The Renter’ Rights Act is the biggest shake-up of the private rented sector since the Housing Act 1988 came into force, and there is a lot to absorb.
Each section opens with a question you are likely to be asking, gives you a straight answer, walks through an example or two, and ends with the points you actually need to remember.
The guide is written for landlords letting residential property in England. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are outside the scope of this legislation. It is information, not legal advice.
Before you serve a notice, refuse a pet request, or react to a council inspection, get specific advice on the facts.
Six Things that Should be on Every Landlord's Radar
1. Section 21 is gone, and there is no workaround.
Every eviction now needs a specific ground, evidence and a court hearing. The fast track, no-fault route does not exist any more.
2. If you might want vacant possession to sell, practically start planning around 16 months ahead.
Ground 1A cannot be used in the first 12 months, you need 4 months' notice, and there is a 12 month ban on re-letting from the day you serve. A failed sale leaves you holding an empty, unlettable property.
3. The penalties stack, and one bad tenancy can easily pass £100,000.
Up to £40,000 in civil penalty, plus 24 months of rent in a repayment order, plus possible prosecution. Directors of corporate landlords are personally on the line, not just the company.
4. Blanket rules on benefits, children and pets are now unlawful.
You can still refuse a specific applicant or pet request on properly documented grounds, but a general policy is a breach. Every decision has to be made on its own facts and written down.
5. Pet requests run on a 28 day clock that you cannot afford to miss.
The tenant writes in, and you have 28 days to give or refuse consent in writing. Silence or a generic refusal is a breach, and the Ombudsman will eventually be able to award compensation.
6. The council can ask to see your paperwork at 24 hours' notice.
Those powers have been live since 27 December 2025. Safety certificates, Information Sheet service records, pet decisions and rent increase evidence all need to be findable in minutes, not days.
What Is the Renters' Rights Act 2025 and Why Should I Care?
The Act received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025. The main tenancy reforms came into force on 1 May 2026, and the rest of the regime will be switched on in stages running through to 2035. If you let residential property in England, almost every part of how you grant, manage and end tenancies has changed.
Five changes matter most:
Fixed term assured shorthold tenancies are gone. All assured tenancies are now periodic, running from period to period in line with the rent cycle. The Act calls them section 4A assured tenancies.
Section 21 "no fault" possession is abolished. You can only end a tenancy by relying on one of the statutory grounds in Schedule 2 to the Housing Act 1988.
Rent rules have changed. No bidding, no more than one month's rent in advance, and only one increase a year on a Section 13 notice.
You must respond to a pet request within 28 days and cannot unreasonably refuse, and you can no longer operate blanket bans on tenants who claim benefits or have children.
A new database, a new Ombudsman, an extended Decent Homes Standard, and Awaab's Law on damp and mould are all on the way.
When Does Each Part of the Act take effect?
The Act is being switched on in phases. The table below sets out what has already happened, what is due now, and what is still to come.
Date | What happens | What you should do |
|---|---|---|
27 Oct 2025 | Royal Assent. | Note the date. Most provisions not yet live. |
27 Dec 2025 | Council investigatory powers go live. Entry on 24 hours' notice, document requests, third party data. | Make sure records are organised and easy to retrieve at short notice. |
Jan to Apr 2026 | Draft regulations, tenant Information Sheet, final statutory guidance published. | Review the Information Sheet template as soon as it is available. |
1 May 2026 | Core regime change. All assured shorthold tenancies convert to periodic assured tenancies. Section 21 abolished. Bidding banned. New rent increase procedure live. | Update tenancy templates. Train staff and agents. |
31 May 2026 | Deadline to serve the Information Sheet and a written statement of terms on every existing tenant. | Confirm service in writing for every tenancy. |
31 Jul 2026 | Last day to issue possession proceedings on a pre-1 May Section 21 notice. | Do not let a valid notice run out of time. |
Late 2026 | Phased regional rollout of the Private Rented Sector Database. | Begin gathering registration information now. |
2028 (expected) | Mandatory membership of the new PRS Landlord Ombudsman. | Adopt a written complaints procedure. |
By 2035 | Full enforcement of the extended Decent Homes Standard. | Plan capital expenditure for older properties. |
What Happened to My Fixed Term Tenancies?
