On 27 October 2025, the Renters’ Rights Bill received Royal Assent.
The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 (as it will now be known) will provide a significant shake-up of the residential lettings market in England.
Whilst you may have read countless articles on this topic, we have prepared the following Frequently Asked Questions to get you up to speed with the changes.
Is the Renters’ Rights Act now ‘law’, and is it in force?
The media has caused some panic with referring to this as ‘law’. Technically, it is law because the Bill has received Royal Assent.
It is not yet operative or in force – dates are awaited for the Government as to the implementation period.
The changes to be made are bold and ambitious. Equally ambitious is the Government’s desire to ensure tenants benefit from the Act as soon as possible. It may be spring 2026 could bring in the first set of ‘operative dates’ for some changes, with others continuing into summer 2026.
However, the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) claims that the private rented sector needs at-least 6 months to get prepared for the changes.
More on this should be available in the coming weeks.
What exactly is changing?
- Fixed term assured shorthold tenancies (“ASTs”) will be abolished – all tenancies will be assured tenancies that are on a rolling periodic basis;
- Abolishing the use of the Section 21 possession procedure under the Housing Act 1988 (also known as the ‘no ground based possession’;
- An enhancement of the existing Section 8 possession procedure under the Housing Act 1988 with a change to the length of notices, and the grounds for obtaining possession;
- Student lettings are changing but the position is complex – there are changes but it depends on the type of student accommodation being let;
- Rent can only be increased using the section 13 Housing Act 1988 statutory process, once per year;
- Prohibition on rental ‘bidding wars’;
- Prohibition on discrimination against tenants that are on benefits or that have children;
- Tenants will have a right to keep a pet at the property, with the landlord’s consent to not be unreasonably refused;
- Awaab’s Law to apply to the private rented sector rather than solely the social housing sector;
- The Decent Homes Standard to be reformed and applied to be the private rented sector as well;
- A new Private Rented Sector Database to ensure proper documentation and registration of properties;
- A new Landlord Redress Scheme to be introduced to provide tenants with an Ombudsman to provide cost-effective resolution to disputes;
- Penalties introduced for non-compliance with any changes introduced by the operative dates;
Should I be worried?
No. Whilst a lot is changing, when viewed holistically and without media sensationalism, landlord’s still have rights to obtain possession under circumstances they would currently want possession.
It is more onerous on landlords with a higher burden placed on ensuring landlords are compliant, however, it is not something to be worried about.
We advise that appointing an agent to manage your property may be sensible.
What can I do now?
It is important that both landlords and agents remain prepared for the changes that are now confirmed to come into force, and to seek advice early on their options.
It is expected that the timeframes may be quite short in respect of implementation and so it is important that landlord and agents are ready to move quickly once the operative dates are announced.
Please consult our experienced Property Litigation team on 0345 646 0406 or fill in our online enquiry form. Our team are on hand to assist you with navigating this process.