Renters' Rights Act 2025 receives Royal Assent

The Renters' Rights Act received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025, the Ministry of Justice said in its mortgage and landlord possession statistics for July to September 2025, published on 13 November 2025¹. The department said the act, "following implementation, will change the law around rented homes in England"¹. The HomeOwners Alliance, an independent consumer body, said the majority of the act will come into effect on 1 May 2026, with some elements due from late 2026². Insurer ARAG said provisions are "phased in across three stages, starting 1 May 2026"³.

The HomeOwners Alliance set out the main changes it says take effect on 1 May 2026²:

On rent increases, the HomeOwners Alliance said the tribunal cannot award more than the rent the landlord proposed and there will be no backdating, with the new rent applying from the tribunal decision². Landlords must serve a Section 13 notice giving at least two months' notice². On arrears, it said the mandatory threshold for eviction rises from two to three months' arrears and the notice period from two weeks to four². Tenants will be able to end a tenancy by giving two months' notice².

From late 2026, the HomeOwners Alliance said a Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman will be introduced and all private landlords must register on a Private Rented Sector Database, rolled out gradually by area². It said local councils will be able to take enforcement action against landlords who fail to join, and the government has indicated fines of thousands of pounds could apply where a property is let or advertised without first being registered². ARAG said the act marks "the most significant overhaul of England's private rental sector in nearly 40 years"³.

Separate official figures show the backdrop. In July to September 2025, landlord possession claims fell 8% to 23,327 compared with the same quarter in 2024, orders fell 5% to 18,283 and warrants fell 4% to 11,405, while landlord repossessions rose 9% to 7,641¹. The median time from landlord claim to repossession rose to 27.4 weeks, from 24.4 weeks a year earlier¹. The Ministry of Justice said it will continue to monitor changes to the landlord statistics and review how the data is presented as the act is implemented¹.

Why it matters for households

The act applies to private rented homes in England¹. For tenants, the headline change is that assured tenancies become periodic and Section 21 evictions are abolished, so a tenancy continues until the tenant gives two months' notice or a landlord succeeds on a legal ground². Rent increases are limited to once a year and can be challenged at the First-Tier Tribunal, which cannot award more than the landlord proposed and cannot backdate the increase². Bidding above an advertised rent becomes illegal, and refusing tenants because they have children or claim benefits becomes unlawful². Landlords who want to sell or move in cannot use those grounds in the first 12 months of a tenancy². The ombudsman and database, expected from late 2026, would let tenants check who they rent from².

What happens next

The main provisions take effect on 1 May 2026, with the Private Rented Sector Database and Private Landlord Ombudsman due from late 2026². ARAG describes the rollout as three stages starting 1 May 2026³. The Ministry of Justice's next possession statistics update is due on 12 February 2026¹.