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Important: Updates to North East Lincolnshire Council’s website

Renters’ Rights Act

The new Renters’ Rights Act 2025 will give tenants new rights and introduce new rules for private landlords. This page explains these new rules and what it means for you.

I am a tenant I am a landlord

Read the full Renters’ Rights Act at GOV.UK, or download the information sheet.

About the Renters’ Rights Act

The Renters’ Rights Act is the most significant overhaul of England’s private rental laws in over 30 years.

It introduces some of the most significant changes to the private rented sector in a generation. Whether you’re a landlord, a letting agent, or a tenant, the new rules are designed to create a fairer, more transparent and more secure rental market for everyone. From strengthened tenant protections to updated responsibilities for landlords and agents, the Act sets out clear standards for how homes must be managed, maintained and let. Understanding these changes is essential, both to stay compliant with the law and to make informed decisions about your property or tenancy.

The following changes took effect on 1 May 2026.

FAQs

  • No more Section 21 evictions – sometimes known as a “no fault eviction”. Tenancies will move to a simpler, periodic structure. Tenancies will have no set end date and instead will be rolling weekly or monthly.
  • Ensure possessions are fair to both landlords and tenancies. Tenants get more security, while landlords can recover their property when reasonable. This gives tenants more time to find a home if landlords evict to move in or sell their home.
  • Landlords can no longer increase rent to above market rates or accept offers above the advertised rent. Tenants can appeal excessive above-market rents to an independent tribunal.
  • A new private rented sector ombudsman will provide quick, fair, and impartial resolution for complaints about landlords. This will help those living in privately rented housing and social housing.
  • A private rented sector database will be created to help landlords understand their legal obligations and allow tenants to make an informed decision when entering a tenancy agreement. Landlords will need to be registered on this database to use certain possession grounds.
  • Landlords can no longer unreasonably refuse pets in a rented property. They also can’t discriminate against prospective tenants in receipt of benefits or with children.
  • Landlords will now have to meet a national decent homes standard and can be held accountable if homes are unsafe. There will also be legal expectations about the timeframes landlords can take to make their homes safe.

Phase one of the Act comes into effect on May 1 2026. This includes the changes to tenancy structure, no more Section 21 evictions, the changes to the amount of rent you pay, and the changes to allowances for pets and children.

From late 2026 onwards, phase 2 of the Renters’ Rights Act will begin, with work to roll out the private sector database, the complaints service, and continue the work to make raise the standards of rented homes.

You need to issue your tenant(s) with an information sheet either digitally or on paper on or before 31 May 2026. The information sheet can be found here: The Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026.

You also need to read the landlord guidance to ensure you a compliant with the law – you can find this at GOV.UK.

If your current tenancy is based entirely on a verbal agreement, you’ll need to give your tenant a written record of specific terms of the agreement. You’ll have to do this instead of providing the information sheet.

Government has published guidance on the information you’ll need to provide. You’ll have to give this information to your tenants in writing on or before 31 May 2026. The guidance can be found at GOV.UK.

  • If you have not paid your rent on time
  • If you, others living with you, or visitors to your home commit antisocial behaviour in or near the property
  • If you, or others living with you, do not care or the property properly
  • If your tenancy was for certain purposes, for example it was connected to your employment, or was for temporary or supported accommodation
  • They have a reasonable reason – for example selling the home

Fill in a homelessness prevention form here: Homelessness prevention, housing related support and housing advice.

This will allow the Housing and Homelessness Prevention Team to contact you and support with finding you a home. In some cases, the team might be able to work with your landlord to let you stay in the property longer while finding a new home, or long term.

In the meantime, you should be looking for new private rents and asking friends and family if you could stay with them, should you need it.

Advice for renters

These changes are designed to strengthen your rights, improve security, and make sure rented homes are safe, decent, and fairly managed.

Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions will be abolished

From 1st May 2026:

  • Your landlord will no longer be able to evict you using Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988.
  • You cannot be asked to leave without a valid legal reason.

Evictions will require specific legal grounds

Under the reformed rules:

  • A landlord can only evict you if they have a clear, legally valid reason (known as a possession ground).
  • New grounds will allow landlords to take possession if they intend to:
    • Sell the property
    • Move into the property themselves
    • Move a close family member in
  • It will also be easier for landlords to evict tenants who commit anti-social behaviour.

Fixed-term tenancies will end

Most tenancies will convert to rolling (periodic) tenancies, meaning:

  • You can stay in your home as long as you choose, unless:
    • You decide to end the tenancy, or
    • Your landlord serves a valid notice and/or obtains a court order.
  • You will no longer be locked into long fixed term contracts.

