Following on from the Renters’ Rights Bill passing Royal Assent on the 27th October 2025, the Government have today announced that the act will come into force, in 4 stages, starting from 27th December 2025, with the bulk of the reform coming into effect from 1st May 2026.

What are Key Dates?

27th December 2025:Local authorities will be given expanded enforcement and investigatory powers, to inspect rental properties, seek compliance documents and access third-party data when investigating suspected breaches of housing law. Penalties for non compliance will start at £7,000 for a first offence and increase to £40,000 for repeat offences.

1st May 2026: The new tenancy framework and regulations will take affect for residential tenancies, including existing tenancies which will automatically convert to the new laws.

The main reforms coming into effect on 1st May 2026:

• Accepting rent offers above an advertised rent, will be prohibited.
• Landlords must provide tenants with a written statement of terms of the tenancy.
• All tenancies will become assured periodic tenancies – there will no longer be fixed term tenancies.
• Tenants will have the ability to serve a minimum of two months’ notice to end the tenancy, in line with their tenancy date, at any point during the tenancy.
• Advance rent payments of more than 1 month, will be prohibited.
• Section 21, Notices Requiring Possession, will be abolished and landlords will be prohibited from serving notice to end a tenancy, unless for very specific reasons.
• Landlords will only be able to end a tenancy by serving a Section 8 notice which specifies one or more appropriate and relevant grounds for possession.
• Notice periods for landlords will be extended to up to 4 months, depending on the specific grounds cited in the notice.
• Landlords who wish to move into the rented property themselves or by their close family members, or to sell the property, would be prohibited from serving a notice within the first 12 months of a tenancy commencing.
• Rent review clauses in tenancy agreements will be invalidated and future reviews will be based on evidenced market rent and can only be actioned once per year, via a Section 13 notice, with a minimum of 2 months notice.
• Landlords will not be able to unreasonably refuse requests for pets and all requests must be responded to formally within 28 days.
• Landlords must not discriminate against prospective tenants on the basis of children, race, disability or those in receipt of benefits.

Late 2026 (date not yet confirmed): Introduction of the new Mandatory Private Rental Sector Database and the Landlord Ombudsman.It will become mandatory for landlord’s to register with each of the above, for each rental property.

2035-2037 (to be confirmed): The implementation of Awaab’s Law and the Decent Homes Standard will come into effect.These will be introduced following further government consultations.

Impact on Tenants and Landlords

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 is a comprehensive and fundamental change of the current rental system which has been introduced to enhance protections and create more affordable and secure housing options across the country. The act has been through significant scrutiny within parliament, in order to ensure there is a balanced approach for both landlords and tenants, once implemented.

Tenants will benefit from increased security and stability, knowing that their rights are protected and that they have avenues for recourse if required.

For landlords, the act will provide a more transparent and streamlined framework for responsible management and maintenance of rental properties, in order to continue to provide quality housing whilst ensuring their rights are safeguarded.There are also clearer guidelines which will enable landlords to maintaining positive, long-term tenant relationships.

Next Steps

The government will be launching a nationwide awareness campaign to ensure that both tenants and landlords are fully informed of their rights and responsibilities under the new law.

Butler Sherborn will also be keeping our landlords and tenants up to date on the legislation and how this affects their specific circumstances.

This is a key step into the future for the lettings market and it is time now to harness this change.

For further information or to discuss your rental properties, please contact Vanessa Carter in the Burford Office on 01993 822325 or vanessa@butlersherborn.co.uk