The Renters Rights Act - What do tenants need to know?

Last updated: 01/06/2026
4 min read

A tenant reviewing Renters' Rights legislation

The Renters’ Rights Act is a new set of rules which impacts the rental sector and changes your rights as a tenant.

It was designed to create a more balanced rental market and give tenants more protection and control.

When are the rules changing?

The new rules won’t be enforced all at once. Large pieces of housing legislation are usually introduced in stages so that councils, landlords, agents and tenants have time to prepare.

Phase one, which included significant changes for tenants, took effect on May 1st, 2026 and the rules included have been implemented since.

Future phases will follow, adding more rule changes over time.

Who does it apply to?

Most of the rules set out in the Renters’ Rights Act only apply in England, not the rest of the UK. If you’re renting in Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales, the rules will differ, so it’s important to check official government guidance for your country.

There are also exemptions to some of the rules, including for:

Certain types of university-owned or purpose-built student accommodation
Some live-in landlords, if you rent a room in the property they live in
Certain forms of social housing
Cases where a Section 21 or Section 8 notice was served prior to May 1st, and is in progress.

How does it affect tenants?

Tenancy types

Prior to the Act, the standard tenancy type in England was an Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST), usually with a fixed term of six or twelve months.

As of May 1st, most new and existing tenancies are now Assured Periodic Tenancies (APTs) - there are some exceptions and separate arrangements for certain types of social housing and specialist accommodation.

The main difference is that an APT is a rolling tenancy, meaning that there is no set end date or fixed term. A tenant can leave their tenancy at any point by giving the landlord two months’ notice.

The purpose of this is to give tenants more flexibility and control over where they live and when they move.

No-fault evictions

The Renters’ Rights Act also put an end to Section 21 evictions, meaning landlords can no longer end a tenancy without a valid reason or a court/possession order. Any Section 21 cases that were already started before May 1st, 2026 can continue under the old rules.

Landlords will now only be able to end the tenancy by using a Section 8 notice, meaning they must have a valid reason such as selling or moving into the property, breaches of the tenancy agreement, or serious rent arrears.

Rent rises

Rent increases are now more tightly regulated. Under the new rules, landlords can only raise the rent once every 12 months and must go through the official process to do so.

Tenants should be given at least two months’ notice of a rent increase, and it must be in line with rent prices of similar properties in your area.

Rent in advance

Landlords are no longer able to ask for more than one month’s rent in advance of a new tenant moving into the property.

Pets

Blanket bans on pets are no longer allowed. Tenants have the right to ask to keep a pet in their rented home, and a landlord can only refuse if they have a good reason to do so.

What do tenants need to do?

As a tenant, there isn’t too much you need to do other than be aware of your new rights and how the Act affects your tenancy.

As the Act aims to strengthen tenants’ rights, most actions fall to the letting agent or landlord.

Here’s what you should do:

Make sure you know and understand your rights.
Read the Information Sheet that your landlord or letting agent should have provided you.
Check whether your tenancy is now an APT, and understand what that means for you.
Understand notice periods both tenants and landlords must give.

To learn more about the Renters’ Rights Act, you can visit the Government website, or speak to your letting agent or landlord.

*All references to legislation within this article were correct as of the date of publication. This article is not intended to be, nor should it be used as or relied on as legal advice.