complete emergency repairs within 7 calendar days if the hazard poses an immediate risk to health
• Complete non-emergency repairs within a reasonable timeframe following investigation
• Keep records of all reports, investigations, and actions taken
• Provide tenants with written updates on the progress of repairs

Failing to comply with Awaab's Law deadlines can result in enforcement action by the local authority, civil penalties, and prosecution. For a detailed guide, see our Awaab's Law Guide.

Tenant information leaflet

The Renters' Rights Act replaces the existing "How to Rent" guide with a new government-prescribed tenant information leaflet. This leaflet covers tenants' rights under the updated law and must be served to every tenant.

Key points:

• The leaflet must be served to all existing tenants by 31 May 2026
• For new tenancies, it must be served at the start of the tenancy
• You must use the exact version published by the government — not a summary or your own version
• Without serving the leaflet, you cannot serve a valid Section 8 notice
• Keep proof of service (email read receipt, signed acknowledgement, or recorded delivery)

See our Tenant Leaflet Deadline page for a step-by-step preparation checklist.

Rent increases

The Renters' Rights Act changes how landlords can increase rent:

• Contractual rent review clauses are no longer valid — you cannot rely on a clause in the tenancy agreement to increase rent
• All rent increases must use the Section 13 procedure — a formal notice on a prescribed form
• You must give at least 2 months' notice of a rent increase
• Rent can only be increased once per year (once every 12 months)
• The proposed rent must reflect the market rent for the property — you cannot increase above market rate
• Tenants can challenge any rent increase at the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber)
• The tribunal will determine the market rent — which could be lower than, the same as, or higher than what you proposed

The Section 13 procedure is straightforward but must be followed exactly. An incorrectly served notice is void. PropReady generates correctly formatted Section 13 notices with the right notice period and prescribed form.

Pet rights

The Renters' Rights Act gives tenants the right to request permission to keep a pet in the property. The key provisions are:

• Tenants can make a written request to keep a pet
• Landlords must respond within 42 days
• Landlords can only refuse on reasonable grounds — a blanket "no pets" policy is no longer sufficient
• Reasonable grounds for refusal might include: the property is unsuitable for the type of pet, the lease or head-lease prohibits pets, or the pet would cause a genuine nuisance
• Landlords can require the tenant to take out pet damage insurance to cover any damage caused by the pet
• If the landlord does not respond within 42 days, consent is deemed to be granted

The pet provisions are designed to balance tenants' desire to keep pets with landlords' legitimate concerns about property damage. Requiring pet damage insurance is the main protection for landlords.

Decent Homes Standard

The Decent Homes Standard has applied to social housing since 2000 but has never applied to private rentals — until now. The Renters' Rights Act extends the Decent Homes Standard to the private rented sector.

A decent home must:

• Meet the current statutory minimum standard for housing (no Category 1 hazards under HHSRS)
• Be in a reasonable state of repair
• Have reasonably modern facilities and services (kitchen, bathroom, heating)
• Provide a reasonable degree of thermal comfort (adequate insulation and heating)

The exact enforcement mechanism and timeline for the Decent Homes Standard in private rentals is subject to secondary legislation. However, landlords should be aware that their properties will eventually need to meet this standard and should plan accordingly.