Renters’ Rights Act 2025: What landlords must do now section 21 has been abolished

The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 is now in force

The main tenancy reforms in the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 came into force on 1 May 2026. Section 21 “no-fault” evictions have been abolished, and a new set of landlord obligations now applies to private assured tenancies in England. The same tenancy changes will reach social housing from 2027 at the earliest.

The first two deadlines, for the Information Sheet and for old section 21 notices, have now passed. The next phase starts on 15 December 2026, when the government plans to start registering landlords on a new national register, region by region. This guide sets out what has changed, which dates have passed and what is coming next.

The Information Sheet deadline was 31 May 2026

Most landlords with a written tenancy agreed before 1 May 2026 had to give their tenants a copy of “The Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026”. This document explains how the new rules affect the tenant’s existing tenancy.

The deadline was 31 May 2026. A landlord who missed it can be given a financial penalty of up to £7,000. If you have not yet given it, do so now and take advice on your position.

You can download the official information sheet directly from gov.uk: The Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026.

The duty can still arise now. If you served a section 21 or section 8 notice before 1 May 2026, and the notice has since stopped being valid or the court case has ended without a possession order, the tenancy becomes an assured periodic tenancy. You then have one month to give the tenant the Information Sheet.

What if there is no written tenancy agreement?

If your tenant did not have a written tenancy agreement, or there was no written record of the tenancy’s terms, you also had to give them certain written information about the tenancy. The same 31 May 2026 deadline and the same £7,000 maximum penalty applied.

This is a common gap with older lettings and informal arrangements. If you are unsure whether your paperwork meets the new standard, get advice now rather than waiting for the council to ask.

Section 21 notices served before 1 May 2026: the 31 July deadline has passed

If you served a valid section 21 notice on your tenant before 1 May 2026, you could still rely on it, but only for a limited window.

You had to start court proceedings by whichever came first: the date the notice ran out, or 31 July 2026. The same 31 July cut-off applied to section 8 notices served before 1 May 2026, alongside their usual 12-month limit.

That date has now passed. A notice served before 1 May 2026 can no longer be used to apply to court. Claims issued on or before 31 July 2026 continue until the court has dealt with them.

If you did not issue in time, you must start again with a section 8 notice, relying on one of the new grounds for possession. If a claim you did issue is dismissed, the tenancy becomes an assured periodic tenancy from the date of dismissal.

Key dates at a glance

Dates that have passed

• 27 October 2025: the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent.
• 27 December 2025: new powers for local councils to investigate landlords and demand documents came into effect.
• 1 May 2026: section 21 abolished. Private tenancies became assured periodic tenancies, and the new section 8 grounds, the once-a-year limit on rent increases and the bans on rental bidding and discrimination took effect.
• 31 May 2026: deadline to give existing tenants the Information Sheet (and, where applicable, written tenancy information). Penalties up to £7,000.
• 22 June 2026: councils gained the power to fine a landlord up to £7,000 where a rented home has a category 1 hazard (the most serious kind) that the landlord could reasonably have removed.
• 31 July 2026: last date to issue court proceedings on a section 21 or section 8 notice served before 1 May 2026.

Dates still to come

• 15 December 2026: the national landlord registration service is due to open, starting in the West Midlands and reaching other regions over 12 months.
• 14 November 2027: every landlord actively letting property must be registered by this date.
• 2027 at the earliest: the tenancy reforms extend to social housing.
• 2028 (expected): private landlords must join the new PRS Landlord Ombudsman.
• 1 October 2030: the government’s deadline for privately rented homes to reach EPC band C or equivalent, unless an exemption is registered.
• 2035: the new Decent Homes Standard applies to privately rented homes for the first time.
• No date yet: Awaab’s Law for private landlords.

What happens next for landlords?

Registering on the PRS Database

The Private Rented Sector Database is a new national register of private landlords and their rental properties. Registering will be a legal requirement, and a landlord who fails to register risks a fine.

The government has announced that its register your rental property service will open on 15 December 2026. It starts in the West Midlands and will reach the rest of England over 12 months. When your area is called forward, you will have three months to sign up, and every landlord actively letting property must be registered by 14 November 2027.

At first the duty covers properties that are let, or become occupied, during the rollout. Later legislation will require landlords to register empty properties before marketing them, and adverts will need to show a registration number. The government has said there will be an annual fee, with the amount confirmed closer to launch.

Our guide to PRS Database registration explains what to prepare.