Rent can only increase once per year

If your landlord wants to increase your rent:

  • They must follow a new legal process.
  • They must give you at least two months’ written notice of the proposed increase.

Rental bidding will be banned

You will be protected from bidding wars:

  • Rental listings must show a fixed advertised price.
  • Landlords and agents cannot ask for, encourage, or accept offers above that price.

Limits on rent in advance

You can not be asked for large upfront payments:

  • A landlord can only require up to one month’s rent in advance between signing the agreement and the tenancy start date.
  • They cannot accept earlier payments or ask for future rent to be paid before it is due.

You will receive clean written information about your tenancy

For existing tenants:

  • If your tenancy began before 1st May 2026, your landlord doesn’t need to issue a new agreement.
  • Instead, they must give you a government-produced information sheet by 31st May 2026.

For new tenants:

  • For tenancies starting on or after 1st May 2026, landlords must give you certain required information in writing, usually within the tenancy agreement.
  • This will include key terms and your rights under the new law.

As a tenant, it’s important to understand how these new rules will affect your tenancy, your rights, and your landlord’s responsibilities.

It will be illegal to discriminate against tenants with children or who receive benefits.

From May 2026, a landlord or agent:

  • Cannot refuse you a tenancy because you have children.
  • Cannot refuse you because you receive benefits.

If you want a pet:

  • You can make a formal request.
  • Your landlord must respond within a set timeframe.
  • If they refuse, they must give a valid reason.

Later phases of the Renters’ Rights Act will introduce:

  • A national private rented sector landlord database
  • A new ombudsman for resolving disputes

Advice for landlords

As a landlord, you play an important role in delivering these new rules, and will need to understand what these changes mean for you. If a letting agent acts on your behalf, then they will need to follow these rules too.

It’s your responsibility to read the guidance in full, and make sure you’re compliant with the new law.

Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions will be abolished:

  • you’ll no longer be able to use Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 to evict your tenants

Reformed possession grounds will be fairer for both parties:

  • you’ll only be able to evict tenants when you have a specific, legally valid reason, otherwise known as a ‘possession ground’
  • possession grounds will be extended to make it easier for landlords to evict tenants when they want to sell the property, move into the property or move in members of their family
  • the changes will also make it easier to evict tenants who commit anti-social behaviour

Fixed term tenancies will be banned:

  • most new and existing tenancies in the private rented sector will become assured periodic tenancies, or ‘rolling tenancies’
  • this means renters will be able to stay in their property until they end the tenancy or until a landlord serves a valid notice to end it or obtains a court/possession order

Rent increases limited to once per year:

  • you’ll have to follow the new legal process for increasing the rent
  • this will include providing the tenant with notice, detailing the proposed rent increase at least two months before that increase is due to take effect

Rental bidding will be banned:

  • you’ll have to include a specific price on any written property advertisement
  • you won’t be allowed to ask for, encourage, or accept an offer that’s higher

Requiring large amounts of rent in advance will be banned:

  • you’ll only be able to require up to one month’s rent in the period between all parties signing the tenancy and the tenancy starting
  • you won’t be able to accept any payment of rent before this period
  • once the tenancy’s begun, you won’t be able to require any payment of rent before it’s due

As a landlord, you’ll need to understand the new rules for tenancy agreements.

You’ll need to make sure that you give your tenant written information about the terms of their tenancy:

  • For most tenancies that started before 1st May 2026 you won’t need to change or re-issue any existing written tenancy agreements. Instead, you’ll need to send your tenants a government-produced information sheet. The government will publish this online in March 2026. Landlords will have until 31st May 2026 to provide this to all their tenants, either digitally or on paper. Landlords are able to do this as soon as the information sheet is published
  • For tenancies that start on or after 1st May 2026 you’ll need to provide your tenants with certain information about the tenancy in writing. You could do this in a tenancy agreement. The Government has published details of what information must be included to give you sufficient time to prepare your tenancy agreement template

Discrimination against renters who have children or receive benefits will be illegal:

  • you won’t be able to do anything to make a tenant less likely to rent a property (or prevent them from renting it) because they have children or receive benefits
  • this includes withholding information about a property (including its availability), preventing them from viewing it, and refusing to grant a tenancy

You must consider tenant requests to rent with a pet:

  • you’ll have to consider and respond to your tenant’s request within a set timeframe and will have to provide valid reasons if you choose to refuse it

Other elements of the Renters’ Rights Act will take effect in later phases. In the future, a  landlord database, an ombudsman, Awaab’s Law, and the Decent Homes Standard will all be implemented in the private rented sector.

Further guidance

Contact details

Related pages

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