Renters' Rights Act 2025 — What Changed for Tenants in England

The Act introduces a sweeping set of reforms that reshape the entire private rented sector in England. Here is a summary of the major changes:

• ✓Section 21 no-fault evictions abolished from 1 May 2026 — landlords must now prove a reason to evict
• ✓Assured Shorthold Tenancies (ASTs) abolished — all tenancies are now open-ended assured periodic tenancies
• ✓Tenants are protected from eviction on most grounds for the first 12 months of a tenancy
• ✓Rent increases limited to once per year via a formal Section 13 notice; tenants can challenge at tribunal
• ✓Two new mandatory eviction grounds: landlord wants to sell (Ground 1A), landlord wants to move in (Ground 1, reformed)
• ✓Awaab's Law extended to private sector — landlords must fix damp and mould within set timeframes
• ✓Private Rented Sector Database created — all landlords must register before renting out a property
• ✓Renters' Ombudsman established — landlords must join; free for tenants to use
• ✓Bidding wars banned — landlords cannot invite or accept offers above the advertised rent
• ✓Pet requests — landlords cannot unreasonably refuse; tenants must obtain pet insurance
• ✓Scotland and Wales are not covered — they have their own separate legislation

From 1 May 2026, Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 is abolished. Landlords in England can no longer evict a tenant simply because they want the property back without giving a reason.

• ✓Landlords must now use Section 8 grounds — specific legal reasons set out in the Housing Act 1988
• ✓There are mandatory grounds (the court must grant possession) and discretionary grounds (the court decides)
• ✓The landlord must prove the ground exists — for example, rent arrears of at least 2 months, or wanting to sell
• ✓Tenants have the right to defend the case in court and challenge whether the ground applies
• ✓Scotland abolished no-fault evictions in 2017; Wales has equivalent protections under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2022

See our full guide to Section 21 notices for the history and transition details, and our guide to Section 8 grounds 2026 for what landlords can now use instead.

The Act abolishes Assured Shorthold Tenancies (ASTs) and replaces them with a single type: the assured periodic tenancy.

• ✓All new tenancies from 1 May 2026 are automatically assured periodic tenancies — there is no fixed term
• ✓Existing ASTs converted to assured periodic tenancies on 1 May 2026
• ✓There is no longer a fixed-term end date — landlords cannot evict you just because a fixed term expires
• ✓Tenants can still give notice to leave — typically 2 months' written notice
• ✓The tenancy continues until the landlord proves a Section 8 ground or the tenant chooses to leave

Landlords in England can only raise rent once per year, using a formal Section 13 notice.

• ✓Landlord must give at least 2 months' written notice of any rent increase (Section 13 notice)
• ✓Rent can only increase once every 12 months — no more back-to-back increases
• ✓There is no cap on the amount of the increase, but tenants can challenge any increase at the First-tier Tribunal
• ✓Crucially, tenants no longer need to move out to challenge a rent increase at tribunal — they can stay and dispute
• ✓The tribunal will assess whether the new rent is in line with the open market rent for comparable properties
• ✓Landlords cannot use informal rent increase clauses in tenancy agreements to bypass the Section 13 process

See our full guide to rent increases for how to challenge a rent rise at tribunal.

With Section 21 abolished, all evictions must now go through Section 8 of the Housing Act 1988. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 added two important new grounds and reformed the existing ones.

New mandatory grounds:

• ✓Ground 1A (new): landlord wants to sell the property with vacant possession — 4 months' notice required
• ✓Ground 1 (reformed): landlord or close family member wants to move into the property — 4 months' notice required
• ✓Both Ground 1 and Ground 1A cannot be used in the first 12 months of a tenancy

First 12 months protection:

• ✓In the first year of a tenancy, landlords cannot seek possession on most grounds
• ✓Exceptions: serious rent arrears (Ground 8), anti-social behaviour (Ground 7A), criminal conviction
• ✓This gives tenants security in the early months of a new tenancy

See our complete guide to Section 8 grounds 2026 for all mandatory and discretionary grounds, notice periods, and how to defend a Section 8 claim.

Two new institutions created by the Act give tenants better information and a new route to resolve disputes.

Private Rented Sector Database:

• ✓All private landlords in England must register on the national database before renting out a property
• ✓Tenants can check whether their landlord is registered
• ✓Landlords who are not registered cannot legally serve eviction notices
• ✓Local councils can enforce against unregistered landlords

Renters' Ombudsman:

• ✓All private landlords must join the new Renters' Ombudsman scheme
• ✓The Ombudsman service is free for tenants to use
• ✓Tenants can complain about landlord behaviour — including failure to repair, harassment, and illegal fees
• ✓The Ombudsman can require landlords to pay compensation and take remedial action

Awaab's Law — originally introduced for social housing under the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 — is extended to the private rented sector by the Renters' Rights Act 2025.

• ✓Private landlords must investigate and repair damp and mould within specific statutory timeframes
• ✓Emergency hazards must be investigated within 24 hours and fixed or rehoused within 1 week
• ✓Non-emergency damp and mould must be investigated within 14 days and fixed within 7 weeks
• ✓Tenants who report damp and mould are protected from retaliatory eviction
• ✓The law is named after Awaab Ishak, a 2-year-old who died in 2020 from health effects of mould in a social housing flat in Rochdale

See our full guide to Awaab's Law for the exact timeframes and what to do if your landlord fails to act.

The Renters' Rights Act gives tenants a new right to keep pets in rented properties.

• ✓Landlords cannot unreasonably refuse a written request from a tenant to keep a pet
• ✓The landlord must respond to a pet request within 28 days
• ✓If the landlord refuses, they must give a reason — and tenants can challenge an unreasonable refusal
• ✓Tenants must obtain and maintain appropriate pet insurance as a condition of keeping a pet
• ✓Landlords can still refuse if there is a genuine reason — for example, the property is in a leasehold block where pets are prohibited by the lease