Guides · Tenants & landlords
The Renters' Rights Act 2025: a plain-English guide
What actually changed on 1 May 2026, what it means if you rent or let a property, and how RENTL handles it.
What changed
The biggest shake-up of renting law in a generation
The Renters' Rights Act 2025 reforms private renting in England, and its headline change — abolishing Section 21 "no-fault" evictions — took effect on 1 May 2026. It applies to every private tenancy, whether it started before or after that date.
The headline changes
What's different now
No more Section 21
Section 21 let a landlord end a tenancy without giving any reason, provided they followed the right paperwork. That route closed on 1 May 2026. Now a tenancy can only be ended through Section 8, which means giving a specific, legally recognised ground — and that ground has to actually be true and evidenced if it's challenged.
All tenancies are periodic
There's no such thing as a fixed 6- or 12-month assured shorthold tenancy any more. Every tenancy rolls on a periodic, month-to-month basis from day one — tenants have more freedom to leave when they need to, and landlords can't rely on a fixed term to guarantee a set period of income.
No rent bidding
A property has to be advertised at a single asking rent, and landlords and agents are banned from inviting or accepting offers above it — no silent bidding wars driving rents up before a tenancy even starts.
Deposits, capped and protected
The deposit cap itself comes from the Tenant Fees Act 2019 (see our other guide), but every deposit still has to go into a government-backed protection scheme within 30 days of being received, without exception.
One month's rent upfront, maximum
Before you move in, a landlord or agent can ask for at most one month's rent in advance — and nothing at all before the tenancy agreement is actually signed.
Fee-free, by law
Admin fees, viewing fees and referencing fees remain banned under the Tenant Fees Act 2019, and the Renters' Rights Act reinforces the same principle: no getting round the rules by asking for more rent upfront instead.
What this means in practice
For tenants and landlords
If you're a tenant
You have more security than before — a landlord can't simply decide not to renew you or refuse to give a reason. If you ever receive a notice with no valid ground given, it isn't valid, and you should ask questions.
If you're a landlord
You need a genuine, evidenced reason under Section 8 to end a tenancy, tracked properly — the wrong paperwork or a ground that doesn't hold up can leave you unable to regain possession when you need to. This is exactly the kind of deadline we track for every property RENTL manages.