Find out what the Renters' Rights Act means for private tenants in England.
This page is about changes brought in by the Renters’ Rights Act coming into force from 1 May 2026. For all current housing information and advice for landlords and tenants, visit our Housing web pages.
From 1 May 2026, the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 will give tenants new rights and introduce new rules for private landlords.
The Government has produced an information sheet explaining how the new rules may affect your current tenancy. The information is provided below.
These changes only affect you if you are a tenant in the private rented sector with an assured or assured shorthold tenancy.
If you live in social housing or you are a lodger, the new rules will not usually apply to you.
These rules have been introduced by law. Your landlord cannot put anything into a tenancy agreement to change or disapply them.
This information sheet is only a summary of the changes. The new rules may change or impact your tenancy in a way not described.
The new rules apply to your tenancy automatically, even if your landlord does not update your tenancy agreement.
If you do not have a written tenancy agreement or any written record of the tenancy’s terms, then your landlord must provide you with certain written information on or before 31 May 2026.
You can view and download The Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 on the UK government website
The changes explained in this document may not apply to your tenancy on 1 May 2026 if your landlord serves a notice seeking possession under section 8 or section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 before 1 May 2026.
If this happens, your landlord may still be able to take you to court to end your tenancy under the previous rules. You should seek advice if this happens to you.
You might have a fixed term tenancy. For example, your tenancy agreement may say the tenancy would last for 12 months.
After 1 May 2026, it will not be possible for assured tenancy agreements to have a fixed term or a set end date.
ll tenancies will automatically become rolling tenancies from 1 May 2026 (sometimes known as ‘periodic tenancies’).
Your tenancy will continue on a rolling basis. This will usually be monthly, unless your tenancy agreement sets out a shorter period, for example weekly or fortnightly.
If your tenancy had an end date, it will no longer apply.
Your tenancy will continue until:
Your tenancy agreement might call your tenancy an ‘Assured Shorthold Tenancy’.
This is the name of the private rented tenancy system until 1 May 2026.
Assured Shorthold Tenancies will be abolished on 1 May 2026.
Any tenancy previously called an Assured Shorthold Tenancy will automatically become an Assured Periodic Tenancy instead. Your tenancy will not end because of this change.
Your tenancy agreement may contain rent review clauses. These are terms in the agreement that allow the landlord to increase the rent.
Rent review clauses cannot be used for new rent increases after 1 May 2026.
If you have a rent review clause in your current tenancy agreement, it will not apply after this date.
Landlords must instead use the process in section 13 of the Housing Act 1988 for increasing the rent.
This means they can only increase the rent once per year. They will need to give you written notice of the proposed rent increase at least 2 months before that increase would take effect, using a form called Form 4A.
Any rent increase must be no higher than the open market rent.
If you think the proposed increase is above market rate, you can challenge it at the First-tier Tribunal.
Your tenancy agreement may say that your landlord can evict you without a reason. This was known as a section 21 eviction.
Your landlord cannot give you a section 21 notice on or after 1 May 2026, even if your tenancy agreement says they can.
Instead, your landlord will need a legal reason to evict you. These reasons are called grounds for possession.
Below is a brief summary of some of the main reasons your landlord may legally seek to evict you.
You can find full details of these and other grounds on GOV.UK.
You cannot be required to leave under some grounds for the first 12 months of a tenancy.
These are:
Your landlord will need to give you a section 8 notice of seeking possession, using 1 or more of the grounds for possession.
A section 8 notice must state the date by which your landlord is asking you to leave.
They must give you the required amount of time under each ground.
If you have not left by the end of the notice period, your landlord will need to apply to court to get the property back. This is called applying for a possession order.
At court, the landlord must provide evidence that they have a valid reason to evict you.
You will have the opportunity to explain why you think your landlord does not have a legal reason to evict you, or why eviction is not reasonable under certain grounds.
You can access free legal advice through the Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service before going to court and on the day of the court hearing.
You will be able to end the tenancy at any point by giving your landlord notice. This must be done:
You will need to give your landlord at least 2 months’ notice. You can agree a shorter notice period with the landlord in writing, as long as any other tenants named on the tenancy agreement also agree.
From 1 May 2026, you have the right to request to keep a pet.
Your landlord cannot unreasonably refuse your request. If they refuse, they must inform you in writing, and should tell you the reason why.
They will need to consider each request on a case-by-case basis. You can challenge the landlord’s decision in court.
From 1 May 2026, you have the right to request to keep a pet. Your landlord cannot unreasonably refuse your request.
If they refuse, they must inform you in writing, and should tell you the reason why.
They will need to consider each request on a case-by-case basis. You can challenge the landlord’s decision in court.
Need more help? If you are a full-time student, your landlord may be able to evict you using possession ground 4A.
They will be able to do this at the end of the academic year and must give you 4 months’ notice ending between 1 June and 30 September.
Your landlord can only use this ground if they have previously given you written notice that they may use it.
They must give this to you by 31 May 2026, in most cases. This information sheet does not count as that written notice.
If your landlord wants to evict you at the end of the 2025/26 academic year, they can serve you a notice seeking possession between 1 May and 30 July 2026 (inclusive).
They will need to give this to you with at least 2 months’ notice.