From that date, all private tenancies in England—both new and existing—will transition to the new legal framework. This initial phase focuses exclusively on tenancy reform.
Key changes include:
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A shift to rolling periodic tenancies
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A cap on rent in advance
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A ban on rental bidding
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Clearer rules for rent increases under Section 13
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Stronger protections against discrimination
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New rights for tenants wishing to keep pets
All assured shorthold tenancies will automatically convert to the new system. Any tenancy agreements signed on or after 1 May 2026 must comply with the updated rules, including the rent cap and revised procedures for rent increases and pet requests.
Section 21 notices served before the implementation date will remain valid for six months or until the tenant leaves the property.
Under the Renters Rights Act, all new tenancies must include a written agreement containing specific details to be outlined by the government in forthcoming secondary legislation.
Landlords will not be required to amend or reissue existing written tenancy agreements. Instead, they must provide tenants with an official information sheet produced by the government, explaining how the reforms may impact their tenancy.
Where no written agreement currently exists—such as in cases of verbal arrangements or protected tenancies—landlords will be required to issue a written document that includes the mandated information.
The Act will be implemented in two more phases:
A landlords association has welcomed the government’s decision to allow a six-month lead-in to phase one of the Renters Rights Act, set to begin on 1 May 2026. However, it warns that the announcement lacks sufficient detail, and says landlords need clearer guidance to prepare effectively for the transition.
The spokesperson for the association says: “We have argued consistently that landlords and property businesses need at least six months from the publication of regulations to ensure the sector is properly prepared for the biggest changes it has faced for over 40 years.
“Unless the government urgently publishes all the guidance documents and written material needed to update tenancy agreements to reflect the changes to come, the plan will prove less a roadmap and more a path to inevitable failure.
“Without this landlords, tenants, agents, councils and the courts will be left without the information required to adapt, creating utter confusion at the very moment clarity is most needed.
“Ministers also need to explain how the county court will be ready to process legitimate possession cases far more swiftly than at present. As the cross-party Justice Committee has rightly warned, the court is simply dysfunctional. Vague assurances about digitisation, without an idea of what that means in practice, are simply not good enough.”
It will allow a smooth transition, including for example. informing over 11m tenants in England about changes to their tenancy agreements; equipping landlords, agents, and legal professionals with guidance and training to manage the transition effectively; and allowing time for the publication of the updated Housing Health and Safety Rating System so that landlords have clarity about hazards and the opportunity to self-regulate before this element of the Decent Homes Standard is introduced.
In addition the association says it is important to ensure solicitors fully understand the new possession requirements and the new mandatory contents of tenancy agreements; for court procedures to be ready for what it calls “an influx of in-person hearings’; and for the updating of lettings agency processes.
There would also be the need to provide time for computer systems to be updated, new documents to be uploaded and technical problems to be ironed out; providing local authorities with time to update their enforcement policies and recruit adequate staff to enforce new and existing standards; and ensuring the Property Tribunal is prepared for an increase in the number of rent appeals they may be asked to consider as a result of the Act.