Every assured shorthold tenancy in existence on 30 April 2026 converted automatically to a periodic assured tenancy on 1 May 2026. The Act calls these section 4A assured tenancies, although you will see them described in market commentary as assured periodic tenancies or APTs.
The conversion happened by operation of law. You did not have to sign anything for it to take effect, and neither did your tenant.
The new tenancy runs from period to period, in practice month to month, in line with the rent cycle. There is no fixed term and no renewal date. The tenant can end the tenancy at any time on two months' written notice. You can only end it by relying on one of the statutory grounds in Schedule 2 to the Housing Act 1988.
Which Lettings Are Inside the New Regime?
The new regime applies to mainstream private residential lettings in England where all of these are true:
the property is the tenant's only or principal home;
the tenant is an individual, not a company;
the annual rent does not exceed £100,000;
the tenant is not a lodger and the landlord does not also live in the property;
the tenancy does not fall within a specific exemption (qualifying student accommodation and Registered Provider tenancies are the main ones).
Corporate lets, lets above the £100,000 threshold, social housing tenancies, holiday lets and short term licences are unaffected. Long leases (fixed term over 21 years) were also taken outside the assured tenancy regime from 27 December 2025.
What Did I Have to Give My Tenants by 31 May 2026?
Yes. By 31 May 2026, every landlord with a tenancy in force on 1 May 2026 had to:
provide each tenant with the Government Information Sheet explaining their rights and obligations; and
provide a written statement of the main terms of the tenancy where the agreement was previously verbal or only partly written.
Missing the deadline is a civil breach, with a penalty of up to £7,000 per failure. If you let through an agent, get written confirmation that the agent has served the Information Sheet on every tenant. Telling a council "the agent dealt with it" is not a defence on its own.
Worked Example
You let four flats through an agent. The agent says "all done" on the telephone in late May 2026. Three months later a tenant complains to the council. You cannot produce a record of service for that tenant. The council can impose a civil penalty of up to £7,000 even though the agent appeared to confirm compliance. A short written audit trail from the agent listing each tenant and date of service would have prevented this.
What Replaces Section 21 Now It Has Been Abolished?
Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 has been abolished for private sector periodic assured tenancies from 1 May 2026.
Note: A Section 21 notice served before that date can still be used, but possession proceedings must be issued by 31 July 2026. After that, Section 21 is dead, regardless of when the notice was served.
From 1 May 2026, every possession claim against a periodic assured tenancy must rely on one of the statutory grounds in Schedule 2 to the Housing Act 1988, as amended. There are 37 grounds in total. The ones private landlords use most often are summarised below.
Ground | When it applies | Notice and conditions |
|---|---|---|
1 | You or a close family member intends to occupy as your only or principal home. | Mandatory. At least 4 months' notice. Cannot be used in the first 12 months. 12 month re-letting ban from service. Court hearing required. |
1A | You intend to sell the property on the open market. | Mandatory. Same notice and re-letting rules as Ground 1. Court must be satisfied of genuine intent to sell. |
4A | Student HMO. You intend to re-let to new students for the next academic year. | Mandatory. At least 4 months' notice. Move-out between 1 June and 30 September. Cannot be used if the tenancy was agreed more than 6 months before move-in. |
6 | Demolition or substantial redevelopment. | Mandatory. Strict evidence on the planned works. |
8 | Serious rent arrears: 3 months (or 13 weeks if rent is paid weekly or fortnightly). | Mandatory. 4 weeks' notice. Threshold must be met at both service and hearing. |
10 / 11 | Some arrears, or persistent late payment. | Discretionary. 4 weeks' notice. Court weighs reasonableness. |
12 / 13 | Breach of tenancy obligation, or damage to the property. | Discretionary. 2 weeks' notice. |
14 | Nuisance, harassment, or criminal conduct affecting neighbours. | Discretionary. Proceedings can begin immediately in serious cases. |
17 | Tenancy obtained by false statement. | Discretionary. 2 weeks' notice. |
If I Go to Court, Am I Guaranteed to Get My Property Back?
