The Renters' Rights Act is new legislation which has been brought in by the government to overhaul laws around renting. It is said to be the most significant change to housing law of the past 30 years, and will impact every aspect of the letting industry.

The act gained Royal Assent in October 2025, and its new laws will be phased in over the coming months, starting with phase 1 on 1st May, 2026. 

Some of the major changes which will impact landlords the most in the Renters' Rights Act include ending Section 21 evictions, stricter enforcement of property standards and the abolition of fixed term tenancies.

The Act was given Royal Assent in October 2025 following the parliamentary process, however, this doesn't mean that the new rules it sets out are enforced from that date.

The rules will be brought in in three phases, with the first phase on 1st May 2026.

From 1st May 2026, landlords and letting agents must provide tenants with certain written information about key terms of a tenancy. This means that all tenancies must be in writing and include things such as landlords' names, tenants' names, rental property address, tenancy start date, rent amount and due dates, how a rent increase might be proposed, whether the rent includes bills and how they are handled, the deposit amount, how a tenant may end the tenancy, how a landlord may end the tenancy, plus much more. All of these details can form part of your overall Tenancy Agreement but if they don’t then this should be provided separately.

You can see more about this, as well as a copy of the requirements, on the Government website.

The government have issued new Assured tenancy forms for privately rented properties to use from 1st May 2026 so you can see the type of information that will be required if you need to issue them after the implementation date. You can find these on the Government's website. These will not be in use until 1st May, 2026.

If you're worried about the abolition of Section 21, our Rent Guarantee product can help protect your income.

You can issue a written notice or attempt to resolve, but ultimately you may need legal proceedings. Rent Guarantee insurance can help cover loss of rent and legal fees.

There are new changes to possession grounds which will mean that a tenant will need to be in at least three months of arrears before a notice can be served on mandatory grounds. The notice will then give an additional four week period before possession applications can be made to the Court.

Yes, periodic tenancies will become the default and fixed-term tenancies will be abolished. This means tenants can leave with two months' notice, and landlords can only end tenancies using valid grounds under Section 8.

This will happen from 1st May 2026, when all existing tenancies will automatically switch over to the new system along with any new tenancies after this date.

Rent Guarantee Insurance is not a legal requirement, but it can help to reduce the financial risks associated with being a landlord.

As the legislation set out in the Renters' Rights Act will empower tenants and make it a lot more difficult for landlords to serve notice, many landlords are turning to Rent Guarantee insurance to mitigate the additional financial risks.

It's crucial to prepare for the upcoming changes, as they could have a significant impact on landlords - here's what you should do: 

- Start planning changes to your tenancy documents

- Plan for register/ombudsman processes and evidence standards

- Ensure all safety certifications (gas, electrical, etc.) are up to date.

- Consider taking out rent guarantee insurance to protect your income.