The Renters' Rights Act, in plain English

The timetable

Sources: the government's implementation roadmap and its guidance on registering a rental property. Dates can move, so check them before you rely on one.

What changed on 1 May 2026

Section 21 has gone

You can no longer end a tenancy without giving a reason. To get a property back you need one of the legal grounds, such as selling, moving in yourself, serious rent arrears or antisocial behaviour, and you serve a section 8 notice.

No more fixed terms

Every tenancy now runs from one rent period to the next with no end date. A tenant can leave by giving two months' notice. Tenancies that already existed changed over automatically.

Selling or moving in

You can use these grounds, but not during the first 12 months of a tenancy, and you must give four months' notice.

Rent arrears

The main arrears ground now needs three months of unpaid rent, up from two, and four weeks' notice.

Rent increases

Once a year at most, using the official notice (Form 4A) with at least two months' warning. Rent review clauses in agreements no longer count. A tenant who thinks the new rent is above the market rate can challenge it at a tribunal.

Advertising and offers

You must advertise a rent and you can't ask for or accept more than that. You can't take more than one month's rent in advance, and only after the agreement is signed.

Who you can let to

You can't have a blanket rule against tenants with children or tenants who receive benefits. You can still reference every applicant and check they can afford the rent.

Pets

A tenant can ask to keep a pet. You must answer in writing within 28 days and can't refuse without a good reason.

Paperwork

Every new tenancy needs a written agreement that includes the information the law sets out. Tenants who were already in place should have been given the government's information sheet by 31 May 2026.

Penalties

Councils can fine landlords up to £7,000 for breaking these rules, and up to £40,000 for serious or repeated offences.

Registering your rental property

The Act set up a national register of rented homes and their landlords. It opens region by region through the government's Register your rental property service.

• When. Greater Manchester is in the North West, where registration runs from 15 May 2027 to 14 August 2027.
• Cost. £65 for each property, every year. No VAT is charged.
• Who does it. You, the landlord, must start the registration. Once the property has a registration number, a managing agent can add the tenancy and safety details.
• What you'll need. The property's details, a correspondence address in England or Wales, your managing agent's details, your gas safety, electrical safety and energy performance certificates, the tenancy details including the rent, and any licence.
• If you don't. The penalty is up to £7,000 for not registering, and up to £40,000 for giving false information or repeated breaches.

Source: Register your rental property service: guidance for landlords, published 29 October 2026.

What to do now

• Check every tenant has the right written information. If an existing tenant never got the information sheet, send it now.
• Put a date in the diary for each property's yearly rent review, and use Form 4A.
• Put 15 May 2027 in the diary too, and get your gas, electrical and energy certificates together for the register.
• Deal with damp and mould reports quickly and keep a record of what you did.
• If you may want to sell or move in, plan well ahead. The notice is four months.

For everything a landlord needs in place, see the landlord's checklist.

How we handle it

For landlords we manage, this is part of the service: the right paperwork at the start, the rent review each year with the correct notice, certificate reminders, and repairs dealt with and recorded. We don't carry out legal work. If you need a possession claim, we'll point you to a solicitor.