Government Guide on Renters' Rights Act 2025

The government has today (7 November 2025) published its official Guide to the Renters' Rights Act 2025, setting out how the new framework for private renting in England will operate once the Act is brought into force. The guide, available on GOV.UK, provides landlords and agents with a clear overview of each major reform and gives a helpful indication of what to expect in the months ahead.

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025 but has not yet commenced. The government says it will issue a separate timeline for implementation, confirming the date when the new tenancy system and other reforms will take effect.

Practical overview for landlords

The new guide covers the main themes of the Act through structured sections and easy-to-navigate questions and answers. Topics include:

• Tenancy reform - explaining the shift to periodic assured tenancies and the abolition of Section 21 notices;
• Rent in advance - outlining the new limits on advance payments;
• Private Rented Sector (PRS) Landlord Ombudsman - a new redress scheme all landlords will have to join;
• Private Rented Sector Database - the forthcoming national landlord register;
• Rental discrimination, rental bidding, and pets in properties;
• The Decent Homes Standard, Awaab's Law, and expanded enforcement powers for local councils;
• Rent repayment orders, which will be strengthened and widened in scope.

The use of Q&A format is particularly useful, giving practical answers to common questions such as "How will a landlord regain possession in future?" and "What evidence will a landlord need to provide?" This should help both landlords and agents understand what will change in day-to-day management once the Act begins.

A new detail for existing tenancies

Importantly, we learn something new from this guidance. It confirms that when the Act commences, landlords will need to provide a government-produced information sheet explaining how each existing tenancy has converted to the new system. The guidance indicates that this must be issued within one month of the Act coming into force.

This leaflet will effectively take the place of re-issuing tenancy agreements, meaning landlords will not need to create new contracts, but must ensure their tenants receive the official explanatory document on time. This duty is expected to be enforced through forthcoming secondary legislation.

Implementation approach

The government has confirmed that the reforms will be implemented in one stage, applying immediately to both existing and new tenancies on the appointed day. All assured and assured shorthold tenancies will automatically convert to the new periodic form, and landlords will no longer be able to serve Section 21 or pre-existing Section 8 notices after that date.

The guide also reassures landlords that the transition will avoid unnecessary "cliff edges": for instance, rent increases or notices lawfully served before commencement will remain valid.

What landlords should do now

Although commencement is still some way off, landlords should familiarise themselves with the structure of the Act and the guidance now published. The Q&A sections offer practical insight into how the new possession grounds, rent increase procedure, and ombudsman membership are expected to work.

Further detail - including the exact content of the required information sheet and registration process for the PRS Database - will follow in secondary regulations.

For now, landlords can read the full Guide to the Renters' Rights Act at www.gov.uk.

Summary:

The publication of this guidance marks the government's first major step towards the implementation of the Renters' Rights Act 2025. While much of the content repeats what was already known, it provides welcome clarification on the transition process - including, notably, that landlords must send tenants an official government leaflet within one month of the Act commencing to explain how their tenancy has changed.

The Guild is hard at work producing more technical-focused guidance about the Renters’ Rights Act 2025. The first guidance, covering periodic tenancies, rental periods and rent in advance, is progressing well and should be ready for publication soon.