Not always, because it depends on which ground you rely on. The grounds in Schedule 2 fall into two types. A mandatory ground forces the court to grant possession once you prove it on the evidence, and the judge cannot refuse on the basis of the tenant's personal circumstances.
A discretionary ground is different: even after you prove it, the court will only grant possession if it is satisfied that doing so is reasonable in all the circumstances, and it can refuse where the result would be disproportionate.
So the answer turns on the ground. Grounds 1, 1A and 8 are mandatory and the most predictable for landlords, but only where the evidential and procedural requirements are met to the letter. Discretionary grounds attract more judicial scrutiny and need careful documentation, because a weak paper trail can lose you a case you would otherwise win.
How Soon Can I Evict to Move In or Sell?
Not for at least 12 months, and in practice a little longer once notice is built in. Moving in relies on Ground 1 and selling relies on Ground 1A, and neither can be used in the first 12 months of the tenancy. The clock runs from the start of the tenancy and was not reset when the Act came into force on 1 May 2026.
Because both grounds need at least four months' notice and the notice cannot expire before the 12 month anniversary, the earliest you can serve a valid notice is at the end of month 8. Serve any earlier and the notice is invalid.
This wait applies only to Grounds 1 and 1A. If your reason for seeking possession is the tenant's conduct rather than your own plans, the fault grounds (8, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14) are available from day one.
WORKED EXAMPLE
Tenancy starts on 1 March 2026 and converts to a periodic assured tenancy on 1 May 2026. You decide in August 2026 that you want to move in. The earliest valid Ground 1 notice can be served at the end of October 2026 (end of month 8), expiring at the end of February 2027 (month 12). Serving in September would make the notice invalid.
How Do I Sell a Tenanted Property Under the New Rules?
If you need vacant possession to sell, Ground 1A is the route. It is mandatory but has several features that catch landlords out, particularly the re-letting restriction and the genuine intention test.
Feature | Position |
|---|---|
Statutory basis | Schedule 2, Housing Act 1988, as amended by Schedule 1 to the Renters' Rights Act 2025. |
Type of ground | Mandatory. The court must grant possession if the ground is proved and genuine intent to sell is shown. |
Earliest notice service | End of month 8 of the tenancy. |
Earliest notice expiry | 12 months after the tenancy start date. |
Notice period | At least 4 months. |
Re-letting restriction starts | Date of service of the Section 8 notice. |
Re-letting restriction ends | 12 months after the relevant date in the notice, or 12 months after the date possession proceedings are issued, whichever is later. |
Scope of the restriction | No new letting, no licence to occupy, no marketing for letting, no grant of a tenancy of 21 years or less. Marketing for sale is permitted. |
Breach of the restriction | An offence. Civil penalty up to £40,000 or prosecution. |
What Is the Practical Timetable for Selling Under This Act?
From the service of the Section 8 notice to the end of the re-letting restriction, you should plan on a minimum exposure of 16 months.
Four months of notice, a court process that may add several months more, and a 12 month re-letting ban from the relevant date in the notice. If a sale falls through during that period, you cannot fall back on re-letting without committing an offence.
WORKED EXAMPLE
You serve a Ground 1A notice on 1 November 2026 with a relevant date of 1 March 2027. Your buyer pulls out in July 2027. You cannot re-let the property until 1 March 2028 at the earliest, and possibly later if proceedings have been issued. Carrying costs for that period need to be factored into the decision to serve.
What Are the New Rules on Rent, Bidding and Advance Payments?
Can I Still Invite Offers Above the Asking Rent?
No. You must advertise a single, fixed rent figure. Accepting any offer above that figure, and inviting bids or counter offers, is prohibited. A breach attracts a civil penalty of up to £7,000. Advertisements may be retained and used as evidence.
