The 1st of May 2026 marked one of the most significant shifts in the English private rented sector law in decades. The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 (RRA) has come into force, bringing an end to assured shorthold tenancies (ASTs) and reshaping the relationship between landlords and tenants across England. Whether you are a landlord, tenant, or letting agent, understanding these changes is essential.
At Halls Property Group, we are committed to keeping our landlords and tenants fully informed. Here is your complete guide to what has changed and what it means for you.
The End of Fixed-Term Tenancies
Perhaps the most headline-grabbing change introduced by the RRA is the move to periodic-only tenancies. From 1 May 2026, all existing fixed-term ASTs have automatically converted to assured periodic tenancies (APTs), with rental periods of no more than one month.
You do not need to sign a new tenancy agreement for this to take effect. Any clause in an existing agreement that references a fixed term is now legally void. This applies to all Housing Act 1988 tenancies, though it excludes company lets and high-value tenancies with annual rents of £100,000 or more.
For landlords, this means the security of a fixed term is gone. For tenants, it brings the new right to end a tenancy by giving two months’ notice. However, tenants do benefit from at least 12 months’ security of tenure from the start of their tenancy, meaning a landlord cannot serve a notice to expire within that first year on the basis of wanting to sell or reoccupy the property.
How Rent Rules Have Changed
Rent in advance
Under the new rules, ongoing rent may only be collected on the due date. Landlords and agents who previously required tenants to pay early each month will no longer be able to do so, and continuing the practice could attract a financial penalty.
For the first payment of a tenancy, rent can still be requested before the start date, but only once all parties have signed the tenancy agreement.
Arrangements where tenants paid multiple months of rent upfront, or where rent periods were quarterly or six-monthly, are no longer permitted for new or converted tenancies. All tenancies with quarterly or six-monthly rent periods will have converted to monthly periodic from 1 May. If you previously collected rent quarterly, it is advisable to move to monthly collection to avoid complications around possession rules tied to those longer periods.
Rent increases
Any rent increase clause written into an existing tenancy agreement ceased to have legal effect on 1 May 2026. From now on, landlords must use a section 13 notice under the Housing Act 1988 to raise the rent, unless a brand new tenancy agreement is signed at a new rental figure.
Key points to be aware of regarding section 13 notices:
- A rent increase cannot take effect within 52 weeks of the tenancy start date
- It also cannot take effect within 52 weeks of a previous section 13 rent increase
- Notices served from 1 May require two months’ notice
- The increase must take effect at the beginning of a rental period
Guidance from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has confirmed that existing rent increase clauses due to trigger in May or June 2026 cannot be relied upon. Landlords in this position will need to serve a fresh section 13 notice.
Section 21 “No-Fault” Evictions: Gone
Section 21 notices, commonly used to end tenancies without giving a reason, have been removed entirely by the RRA. It is no longer possible to serve one.
If a valid section 21 notice was served before 1 May 2026, it remains usable, but possession proceedings must be started by 31 July 2026 at the latest. After that date, the notice becomes worthless and, crucially, a new one cannot be served. Landlords in this position should act without delay.
Section 8 Notices: Still Available, But With Changes
Section 8 notices, which require a specific legal ground for possession, remain the route to repossession going forward. However, the same 31 July 2026 cut-off applies to notices served before commencement. If a landlord does not act by that date, they will need to serve a fresh notice under the new rules.
One important change to be aware of: notice periods for some grounds have increased. For rent arrears, for example, the required notice period is now four weeks, up from the previous two weeks.
Unlike section 21, section 8 has not been abolished. If a landlord misses the cut-off date, they can simply serve a new notice under the updated rules.
Information Duties for Existing Tenancies
Landlords and agents with existing written tenancy agreements are required to provide tenants with a prescribed information sheet about the changes brought in by the RRA. This must be done within one month of 1 May 2026, so the deadline is 31 May 2026.
Where a tenancy has no written agreement at all, a written statement must be provided within 28 days of commencement.
What About Student Landlords?
A new possession ground, Ground 4A, has been introduced specifically for landlords of student houses in multiple occupation. It allows landlords to serve a notice seeking possession to expire between 1 June and 30 September each year, in order to re-let to new students for the coming academic year.
To use this ground, landlords must have previously given a “ground statement” warning tenants that this notice may be used. For existing student tenancies, landlords have one month from 1 May to issue that statement. For this year only, the notice period under Ground 4A has been reduced to two months.
Deposit Protection Now Applies More Widely
Prior to the RRA, deposit protection rules under the 2007 legislation applied only to ASTs. From 1 May, they now extend to all assured periodic tenancies. Landlords of pre-existing assured (non-shorthold) tenancies are not required to retrospectively comply, but all new Housing Act 1988 tenancies going forward must meet deposit protection requirements.
We Are Here to Help
The Renters’ Rights Act represents a major overhaul of how tenancies work in England, and navigating the transitional period requires careful attention to dates, notices, and obligations.
At Halls Property Group, we are on hand to guide landlords and tenants through every aspect of the new regime. Whether you have questions about rent increases, notice requirements, or how your current tenancy has been affected, get in touch with our team today.
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