LEGISLATION

The Renters' Rights Act, decoded: what actually changes on 1 May.

Royal Assent came on 27 October 2025. The real day is 1 May 2026 — two weeks away — when Section 21 dies, fixed terms vanish, and almost every assured tenancy in England converts automatically. Here's what agents, landlords and tenants need to have done by then.

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent at 7:40pm on 27 October 2025. Most of the press coverage focused on that night. Almost none of it focused on the date that actually matters: 1 May 2026.

On 1 May, almost every assured and assured shorthold tenancy in England — existing and new — converts automatically to a new form of tenancy, the assured periodic tenancy. Fixed terms disappear. Section 21 disappears. A compliance clock starts ticking the moment the clock strikes midnight, and the penalty for getting the paperwork wrong is up to £7,000 for a first offence and £40,000 for a repeat.

It is the largest overhaul of the private rented sector in more than thirty years, and most landlords we speak to still don't know the commencement date.

This is the practical guide: the twelve things that change, the dates they change on, and what anyone letting or renting a home in England needs to do before 1 May.

The commencement date: one switch, not a phased roll-out

The government had flirted with a two-stage model for months. It settled on a single commencement date: 1 May 2026. From that day:

Section 21 "no-fault" evictions are abolished, for new and existing tenancies on the same day.
All existing ASTs — even those mid-way through a fixed term — automatically convert to assured periodic tenancies.
Landlords can only end a tenancy using a Section 8 notice citing a specific statutory ground.
Rent can only be increased by a Section 13 notice, once per year, with two months' notice.
Tenants gain a contractual right to request a pet, which landlords cannot unreasonably refuse.
Rental bidding is banned. The advertised rent is the rent.
Rent in advance beyond one month is banned.

The only exception: a tenancy will not convert on 1 May if the landlord served a valid Section 21 or Section 8 notice before that date and possession proceedings are still live.

Earlier phases already in force

Two earlier commencement regulations have already taken effect and some landlords are still unaware:

27 December 2025 — expanded local authority investigatory powers. Councils can now investigate suspected illegal evictions and poor housing standards under a broader remit.
27 December 2025 — the "AST trap" for long leases (between 7 and 21 years) is closed. Long leases can no longer be treated as assured tenancies.
27 October 2025 — Awaab's Law extended immediately to the social rented sector, with fixed timeframes to remediate serious hazards. The extension to the private rented sector follows on a separate timetable.

The twelve things that actually change on 1 May

Section 21 is abolished. Full stop. Any Section 21 notice served from 1 May 2026 onwards is void.
Fixed-term ASTs vanish. Every existing AST becomes an assured periodic tenancy — a rolling monthly contract. Tenants gain the right to end the tenancy with two months' notice at any time.
Landlords must use Section 8 to end a tenancy. The grounds have been narrowed. Selling the property, moving family in, or moving back in now requires four months' notice. Landlords cannot use these grounds in the first year of a tenancy.
A written statement of tenancy terms is mandatory. For every existing tenancy wholly or partly in writing, landlords must provide the government's official Information Sheet and a written statement within one month of 1 May — so by 31 May 2026. Failure is a civil penalty offence.
Rent increases limited to once per year. Only via a Section 13 notice, with at least two months' notice. Tenants can challenge any increase at the First-tier Tribunal without a cap.
Rental bidding banned. The advertised rent is the maximum that can be accepted. A tenant offering above asking is not legally binding on the landlord.
Rent in advance beyond one month banned. Landlords cannot demand a year upfront — a common route around credit checks.
Right to request a pet. Tenants can request permission to keep a pet. Landlords may only refuse on reasonable grounds (allergies, lease restrictions, valid insurance concerns). Landlords can require pet insurance.
Discrimination banned. Landlords cannot refuse tenants with children or tenants on benefits.
Twelve-month eviction ban at the start of a tenancy. Landlords cannot evict a tenant within the first year (except on fault grounds).
Deposit portability and Decent Homes Standard. The Decent Homes Standard — currently applied only to social housing — extends to the private rented sector. Properties must be free of serious hazards, fit for human habitation, and well-maintained.
A PRS Landlord Database. Every private landlord must register every property. A PRS Landlord Ombudsman service will handle tenant complaints. The database and ombudsman will commence in a later phase.