WORKED EXAMPLE
You list a flat at £1,800 per calendar month. A prospective tenant offers £1,950 to secure it. Accepting that offer is a breach of the bidding ban. If you would have been comfortable receiving £1,950, the property should have been advertised at that figure.
How Much Rent in Advance Can I Ask For?
No more than one month. The single month in advance can only be requested after the tenancy agreement has been signed. Larger sums in advance, often used historically where a tenant had limited UK credit history or no UK guarantor, are no longer permitted. A breach attracts a civil penalty of up to £5,000 and a requirement to repay the excess.
If you are concerned about an applicant's credit profile, conduct stronger reference and affordability checks, or require a guarantor. Do not try to address the risk with additional rent in advance.
How Do I Increase the Rent?
Once in any twelve month period, on a Section 13 notice in the prescribed form, with at least two months' notice. The new rent must reflect the market rent (the price the property would achieve if newly advertised to let). Rent review clauses and any other route to a rent increase are no longer permitted.
A tenant can refer the proposed increase to the First-tier Tribunal. Importantly, the Tribunal cannot determine a rent higher than the figure you proposed, and cannot backdate the new rent before the date of the determination.
Under the previous regime the Tribunal could exceed the landlord's figure in some cases, and that risk discouraged tenants from challenging. That risk has gone.
Expect more challenges than before, and be ready with evidence of market rent: comparable lettings, an agent's appraisal, or both. In cases of undue hardship the Tribunal may also defer the new rent by up to a further two months.
Can I Still Refuse Tenants on Benefits, With Children, or With Pets?
The short answer is no, not on a blanket basis. The Act creates two separate frameworks. Discrimination on the basis of benefits or children is prohibited outright.
The right to request a pet sits under a different procedural regime: the tenant has the right to ask, and the landlord must respond and must not refuse unreasonably.
The discrimination provisions apply across England, Wales and Scotland. The rest of the new regime applies in England only.
Benefit Claimants
Refusing tenants who have DSS income is prohibited, both directly and through indirect practices designed to filter out applicants on benefits. You cannot refuse to consider an applicant solely because they receive housing benefit, Universal Credit, or any other prescribed benefit.
Ordinary affordability checks remain available, and you can still refuse on affordability grounds, but benefit income must be treated on the same basis as employment income.
Any term in a mortgage, buildings insurance policy or superior lease that purports to prohibit letting to benefit claimants is of no effect. Existing insurance contracts in force before commencement are exempt until renewal.
Families With Children
Blanket bans on letting to families with children are prohibited. You can still refuse where the property is genuinely unsuitable, for example where the household size would cause overcrowding under the Housing Act 1985 or where the property has features that present a genuine safety concern.
A general policy of "no families" is unlawful. Mortgage, insurance or superior lease terms purporting to prohibit family lettings are also of no effect.
Responding to a Request to Keep a Pet
Since 1 May 2026 every assured tenancy carries an implied term that the tenant can request a pet and that you must not unreasonably refuse. It is not an automatic right to any animal, but the starting point has shifted: you must consider each request on its merits, respond in writing within 28 days, and document the decision. Missing the 28 day deadline is as risky as an unreasonable refusal. A generic "no pets" refusal will not stand, though one tied to the specific property and animal can. You cannot take a pet deposit or require pet insurance, so the standard deposit cap is your only security, with the County Court available for damage beyond it. Assistance animals sit outside this process and must always be allowed.
For the 28 day procedure in full, the reasons a refusal will and will not stand, the rule that consent once given cannot be withdrawn, and how assistance and emotional support animals differ, see our guide to Renting with Pets under the Renters' Rights Act.
What Do the Decent Homes Standard and Awaab's Law Mean for Me?
These two reforms shift the landlord's repair and condition obligations significantly. They are connected and should be read together.
