Renters’ Rights Act

The Renters’ Rights Act is a new law that will bring significant changes to certain private tenancies and tenants’ rights. Changes will be commencing in phases, with the first coming into force from 1 May 2026.

Find out more below about the expected changes and what agreements will be affected. The below does not constitute legal advice and is for guidance purposes only.

Find out about:

Summary of changes
Types of rental arrangements impacted
New Assured Periodic Agreements and end to fixed term dates
Existing tenancy agreements
Abolition of ‘no fault’ section 21 notices
House of Multiple Occupation – Ground 4A eviction notice
How to end your tenancy
Rent in advance capped
Rent increases restricted to once every 12 months
Asking to keep a pet
Further advice and guidance

Summary of changes from 1 May 2026 in phase 1

Types of rental arrangements that will be impacted by the Renters’ Rights Act

The changes introduced by the Renters’ Rights Act will depend on your rental arrangements, and it is important you understand how the changes will affect you.

From 1 May 2026 if you are living in the following types of accommodation, then your agreement will likely not be affected by the Renters’ Rights Act and instead you will continue to receive a particular type of agreement such as a licence to occupy:

• university-managed accommodation
• private purpose-built student accommodation – new tenancies and only from a provider that is a member of an approved student accommodation accreditation scheme
• renting a room in your landlords’ home as a lodger – lodger living with your landlord.

Those living in the following types of accommodation will likely be affected by the Renters’ Rights Act and will receive the new Assured Periodic Agreement:

• renting privately, either a house or apartment, from a landlord or letting agent, either by yourself or with friends and the landlord does not live with you.
• renting a room within a shared house with other renters and the landlord does not live with you.

New Assured Periodic Agreements and end to fixed term dates

From 1 May 2026 the tenancy you will be given if you’re renting a private property, such as a house, by yourself or with others and your landlord won’t be living with you, will be an Assured Periodic Tenancy.

Agreements will not have a fixed end date, instead they will be rolling monthly or weekly and will continue until either the tenants serve 2 months’ notice or the landlord serves a valid eviction notice.

Your landlord or letting agent must provide all tenants with a written statement of terms, which includes key details about your agreement, such as who the landlord is, what property the tenancy is for and rental amounts for example, and this will likely be included as part of the tenancy agreement.

The Assured Periodic Tenancy will replace the current Assured Shorthold Tenancy agreement.

Existing tenancy agreements

If you are living in a privately rented property and have an existing written tenancy agreement or you have signed a tenancy before the 1st May 2026 with a move in date that is after, your landlord does not have to issue you with a new Assured Periodic Agreement. Instead, they will need to provide you with a government-produced information sheet which will tell you how the new changes might affect your existing tenancy agreement.

Landlords need to provide this by the 31st May 2026 at the latest. They can send you a copy of this either digitally or provide a hard copy.

Abolition of ‘no fault’ section 21 notices

From 1 May 2026 landlords can no longer serve a section 21 notice, otherwise known as a ‘no-fault’ eviction. Instead, you can only be evicted if your landlord serves a valid section 8 eviction notice which provides a reason, for example rent arrears, anti-social behaviour or the landlord wanting to sell the property. Landlords will need to provide the correct notice period which varies depending on the reason. More information on the government website on the types of eviction grounds a landlord can use.

If you have been served a valid section 21 or section 8 notice before the end of April 2026, then your tenancy agreement will not automatically convert to an assured periodic agreement during the period the eviction notices are valid.

House of Multiple Occupation – Ground 4A eviction notice

There will be a specific eviction ground for students living in a shared house of multiple occupation called 4A. Landlords who rent their property to full time students will be able to use 4A to regain possession of their property at the end of an academic year so the property is available to rent to another group of students. There are specific criteria that need to be followed for a landlord to use this which are summarised below:

• the property is an existing house in multiple occupation
• the tenant or tenants were full-time students when they signed the tenancy, or are expected to become full-time students during the tenancy
• the landlord gave tenants written notice that they intend to use 4A before the tenancy was signed
• the tenancy was signed less than 6 months before the date the tenants could move in
• when the notice is served, tenants are given 4 months’ notice – the notice period must end between 1 June and 30 September
• the next set of tenants will be full-time students.

Landlords will need to ensure all the required criteria is met for the 4A notice to be valid. So, for example if you sign a tenancy agreement in February but your move in date is not until September, the 4A eviction notice cannot be used as you signed the agreement more than 6 months before your move in date.

For landlords who want to use 4A to regain their property in summer 2026, the rules will be slightly different for 2026 only. If you are living in privately rented accommodation and your agreement was signed before 1 May 2026, then your landlord will have until 31 May 2026 to give you written notice that they intend to evict you using 4A this summer.

They can then serve the 4A notice between 1 May 2026 and 30 July 2026 giving only 2 months’ notice instead of 4. The requirement for the agreement to have been signed less than six months before the move in date does not apply this summer either.

How to end your tenancy

After 1 May 2026, for existing tenancy agreements that have converted to an Assured Periodic Tenancy and for new agreements, you will be able to leave your tenancy at any time by giving 2 months’ notice in writing and leaving by the date your notice expires. This should coincide with a rental period, so the tenancy ends on a day when the rent is due or the day before the rent is due. It is possible to agree to a shorter notice period.

It’s important to be aware that if you are renting jointly with others, in what’s called a ‘joint and several’ agreement, then giving notice will end the tenancy for everyone. It’s important therefore to discuss your plans with your housemates and landlord, and if the others want to continue living in the property they will need to check with the landlord if they can find a replacement tenant to sign a new agreement with.

If you have an individual tenancy agreement, for example you are living in a shared house but have a tenancy just for your room, then serving notice won’t affect your housemates.

Rent in advance capped

After 1 May 2026 landlords and letting agents will no longer be able to ask for more than 1 months’ rent in advance of the tenancy being signed. This will stop the practice of requiring large sums of rent in advance to be paid to secure a tenancy.

If you have paid rent in advance before 1 May 2026, your landlord or letting agent is not required to repay this, unless you move out during the period in which the money in advance covers. In this case your landlord or letting agent should refund you the money for the time you are no longer living in the property that the advance rent covers.

Rent increases restricted to once every 12 months

Your landlord will only be able to increase your rent once a year and should give you at least 2 months’ notice of their intention to do this. All landlords and letting agents will need to follow the same process to increase rent. If you disagree with the proposed increase, you can apply to the first-tier tribunal to request they review it. The tribunals decision will be final.

Asking to keep a pet

You will be able to request to have a pet in writing once you are a tenant and landlords and letting agents will not be able to unreasonably withhold consent.

All cases are expected to be considered on a case-by-case basis and whether it is considered reasonable to keep a pet will vary by property depending on factors such as the size of the property, any outdoor space available and whether any other tenants have allergies.

You shouldn’t be asked to pay any extra deposit money because of keeping a pet, but your deposit money can be used to pay for any damages your pet may have caused.

Further advice and guidance

There are other changes coming in in phase one, and further changes later, so we recommend that you keep up to date with what will happen by visiting the following websites:

• Unipol Renters’ Rights Guide for Students
• Shelter information on Act
• Government guide to the Renters’ Rights Act
• Government timeline for implementing changes

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