From 1 May 2026, the Renters’ Rights Act will implement some of the biggest changes to the Private Rented Sector in England and Wales. The Act will aim to balance landlord and tenant rights and will impose new requirements and regulatory oversight on landlords.
A good solicitor will be committed to ensuring that private landlords are well-equipped for the changes and aren’t caught out. Here are the top five things that landlords can do to prepare for the Act and how it will affect them:
From 1 May 2026, new and existing tenancies will no longer be fixed term assured shorthold tenancies. Instead, they will automatically become assured periodic tenancies with no fixed end date, and tenants can give two months’ notice to leave at any time.
Landlords should plan for increased tenant mobility and adjust their approach to tenancy selection and management accordingly.
Section 21 will be abolished, and possession will mainly rely on the new and existing Section 8 Grounds.
Landlords should be aware of the new Grounds – such as the new ‘selling up’ Ground 1a – and ensure that their records are accurate and complete, including rent accounts and written communications, to support any future possession claims.
Local authorities will have stronger Investigatory powers and greater ability to impose financial penalties. The Act also introduces new offences, increased rent repayment order caps, a new Private Rented Sector Ombudsman and Database which landlords will be required to join. Landlords should maintain a centralised database, keep clear compliance records and follow consistent procedures to reduce enforcement risk.
The Act will introduce bans on rental bidding, rent in advance (over one month) and discriminatory practices in lettings, such as refusing to let to tenants with children or those in receipt of benefits. Marketing and tenant selection processes should therefore be reviewed to ensure that they are fair and compliant.
(N.B The Ombudsman and Database will be introduced through ‘Phase Two’ of the Act, expected to come into force around late 2026/2027)
From 1 May 2026, contractual rent review clauses will no longer apply. Rent increases must be carried out using the statutory procedure, by serving a Section 13 Notice (limited to once per year) and giving 2 clear months’ notice of the increase.
Landlords should remove rent increase clauses from new or existing Tenancy agreements and ensure that any proposed increases are reasonable and supported by market evidence.
For new tenancies from 1 May 2026, specific required information must be provided at the start of the tenancy. Government guidance on this can be found here: Written_information_that_must_be_given_to_tenants-_landlord_guidance.pdf
For existing written tenancies, the 4-page Renters’ Rights Act written information sheet – which can be found here The Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 – must be provided to each Tenant by 31 May 2026. This must either be given as a hard copy or as a PDF attachment (not a link).
For existing non-written Tenancies, a document containing the key Tenancy terms must be provided by 31 May 2026.
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The Act changes the legal landscape for how tenancies are granted, managed and ended, and introduces significant regulatory oversight to ensure that these new and existing processes are followed.
Landlords should scrutinise their agreements and processes to keep in line with the changes come 1 May 2026.
This article is taken from Landlord Today