Autumn Budget 2025
The Renters’ Rights Act has officially come into law and with it comes a significant set of regulatory changes that private landlords will need to adhere to moving forward.
The Act is in place to enhance the rights of tenants and clarify the responsibilities of landlords by providing them guidance and support, so they understand what is expected of them.
While the act has officially come into effect, the regulation changes will be phased in over the next few weeks and months to come.
It’s important to understand these changes and access legal advice if you need additional support.
What are the key changes landlords need to know?
The most significant change is the removal of Section 21 in the Housing Act 1988, which will see no-fault evictions abolished and for all evictions, you will need to provide your tenant with clear reasoning for reclaiming your property.
The reasons need to be outlined clearly to your tenants and must fulfil the requirements set in Section 8 of the Housing Act.
As well as the removal of no-fault evictions, tenancy structures will also change, with all tenancies to become periodic under the new act, with fixed-term assured tenancies also being abolished.
This will see all existing fixed-term tenancies becoming periodic, with fixed dates removed and instead tenancies will run fluidly from week-to-week or month-to-month, depending on when your tenant pays rent.
Tenancies becoming periodic allow tenants to remain in the property until they decide to end the agreement in place, but if they do this, they must give you two months’ notice.
Another significant change for landlords is that bidding wars are becoming illegal. Under the new act, you will not be allowed to instigate bidding wars for your property between potential tenants.
The price you advertise is the price you must accept and not a penny more. If you break this law, you will face significant fines and sanctions from the regulatory body.
As for rent increases, you will only be allowed to increase the rent figure once a year and it must align with the local market rate. If you intend to make changes to rent payments, you need to give your tenant two months’ notice.
There are also new laws taking effect regarding discrimination against tenants.
You will need to treat each tenant respectfully, conduct your checks as you would but you cannot discriminate against their circumstances, such as being on benefits.
What else will the Renters’ Rights Act introduce?
As well as the significant changes to tenancies and evictions, there are other changes taking effect, including increased rights for tenants wanting pets in your property.
You will have to consider all requests for pets and outline clear reasoning as to why it isn’t possible, as you cannot refuse the request without this and you will be able to access pet insurance to protect your property.
Also coming in as part of the new act are a new Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman and a Private Rented Sector Database.
The newly created Ombudsman will help you resolve any disputes that arise with your tenants.
While the newly created database will be in place to help you understand your legal obligations and register your information, so that people know about you and your properties.
Private landlords and Awaab’s Law
Having only just been introduced into the social housing regulations, Awaab’s Law will also apply to private sector landlords in the future.
The law was only passed in October 2025, but the nature of it has meant it has been incorporated into the Renters Rights Act and means all landlords will need to comply.
To clarify, it isn’t clear when it will be fully integrated into the private sector, but preparation is key, as you will need to change how you manage any reports from tenants.
Awaab’s Law is in place so landlords understand how to deal with emergency hazards and those that pose a significant risk to your tenants.
You will be required to complete extensive investigations when a tenant reports a concern to you and investigate to determine whether it is an emergency hazard or one that could be significantly dangerous.
The timeframes are slightly different as any emergency hazard will need investigating and repair work started within 24 hours and provide a written summary about what has been done.
For significant hazards, you will need to investigate within ten working days, produce a written summary for your tenant within three working days of the investigation finishing and start repair work within five days of the investigation concluding.
Let our team of experts help you understand the new laws
As the new regulations are introduced over the coming weeks and months, it’s important you understand the changes and prepare ahead of time.
If you need advice, our team is here for you. We can explain the new laws to you and give you the support you need to implement changes into your processes and ensure you are ready for when they do take effect.
Contact our team for advice and support for all Renters’ Rights Act queries.
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