The Landlord Ombudsman

Private landlords will also have to join a new PRS Landlord Ombudsman, which will deal with tenant complaints without the need for court proceedings. The government expects membership to become mandatory in 2028, and has said landlords will get notice before then.

Rent increase challenges

Tenants can challenge a rent increase at the First-tier Tribunal, and they do not have to pay the higher rent until the Tribunal has decided. The government plans to move these decisions to HMRC’s Valuation Office, but has not yet given a date.

Decent Homes Standard and Awaab’s Law

The new Decent Homes Standard will apply to privately rented homes from 2035, enforced by local councils. The government’s policy statement also sets a deadline of 1 October 2030 for privately rented homes to reach EPC band C or equivalent, unless an exemption is registered.

Awaab’s Law, which sets strict deadlines for dealing with hazards such as damp and mould, will also be extended to private renting, but no start date has been set. Our guide to Awaab’s Law for private landlords explains where things stand. Your existing repair and fitness duties apply in the meantime.

What replaces section 21?

Possession now runs through section 8 of the Housing Act 1988, using the expanded statutory grounds introduced by the Renters’ Rights Act. These include grounds for rent arrears, antisocial behaviour, landlord or family occupation, and sale of the property, each with its own notice period and evidential requirements.

The right ground depends on your circumstances and on what you can prove. Picking the wrong ground, or serving a defective notice, will set you back months.

Some grounds are mandatory, meaning the court must grant possession once the ground is established; others are discretionary, meaning the court decides whether possession is reasonable. The main grounds are set out below.

Ground 1: occupation by landlord or family member

Mandatory. Four months’ notice.

A landlord can seek possession if they, or a close family member, intend to move into the property. The court must grant possession if it accepts the stated intention. This ground cannot be used to end a tenancy within its first 12 months.

Ground 1A: sale of property

Mandatory. Four months’ notice.

A landlord intending to sell the property can seek possession. The court must grant possession if satisfied the sale is genuine. The same 12-month restriction applies. Critics have warned this could become a “backdoor” no-fault route, and enforcement against misuse will be important.

Ground 8 (amended): serious rent arrears

Mandatory. Four weeks’ notice.

At least three months’ rent must be unpaid (up from two months before 1 May 2026), or thirteen weeks’ rent where rent is payable weekly or fortnightly, both when the notice is served and at the hearing. Arrears caused only by a delay in a universal credit housing payment are ignored. Ground 8 has no repeat-arrears limb. Where arrears are recurrent rather than sustained, the discretionary Ground 11 (persistent delay in paying rent) is the route.

Ground 14: antisocial behaviour

Discretionary. Immediate notice.

Ground 14 is unamended by the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 and continues to cover conduct “likely to cause” a nuisance or annoyance. Landlords can issue proceedings immediately after serving notice.

Other section 8 grounds continue to apply, including grounds covering damage to the property (ground 13), breach of tenancy terms (ground 12), some rent arrears (ground 10) and persistent late payment of rent (ground 11).

Other changes that took effect on 1 May 2026

Alongside the changes to possession, several tenant-facing reforms now apply:

• Rent increases limited to once per year, with statutory notice required
• Ban on rental bidding: landlords must advertise a rent and cannot accept offers above it
• Ban on discrimination against tenants with children or those receiving benefits
• Right to request a pet: landlords must consider the request and give a valid reason if refusing

These reforms are designed to add stability for tenants without preventing landlords from recovering their property when justified.

Concerns and practical challenges for landlords

The reforms aim for a fairer rental market, but landlords and property professionals have raised legitimate concerns.

• Misuse of grounds 1 and 1A. Without robust enforcement, “I want to sell” or “I want to move in” could be used as a workaround. The court’s approach to genuine intent will be critical.
• Court capacity. Possession proceedings are now the only route in virtually every disputed case. Existing court delays could lengthen, even in clear arrears or antisocial behaviour cases. A new digital possession service went live on 29 September 2026, but in its first phase it only covers social landlords at three county courts.
• Documentation burden. The Information Sheet was one of several new compliance steps, and registration on the PRS Database comes next. Landlords with older or informal tenancies will need to catch up quickly.

Osbornes Law’s property litigation team continues to monitor case law and government guidance as it emerges.

For advice on which ground applies to your circumstances, see our landlord and tenant solicitors page.

Speak to our property litigation team

If you need advice on issuing proceedings under an existing section 21 notice, or on using one of the new possession grounds under section 8, our property litigation solicitors can help.

Call us on 020 7485 8811 or contact us online to speak to a member of the team.