The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 is the biggest shake-up of tenancy law in England for a generation. It received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025, and from 1 May 2026, the first wave of reforms will begin to reshape how renting works for both tenants and landlords.
Here’s our guide to what’s happening, when it takes effect, and what it means.
When does the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 take effect?
The Act is being introduced in three main phases, plus some earlier enforcement powers for local authorities.
Phase one
01 May 2026 - tenancy reform
From 1 May 2026, all existing and new private tenancies in England will move onto the new system. Phase one is all about how tenancies work day to day and includes:
Transition to periodic tenancies
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Fixed-term assured tenancies will move to a single periodic tenancy model.
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Tenancies will roll on until the tenant chooses to leave, or the landlord uses a valid legal ground to end the tenancy.
Limits on rent in advance
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Landlords and agents will no longer be able to demand large sums of rent in advance as a condition of securing a tenancy.
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Requests will be capped so tenants are not forced to overstretch financially just to get a home.
Ban on rental bidding
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The practice of inviting or accepting bids above the advertised rent will be prohibited.
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Landlords and letting agents must set and stick to an asking rent, rather than running informal auctions between prospective tenants.
Clearer rules on rent increases (section 13)
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Rent rises will be channelled through a standardised Section 13 notice process.
Landlords will be able to increase rent periodically, but tenants will have clearer notice and a defined route to challenge unreasonable increases.
Stronger anti-discrimination protections
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Measures will be in place to tackle rental discrimination, for example, against tenants in receipt of benefits or families with children.
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The focus shifts firmly to affordability and suitability, not blanket exclusions.
New rights around pets
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Tenants will gain stronger rights to request a pet in their home.
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Landlords will need to properly consider requests and will not be able to unreasonably refuse without good reason.
From Phase One, the day-to-day experience of renting, applying for a property, paying rent, asking for a pet, and understanding rent increases will look and feel noticeably different.
Phase two
Late 2026: ombudsman and prs database
Phase Two is expected to begin in late 2026 and focuses on accountability and transparency in the sector. It will introduce:
The Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman
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All private landlords in England will be required to join a Landlord Ombudsman scheme.
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Tenants will be able to raise complaints for free, with access to impartial, binding decisions on issues such as poor practice, delays, or failures in dealing with problems.
The new Private Rented Sector (PRS) Database
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Landlords will need to register themselves and their properties on a national database.
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This will help tenants check basic information about a property and landlord before they sign a tenancy.
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Local authorities will also be able to use the data to target enforcement against non-compliant landlords more effectively.
Together, these measures should make it easier for tenants to get problems resolved and harder for poor landlords to operate under the radar.
Phase three
From 2035: decent homes standard and Awaab’s law
Phase Three is longer term and will not begin before 2035. It focuses firmly on housing quality and safety:
Decent Homes Standard in the private rented sector
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A reformed Decent Homes Standard will be applied to privately rented homes as well as social housing.
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The aim is that all tenants can expect a safe, decent, and well-maintained home, regardless of tenure.
Extension of Awaab’s Law to private renting
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Awaab’s Law will set clear timeframes for landlords to investigate and fix serious hazards, such as damp and mould.
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Private landlords will be legally required to act within these timescales, giving tenants stronger tools to challenge dangerous conditions.
Phase Three is about embedding a minimum baseline of quality and making sure no-one is left living in unsafe or unhealthy conditions in the long term.
Extra powers for local housing authorities – from 27 December 2025
Before the main tenancy changes begin, there is an important early shift in enforcement. From 27 December 2025, local housing authorities will gain new investigatory powers to support their work in policing the sector.
These powers will allow councils to:
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request information from landlords, agents and third parties when they suspect wrongdoing;
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seize documents relevant to an investigation;
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enter business premises in defined circumstances, where necessary to investigate potential breaches of housing law.
In other words, councils will be better equipped to uncover and challenge non-compliant behaviour even before the Phase One tenancy reforms go live.
In summary
Taken together, the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 is not just a tweak to existing rules – it is a step-by-step redesign of how renting works in England:
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From May 2026, the basics of how a tenancy operates will change.
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From late 2026, the system for redress and landlord oversight will become more structured and visible.
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From 2035 onwards, a new standard of quality and safety is expected to be fully in place across the sector.
For renters, the reforms promise more security, stronger rights and clearer routes to challenge unfairness.
For landlords, they offer a more consistent framework, with expectations set out up front and sharper consequences for those who choose not to comply.
As each phase approaches, further detailed guidance will be published – but the overall direction is set: a Private Rented Sector that is fairer, safer, and more transparent for everyone involved.
For more information, take a look at our guide below.
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