The Decent Homes Standard
The Decent Homes Standard has applied to social housing for some years. It requires freedom from serious hazards, a reasonable state of repair, modern facilities, and adequate heating. The Act extends a reformed version of the Standard to the private rented sector.
For in-depth guidance, refer to our full guide on Decent Homes Standard.
Awaab's Law
Awaab's Law was introduced into the social sector on 27 October 2025, following the death of Awaab Ishak from prolonged exposure to black mould. The Act extends Awaab's Law to the private rented sector. The Government has confirmed that the detailed timeframes for the private sector will be set in secondary legislation after consultation.
Once those timeframes apply, you will have to investigate and begin remedial works to deadlines that cannot be extended for budget or contractor reasons, and where safety works cannot be completed in time you must arrange suitable alternative accommodation at your expense until the property is safe.
For the proposed timeframes, the investigation and repair sequence, and the rules on when a problem can be attributed to tenant behaviour, see our full guide to Awaab's Law.
What Changes Operationally?
Two things change.
First, attributing damp and mould to tenant lifestyle is no longer a defensible response. The Government's guidance for social landlords states that it is unacceptable to assume damp and mould are caused by tenant lifestyle, and the same approach is expected to apply to the private sector. Investigate and remedy regardless of cause.
Second, you need contractors on call who can mobilise within the statutory timeframes. A landlord who cannot mobilise within five working days will be paying for alternative accommodation. Build pre-arranged contractor relationships and a contingency budget into your operating cost.
How Are Student Lets Treated Under the New Regime?
The Act treats student lets in three ways, depending on who the landlord is and how the property is let:
University halls and university-owned accommodation, let by the institution to its own students, stay outside the assured tenancy regime under paragraph 8 of Schedule 1 to the Housing Act 1988. They keep their academic-year fixed terms and are untouched by the Section 21 abolition, the periodic regime and the new rent rules.
Private purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) can claim the same exemption, but only where the operator belongs to an approved code of practice such as the ANUK/Unipol code.
Private HMOs let to students by anyone other than a university are fully inside the new regime. Those tenancies became periodic on 1 May 2026 and the standard rules apply.
For that last group, Ground 4A is the route built for the cyclical nature of student lets. It is a mandatory ground that lets the landlord of a qualifying student HMO recover possession at the end of the academic year to re-let to new students, and the 12 month protected period that applies to Grounds 1 and 1A does not apply to it.
For the full Ground 4A conditions, the PBSA code-of-practice requirements, and how each type of student tenancy converted on 1 May 2026, see our guide to student lets under the Renters' Rights Act.
What Is the New PRS Database and the New Ombudsman?
The Act brings in two new pieces of compliance infrastructure for landlords in England.
The PRS Database is a mandatory national register of private landlords and rented properties, not a licensing scheme, rolling out regionally from late 2026. Once it is live in your area:
Registration is a condition of lawfully letting and of using most possession grounds.
Marketing or letting without an active entry carries a civil penalty.
For what you must register, the grounds that still work without an entry, and the penalties, see our guide to the Private Rented Sector Database.
The PRS Landlord Ombudsman is a free, binding complaints service that all private landlords must join, including those letting through agents, with membership expected from 2028.
Its decisions can require you to apologise, put things right and pay compensation, and you fund it through a proportionate charge.
For how it operates, what it will and will not consider, and how a tenant escalates a complaint, see our guide to the Private Rented Sector Ombudsman.
What Fines and Penalties Could I Face?
The enforcement regime has been substantially expanded, with new council investigatory powers from 27 December 2025 and a wider set of civil penalties from 1 May 2026. Non-compliance falls into two tiers:
Breaches, up to £7,000. Day-to-day management failures, such as missing the Information Sheet deadline, accepting rent above the advertised figure, taking more than one month's rent in advance, applying a blanket refusal, missing the 28 day pet deadline, or letting without a database entry once the scheme is live.
Offences, up to £40,000 or prosecution. Serious matters, such as unlawful eviction, misusing a possession ground, breaching the re-letting restriction after a Ground 1 or 1A notice, providing false information to the database, or serious non-compliance with the Ombudsman scheme or Awaab's Law.
