Renters' Rights Act 2025: Implementation Timeline and Transitional Rules

The main provisions of the Renters' Rights Act 2025 came into force in England on 1 May 2026. The Act received Royal Assent in 2025, but Royal Assent is not the same as commencement — most substantive provisions came into force on an appointed day set by statutory instrument. That day has now arrived for Phase 1.

From 1 May 2026, the old law no longer applies. Section 21 "no-fault" notices can no longer be served, assured shorthold tenancies have been replaced by assured periodic tenancies, and possession is available only on the reformed Section 8 grounds. The change applied to existing tenancies as well as new ones — there was no parallel-running period.

Later phases are still to come: mandatory registration on the Private Rented Sector Database from late 2026, and the extension of the Decent Homes Standard and Awaab's Law to private rentals at a date still to be confirmed following consultation. For those, the legislation page at legislation.gov.uk still flags 'not yet in force' next to the relevant sections, and the government's implementation roadmap is the authoritative source for the timetable.

Phase 1 took effect on 1 May 2026, and it was a single simultaneous switch rather than a staggered rollout. On that day all of the following began to apply, to existing and new tenancies alike:

• Section 21 abolished — no "no-fault" notice can be served.
• Assured periodic tenancies replaced assured shorthold tenancies; fixed terms converted to rolling periodic tenancies automatically.
• Reformed Section 8 possession grounds became the only route to possession.
• Rent increases limited to once a year, with a challenge route to the First-tier Tribunal.
• Rental bidding banned — a property cannot be let above its advertised price.
• Rent in advance capped, ending demands for six or twelve months upfront.
• Anti-discrimination protections — "No DSS" and "no children" letting policies and adverts are unlawful.
• Pet requests must be considered and can only be refused on reasonable grounds.

If you are a tenant, you have these protections now. If you are a landlord and your tenancy templates still refer to fixed-term ASTs or Section 21, they are out of date.

The headline change — abolition of Section 21 and conversion of all assured shorthold tenancies to periodic tenancies — took effect on 1 May 2026. Three things happened at once. First, no new Section 21 notice could be served. Second, all existing fixed-term assured shorthold tenancies converted into periodic (rolling) tenancies, regardless of how much of the fixed term remained. Third, the reformed Section 8 grounds became the only route to recover possession outside surrender or forfeiture.

There was no window in which both regimes ran in parallel — the switch was sharp. One transitional rule applied to notices already served: a Section 21 notice served before 1 May 2026 could still be relied on, but only if the landlord issued a possession claim at court by 31 July 2026. After that date such a notice cannot be used, even if it would otherwise still have been in date.

If you are a tenant: a Section 21 notice dated on or after 1 May 2026 has no legal effect. If you were served one before that date and no court claim was issued by 31 July 2026, it can no longer be used against you. In either case your landlord must start again under Section 8, and you are entitled to stay until a court makes a possession order.

If you are a landlord: possession now runs entirely through Section 8. Ground 1A (selling) and Ground 1 (moving in or housing a close family member) are the usual routes where there is no tenant fault, and each carries its own notice period and protected period during which it cannot be used.

The new Private Rented Sector Database — a national landlord and property register — opens in two phases. The voluntary phase begins first, allowing landlords to register early and councils to enrol properties already known to them through selective licensing. The mandatory phase begins on a later appointed day; from that day, letting a property in England without registration is a criminal offence punishable by fine and rent repayment order. The database will hold each landlord's identity, their portfolio addresses, their compliance record (gas, electrical, EPC, deposit protection, banning orders), and any criminal convictions or enforcement actions. Tenants will be able to check whether a prospective landlord is registered, and councils will use the database for enforcement targeting. Registration is expected to cost a small annual fee per property. The exact go-live date and fee structure will be set by regulations and confirmed by the operator (likely a designated arm's-length body) before mandatory operation begins.

Awaab's Law — the rules requiring landlords to investigate and remedy specified hazards within fixed timeframes — was introduced for social housing through the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 and will be extended to the private rented sector through the Renters' Rights Act.

This extension has not yet commenced. It sits in a later phase of the government's implementation roadmap and remains "to be confirmed" following consultation; the proposed timetable for applying the Decent Homes Standard to private rentals runs well beyond this decade. Do not assume these duties apply to a private landlord yet — check the roadmap for the current position.

Once in force, private landlords will have to investigate a reported damp, mould or other specified hazard within a fixed period, complete emergency repairs within 24 hours of identifying a significant risk, and complete other repairs within a further fixed window. Properties failing the Decent Homes Standard will not be lettable, with enforcement through the council and the First-tier Tribunal.

In the meantime, private tenants are not without remedies: the council's environmental health team can act on serious hazards under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System, and the landlord's repairing obligations under section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 apply regardless of the Renters' Rights Act timetable.

Three further provisions of the Act — the cap on rent in advance (one month maximum, under sections 8–9, replacing the unregulated practice of demanding six or twelve months upfront from tenants whose income or credit history was 'risky'); the right to request a pet, which the landlord can only refuse on reasonable grounds and where insurance is offered as a condition (section 11); and the strengthened anti-discrimination provisions that make it unlawful to refuse to let or to advertise a property as 'No DSS' or 'no children' (sections 33–40) — all commenced on 1 May 2026, the same date as the Section 21 abolition, under the Renters' Rights Act 2025 (Commencement No. 2 and Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/421). All three are in force now — do not treat any of them as pending.

Tenants: if you have been handed a Section 21 notice dated on or after 1 May 2026, it is not valid — say so in writing and get advice. If you were served one before that date, check whether a court claim was actually issued by 31 July 2026; if it was not, the notice is spent. Either way, do not leave on the strength of a notice: your landlord needs a possession order and bailiffs, and leaving early can affect whether the council treats you as intentionally homeless. Keep records of rent-in-advance demands, deposit protection, gas safety certificates, the EPC and every repair request — your access to remedies such as rent repayment orders depends on documented history. You can also now challenge a rent increase at the First-tier Tribunal, and your landlord can only raise the rent once a year.

Landlords: tenancy templates that still create fixed terms or reference Section 21 are out of date and should be replaced. Every possession claim now runs through Section 8, so know your grounds — particularly Ground 1A (sale) and Ground 1 (moving in), each with its own notice period and protected period. Watch for mandatory Private Rented Sector Database registration from late 2026 and budget for the fee. Do not advertise above the asking price, demand large sums in advance, refuse pets without a reasonable ground, or exclude benefit claimants or families with children — all of these became unlawful on 1 May 2026.