Hello Readers,

As you will be aware, the Renters’ Rights Act has now passed into law, with an implementation timeline in place. I thought I would give you a summary of the changes and quick-fire roundup of the actions you, as a landlord, will want to take.

Before looking at the changes however, I thought I would share how it’s been reported that September saw a 62% year-on-year increase in Section 21 notices being served. This is the busiest month in over two years (since the pandemic) and I don’t doubt we will see more record months with the courts possibly being overwhelmed!

What will the overall impact be of these changes? Personally, my view is that whilst it will help tip the balance in favour of renters it will also have an opposite effect in a further contraction of supply and increased rental prices for tenants.

May 1^st 2026 – milestone one

The first date for changes to take place is 1^st May 2026 and from this date, the following points will come into effect:

• Section 21 expiration – As of this date, Section 21 will no longer exist, and landlords will need to follow a revised section 8 for evictions.
  
  With the courts currently taking over 27 weeks to process possession hearings I’m very concerned at how unprepared the system is!
  
  Under this point, the main changes to a strengthened section 8 notice are how:
  
  
  • Landlords will be able to give four month’s notice if they wish to sell (after the first 12 months of a tenancy)
    
  • Rent arrears need to be three months, not two as is currently in place with a four week notice period (increased from two weeks)
    
• Fixed term ASTs will cease to exist – This means that all tenancies in the private rental sector will roll from month to month (or week to week) with no end date.
  
  Tenants can give two months’ notice at any time – all existing tenancies will become periodic tenancies (APTs) from 1st May.
  
• Rent increase changes – Landlords are only permitted to raise rent once a year, with increased powers for renters to challenge unfair hikes.
  
  To increase rents, landlords will need to serve a Section 13 notice, giving tenants at least two months’ notice.
  
• Max of one month rent upfront – It will not be permitted for landlords to ask for more than this and rent paid is only permitted to cover the subsequent tenancy period – not any longer (ie one week or one month paid at the start of the period).
  
• No discrimination – It will be illegal for landlords to not accept tenants just because they receive benefits or have children and bidding wars will be outlawed, with landlords not permitted to accept a rental rate over the advertised price.
  
• Strengthened rules around pets – Landlords need to give fair and due consideration to requests for a pet, with 28 days to respond. Landlords may also not require tenants to take out insurance for any damage caused.

Late 2026 – milestone two

The second implementation date will be late 2026, where there will be two key changes:

• A private rented sector database – This register will record all landlords and rental properties in England, being rolled out gradually from late 2026.
  
  This means that tenants will be able to check their property is properly registered. Registration will also be required to use certain grounds for possession under section 8.
  
• A private landlord ombudsman – This will be launched to create an independent body which will help renters sort complaints against landlords quickly and fairly. My hope here is that it will reduce the need for court action.

Other changes coming

There are a few other changes you will want to be aware of as these are due to come into force over the next few years:

• An extension of Awaab’s Law to the private rental sector – This consultation will be launched soon and it’s one I will keep an eye on for you.
  
• EPC Changes – The Government still proposes to require all privately rented homes to meet an EPC rating of C or better unless exempt.
  
  This proposal is still under review and I struggle to see how, for Medway, it is realistic for the proposed new tenancies from 2028 (can you imagine if every rental property in Medway had external wall insulation installed?!) – it’s one to watch!

A full timeline

The NRLA has a helpful detailed timeline, which you can access here and I have included a copy below. You will see how the last date you dan serve a section 21 notice is April 30^th.

How should landlords be preparing for these changes?

There’s a significant amount of detail under each of these changes, but the key three I think landlords need to be aware of is the removal of section 21, change to fixed term tenancies and new rent increase process.

My advice would be to start with making sure your legal obligations are being met – during my research, I found that the NRLA has a helpful checklist which you can access here.

You will also want to make sure your tenants have a written and legally up-to-date tenancy agreement as this will make it much easier to comply with the act once it is in force. If you do have an agreement in place, you will want to make sure your tenants are not currently breaching it as possession proceedings may become more complex through section 8.

The last point here is to keep yourself appraised of the legislation and be sure to read up on it in detail, so you are compliant. These are some significant changes and with the shifting legislative landscape it’s hard to keep up sometimes!

Do you have any specific questions about the bill? I’d be interested to hear them as I hope to put together a guide for landlords that covers off the helpful frequently asked questions over the next few months. The best way to reach me is my emailing hasan@home-share.co.uk.

Hasan