The powers behind this are real: from 27 December 2025 councils can inspect on 24 hours' notice, demand documents from you and your agents, and obtain third party data, and they can keep the penalty income to fund further enforcement. Keeping your records in order is the single best protection.
For how councils set the penalty amount, the standard of proof they must meet, and when directors and officers are personally exposed, see our guide to the Renters' Rights Act penalties and fines for landlords.
What Are Rent Repayment Orders and How Much Could I Lose?
Rent Repayment Orders (RROs) allow tenants, and in some cases councils, to apply to the First-tier Tribunal for repayment of rent paid during a period of specified wrongdoing. RROs are a long-standing feature of housing enforcement, but the Act significantly expands their scope and financial impact.
The maximum period has doubled from 12 months to 24 months, and the orders now reach the new offences the Act creates, such as misusing a possession ground or breaching the re-letting restriction.
An RRO is not an alternative to a council penalty. It can be made in addition to one, and the two routes are not mutually exclusive. A landlord facing a serious matter may be exposed to a civil penalty (up to £40,000 for an offence), an RRO (up to 24 months' rent), and potential criminal prosecution with unlimited fines. The financial stack can quickly exceed £100,000 on a single tenancy.
How Do You Handle Tenant Complaints Under the New Regime?
The Act formalises the route by which a tenant can complain. The process operates on three levels: first to the landlord, then to the council, and ultimately to the PRS Landlord Ombudsman once it is operational.
First Stage: Your Own Complaints Process
Every landlord is expected to operate a written complaints procedure. The procedure should set out how a complaint should be made, the timeframe within which it will be acknowledged and answered, how it will be investigated, and what happens if the tenant is not satisfied with the outcome. Landlords without a written procedure should adopt one well before the Ombudsman goes live. The Ombudsman will require evidence that the internal process has been exhausted before considering a complaint.
Second Stage: The Council
Where the tenant cannot resolve the complaint with you, the next route is the council. Councils have powers to investigate serious issues such as poor housing conditions, unsafe properties and overcrowding. They may impose a civil penalty, issue an improvement notice, or take other enforcement action.
Third Stage: The Ombudsman
Once the Ombudsman scheme is operational (expected 2028), the tenant may refer the complaint after exhausting your internal process. The Ombudsman will review the complaint, request evidence from both parties, and issue a decision that is binding on the landlord.
Why Will Complaint Volumes Rise?
With Section 21 gone, expect the volume of complaints to increase, because tenants no longer face the risk of a no-fault eviction in response. Make sure your internal process is robust, well documented and properly resourced. A pattern of unresolved complaints can damage your standing with both the Ombudsman and the council.
What Is My Action Plan?
This is the working checklist a landlord with a portfolio in England should be running through now. Items marked immediate should already be complete or in progress.
What You Should Already Have Done
Information Sheet served on every tenant. The deadline for tenancies in force on 1 May 2026 was 31 May 2026, and the same document must be given to the tenants of any property you have taken on since. Confirm in writing with any managing agent that this has been done for every tenancy.
Written statement of terms provided to every tenant whose tenancy was previously verbal or partially documented.
Tenancy templates updated. Remove all fixed term language. New agreements drafted as periodic assured tenancies from the outset, with the prescribed Written Statement of Terms.
Pre-1 May 2026 Section 21 notices: possession proceedings had to be issued by 31 July 2026 for the notice to stay valid. After that date Section 21 cannot be used on any tenancy.
Marketing and advertising practices reviewed. Staff and agents trained on the bidding ban and anti-discrimination rules. Assume every advertisement may be evidence.
Ongoing Operational Compliance
Pet request system. Log every written request, set a calendar reminder for the 28 day deadline, and document the basis for any refusal.
Rent increase procedure. Use a Section 13 notice. Allow at least two months' notice. Keep the market rent evidence file.
