Renters' Rights Act 2025 Guidance for Landlords

The government has now published a full set of official guides for landlords and letting agents on how the Renters' Rights Act 2025 will work in practice. The collection, titled "Renting out your property: guidance for landlords and letting agents", is on GOV.UK, aimed at private landlords and agents in England (it does not cover Private Registered Providers of social housing, whose changes start later).

The series includes an overview of the Renters' Rights Act and detailed articles on tenancy agreements and tenancy types, rental bidding and asking prices, discrimination (including children and benefits), rent payments and deposits, fees, rent increases, pets, antisocial behaviour, resolving issues with tenants, ending tenancies and evictions, notices given before and after 1 May 2026, court possession claims, what happens if a tenant does not leave, and enforcement measures for landlords.

The Renters' Rights Act introduces wide-ranging changes to the way private landlords rent out homes.

The new law overhauls almost every aspect of renting a private home in England, impacting around 4.4 million homes and 11 million people.

To smooth the way, here are some answers to frequently asked questions about letting a property.

How do tenancy agreements change?

From May 1, 2026, all fixed-term assured shorthold tenancies (ASTs) will automatically convert to rolling periodic tenancies with no end date.

• If you already have a written tenancy agreement, you do not need a new one.
• If you have a verbal agreement, you must agree to a written contract with your tenant from May 1.

Landlords must also give an information sheet about the changes. The sheet is currently unavailable but will be published before May 1.

Can landlords ask for rent in advance?

Landlords cannot demand or accept rent before they and the renter have signed a tenancy agreement.

What is the rental asking price?

Homes will come with a rental asking price. The asking price is the advertised rental cost, and landlords cannot accept higher offers.

Can landlords say no to children, pets or renters on benefits?

Landlords must not discriminate against tenants on the basis of benefits or having children.

Tenants may have a pet unless the landlord has a valid reason not to.

How do landlords put rents up?

Rents can only go up once a year. Tenants can challenge rents that rise above market value. A new Form 4A is on the way to inform tenants about rent increases. The form must give the tenant two months' notice of any rent rise.

Are Section 21 no-fault evictions scrapped?

Section 21 evictions are abolished by the Renters' Rights Act.

Courts will also reject eviction claims if a landlord has not placed a deposit with an approved scheme for protection.

To ask a tenant to quit, landlords must issue a section 8 notice, listing one or more grounds for possession and the correct notice period. In some cases, this is four months, although the notice period is shorter for some grounds.

If the tenant has not left by the end of the notice period, landlords must apply to the court for a possession order to regain the property.

If your tenant breaches the tenancy agreement, you can serve notice on them using the relevant grounds at any time. These grounds include when a tenant behaves antisocially, damages the home or owes rent.

Landlords selling or moving into a property they rent out cannot evict tenants for this reason within the first 12 months of a tenancy.

Can landlords evict a tenant with rent arrears?

The key date for arrears is missing three months' rent, which is a mandatory ground. For lesser arrears, the court will only order possession if it is reasonable to do so.

Can landlords evict a tenant who behaves antisocially?

Yes - and there is a shorter notice period and an immediate start to the eviction process.

Where can I find out more about the Renters' Rights Act?

To find out more about the Renters' Rights Act, see here for the recently published series of articles about the Renters' Rights Act 2025.