Renters' Rights Act 2025 in Force: What Actually Changed on Day One

Direct answer

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 came into force on 1 May 2026. From day one, no private landlord in England can serve a Section 21 "no fault" eviction notice. All existing assured shorthold tenancies have converted to periodic tenancies, which the tenant can end with two months' notice. The Act also creates the power to apply the Decent Homes Standard to private renting for the first time, though that standard itself comes later, on a timetable the government is still confirming. A new private-sector redress scheme is expected to go live in late 2026.

This article tracks what actually changed in the first days after commencement and what private tenants should look out for now.

What stopped working overnight

Section 21 notices. Any Section 21 notice served on or after the commencement date is invalid. Notices served before commencement remain valid for their original two-month window, so a few landlords got their evictions in just before. After that, no more.

Fixed-term assured shorthold tenancies. Every assured shorthold tenancy in England, including fixed-term tenancies still in their initial period, became a periodic tenancy automatically. Tenants can give two months' notice at any time. Landlords must use a Section 8 ground with a court hearing.

Rent in advance demands above one month. Landlords can no longer demand more than one month's rent in advance at the start of a tenancy. This stops the practice of asking for six or twelve months upfront from younger tenants and overseas tenants.

Blanket no-pets clauses. A tenant can now ask for permission to keep a pet, and the landlord must respond within 28 days. A refusal must be reasonable. Insurance can be required to cover pet damage.

Discrimination clauses. Blanket "no DSS", "no children", and similar clauses are now unlawful. Landlords must consider each applicant on their individual merits.

What is still working as before

Section 8 evictions for rent arrears. A landlord can still seek possession for rent arrears under Section 8 grounds. The threshold has tightened (three months' arrears for the mandatory ground rather than two), and the notice period has lengthened, but the route still exists.

Section 8 for other tenancy breaches. Anti-social behaviour, damage, and deliberate fraud remain valid grounds.

Tenancy deposit rules. Deposits must still be protected within 30 days in one of the three statutory schemes. The three-times-deposit penalty for non-protection still applies.

Existing landlord repair duties. Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 and the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 apply as before. A Decent Homes Standard for private renting will sit alongside them once the government brings it in.

What is coming next

Three more major changes are due to land in stages over the next few years.

The Private Rented Sector redress scheme. Every private landlord will be required to join a single new statutory redress scheme. The scheme is expected to go live in the second half of 2026. In the meantime, tenants with disrepair can report it to their local council's environmental-health team, and where the landlord has left the problem unfixed you may have a claim, call us free on 0800 030 4669.

Decent Homes Standard enforcement. The Decent Homes Standard has applied to social housing since 2006. The Renters Rights Act creates the power to extend it to private renting. The standard for private renting is being brought in on a longer timetable the government is still confirming (expected later this decade), with local-authority improvement notices the primary mechanism.

Awaab's Law extension to private rentals. The Hazards in Social Housing Regulations 2025 currently cover social landlords only. Section 10A of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 is set to be extended to private landlords in future, on a timetable the government is still confirming, with the same 24-hour emergency-hazard deadline and the same 10-working-day investigation deadline for significant hazards. Phase 1 for private tenants is expected to focus, like social housing, on damp and mould and emergency hazards.

What private tenants should do this week

1. Save your tenancy agreement and any notice you have ever been served. Anything dated before commencement is still legally significant.
2. If you have been served a Section 21 notice and the notice date is on or after the commencement date, the notice is invalid. Tell your landlord in writing. Get advice from Shelter England on 0808 800 4444 if the landlord disputes it.
3. If you are paying more than one month's rent in advance under a current tenancy, that obligation does not retroactively change. New tenancies signed from commencement are capped at one month upfront.
4. Start the disrepair clock. Your home is already covered by Section 11 and the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018. If your landlord has been dragging on damp, leaks, broken heating or structural defects, send a written complaint now.

Where Support for Tenants fits

Until Awaab's Law extends to private rentals, private tenants do not have the direct statutory 24-hour and 10-working-day deadlines that social tenants have. What private tenants do have, from the Renters Rights Act commencement, are:

• Strong existing protections, enforceable through the local council's environmental-health team and (once it goes live) the new statutory redress scheme.
• Protection from retaliatory eviction. With Section 21 gone, a landlord cannot evict you for complaining about disrepair.
• The existing Section 11 disrepair claim route through the County Court, which we and our panel solicitors handle on no-win-no-fee terms.

If you are a private tenant with persistent disrepair, the route is broadly: write to the landlord, report it to environmental health, and consider a Section 11 claim where the damage is substantial. You may have a claim, call us free on 0800 030 4669.

Read the full Renters Rights Act explainer | Free call: 0800 030 4669

Sources: Renters' reform in England: what's happening and when, House of Commons Library; GOV.UK, Renters' Rights Act guidance.

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