Reference and affordability checks. Treat benefit income on the same basis as employment income. Replace any larger rent-in-advance practices with stronger affordability assessment or, where appropriate, guarantor arrangements.
Repairs and condition. Honest property-by-property assessment. Identify damp, mould, ventilation and deferred maintenance issues. Set a remediation timetable.
Contractor relationships. Arrangements in place for response within Awaab's Law timeframes once those apply to the private sector. Contingency budget for alternative accommodation.
Record keeping. Councils can demand documents on 24 hours' notice. Inspection reports, maintenance records, tenant correspondence and certificates current and easy to retrieve.
Forward Planning
PRS Database: Gather the likely information now: property identifiers, current safety certificates, ownership details, agent arrangements, Ombudsman membership.
Ombudsman membership: Monitor announcements on the scheme administrator and the mandatory membership date.
Decent Homes Standard: Budget for capital improvements. Consider commissioning a condition survey for older or higher risk properties.
Portfolio strategy: Review the portfolio against the 12 month protected period, the re-letting restriction, and the expanded enforcement regime. Reconsider older or less profitable properties.
Corporate structures: Where property is held through a company, directors should be personally familiar with the compliance regime and oversight should be documented.
Common Scenarios
Scenario | Recommended approach |
|---|---|
I want to sell a tenanted property in the next 18 months. | Ground 1A available only after 12 months from tenancy start. Plan for at least 16 months from Section 8 service to end of re-letting restriction. Consider sale with tenant in situ or voluntary surrender as alternatives. |
I want to move into a property I currently let. | Ground 1 available only after 12 months. Serve at the earliest permissible date and document genuine intent to occupy. |
A tenant has fallen into rent arrears. | Ground 8 (mandatory) available if arrears reach the statutory threshold. Grounds 10 and 11 (discretionary) for lesser arrears or persistent late payment. Document arrears, communicate in writing, engage on payment plans where appropriate. |
A tenant has reported damp or mould. | Investigate immediately. Do not attribute the problem to lifestyle without an evidence-based inspection. Document the investigation and the remedial works. |
A tenant requests permission to keep a pet. | Acknowledge in writing. Ask for further information within the 28 day window if needed. Document the decision and the reasons in full. |
Quick Glossary
Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
AST (Assured Shorthold Tenancy) | The default private residential tenancy under the Housing Act 1988 until 30 April 2026. All ASTs converted to periodic assured tenancies on 1 May 2026. |
Section 4A assured tenancy | The new default private residential tenancy under the Act. No fixed term. Rolls period by period (in practice month to month). |
Awaab's Law | Statutory time limits on landlord responses to reports of damp and mould. Live in social housing from 27 October 2025. Being extended to the private sector by separate regulations after consultation. |
Ground 1 | Mandatory possession ground for landlord or close family member occupation. |
Ground 1A | Mandatory possession ground for sale. |
Ground 4A | Mandatory possession ground for student HMO re-letting at end of academic year. |
HMO | House in Multiple Occupation. Three or more tenants forming more than one household. Often subject to local licensing. |
Information Sheet | Prescribed document about tenant rights under the new regime. Had to be served on every existing tenant by 31 May 2026. |
PBSA | Purpose-Built Student Accommodation. Subject to a modified regime where the operator is a member of an approved code of practice. |
PRS Database | The new mandatory national database of private landlords and rented properties. Phased rollout from late 2026. |
PRS Ombudsman | The new Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman. Free and binding dispute resolution for tenants. Mandatory landlord membership expected 2028. |
Re-letting restriction | Prohibition on re-letting following a Ground 1 or 1A notice. Starts on service and runs for at least 12 months after the relevant date. |
RRO | Rent Repayment Order. First-tier Tribunal order requiring repayment of up to 24 months' rent for specified wrongdoing. |
Section 13 notice | Prescribed notice for serving a rent increase under the new regime. At least two months' notice required. |
Section 21 / Section 8 notice | Section 21 is the abolished no-fault notice. Section 8 is the only route to possession against the tenant's wishes, citing one or more Schedule 2 grounds. |