What estate agents must do between now and 1 May

The industry is split. Large corporate agents (Connells, Foxtons, Countrywide) have been preparing since Royal Assent. Independent agents and high-street lettings offices are, on average, underprepared.

If you are an agent:

Audit every managed tenancy before 1 May. Identify which will auto-convert and which will not (only those with a valid Section 21/8 notice already served and possession proceedings live).
Draft template written statements for every managed property. You have one month post-commencement to serve them.
Update every marketing listing to remove language about fixed-term contracts or "12-month AST." New tenancies are periodic from inception.
Remove bidding logic from online portals. Any advertised rent is the ceiling.
Train staff on new Section 8 grounds. The sale, family-occupation and move-in grounds all now carry four months' notice and cannot be used in year one.
Notify all landlord clients in writing — ideally with a 1 May 2026 compliance checklist.

What landlords must do

Serve the Information Sheet and a written statement of terms by 31 May 2026. Download only from the government's official URL — the document is only valid if obtained from that source.
Review your current rent against local market levels. If you are well below market, you have limited time to adjust via a normal Section 13 before conversion.
Cancel any fixed-term renewal plans. They cannot exist after 1 May.
Build a proper repair log. The Decent Homes Standard lands with teeth. Photos, dates, contractor invoices, tenant communications — keep everything.
Prepare a pet request process. You need a documented policy for reasonable refusal grounds.
Review your deposit protection. Late protection is now a more serious issue under the converted regime.

What tenants should do

Keep records. Photos, dates, messages about repairs and hazards. From 1 May, Decent Homes Standard becomes a genuine cause of action.
Know your Section 13 rights. Any rent increase from May onwards must come via a Section 13 notice with two months' notice, and you can challenge at tribunal.
Do not pay more than one month in advance. If you are asked to, check the date — before 1 May it may still be enforceable; after, it is banned.
Pet requests need to be formal and documented. Submit in writing, with references if relevant.

What happens to ongoing possession claims?

This is the detail most guides skip. The Act preserves some tenancies as ASTs after 1 May if and only if:

The landlord served a valid Section 21 or Section 8 notice before 1 May 2026, and
A possession claim has been started before 1 May, or is started between 1 May and 31 July 2026 on the basis of that pre-commencement notice.

In those cases the tenancy remains an AST until possession proceedings conclude — likely when a bailiff enforces. At that point the written statement clock starts.

The bigger picture

The Act's stated aim is to "dampen rent rises." That is a political goal, not a market mechanism. What the Act actually does is make the private rented sector less liquid. Landlords cannot easily exit tenancies, and rent increases are once-yearly, capped by tribunal, and visible to every tenant on the new PRS database.

In the short term, expect:

A rush of Section 21 notices served in April 2026 as landlords who want out take their last opportunity.
A softening of asking rents in markets where landlords had been banking on bidding wars — particularly Greater London.
More conversions to short-term and holiday lets in tourist-adjacent postcodes, to exit the assured regime entirely.
Rising sales volumes from landlord disposals into Q3 2026.

The data to watch: rental yield trajectories in outer London and secondary UK cities. If landlord disposals push sale prices down faster than rents soften, yields will widen before they compress. Realty Pulse's Yield Intelligence module will track this weekly from May onwards.

Sources: Renters' Rights Act 2025 (c.26); The Renters' Rights Act 2025 (Commencement No. 1) Regulations 2025 (SI 2025/1354); MHCLG implementation roadmap, November 2025; National Residential Landlords Association transition guidance, March 2026.

This article is editorial analysis. It is not legal advice. Landlords and tenants with specific circumstances should consult a qualified solicitor.

Realty Pulse Desk · 14 April 2026 · 9 min read