Property compliance · United Kingdom

The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 compliance checklist for letting agencies

By Stefan Gauci Scicluna · Auren Institute · Last reviewed 31 May 2026 · Updated within 30 days of legislative change

The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025, and the main tenancy reforms came into force on 1 May 2026. From that date Section 21 no-fault evictions are abolished, fixed-term assured shorthold tenancies are gone, rental bidding above the asking rent is banned, and a letting agent can be fined up to 7,000 pounds for marketing a property that breaches the new rules. This is not a future change to monitor. For a letting or estate agency in England it is the regime you are operating under right now, with more obligations switching on through 2026, 2027 and 2028.

This is a practitioner checklist for letting agencies in England, not a legal summary. It separates what is already live from what is still coming, names the obligation behind each line, and tells you who in the branch has to act. Where a date or a figure matters, it is cited to the primary source.

Key obligations to train staff on

1. Section 21 is gone, possession is by Section 8 ground

From 1 May 2026 Section 21 no-fault eviction is abolished and existing assured shorthold tenancies have converted to periodic assured tenancies with no end date. Staff cannot rely on a Section 21 notice. Possession must be sought under a defined Section 8 ground, with the evidence on file to support it. Landlords who served a valid Section 21 notice before commencement had to issue their court claim by the earlier of the notice’s six-month validity or 31 July 2026.

Source: Renters’ Rights Act 2025, Part 1, legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/26; commencement, gov.uk implementation roadmap.

2. Periodic tenancies by default

Fixed-term assured tenancies are abolished. Tenancies are periodic, and the tenant can end the tenancy with two months’ notice. Marketing a property as a fixed term, or holding a tenant to one, is a breach that can attract a penalty of up to 7,000 pounds. Your tenancy agreement template must be the periodic version, and the old one retired so no one reaches for it.

Source: Renters’ Rights Act 2025, Part 1, legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/26.

3. Rent increases through Section 13 only

Rent increases must use the statutory Section 13 procedure, once a year, with the tenant able to challenge the increase at the First-tier Tribunal. Fixed uplifts, index-linked reviews and bespoke rent-review clauses no longer work. Strip non-compliant clauses from your agreements and train staff to issue the Section 13 notice correctly.

Source: Renters’ Rights Act 2025, Part 1; Housing Act 1988, s.13 (as amended), legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/26.

4. The ban on rental bidding

Landlords and agents are prohibited from inviting, encouraging or accepting offers of rent above the published asking rent. You must advertise a clear asking rent. Train negotiators to publish that figure and to decline, not pursue, an offer above it.

Source: Renters’ Rights Act 2025, legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/26.

5. The ban on rental discrimination, and the pet-request right

Blanket bans on tenants who receive benefits or who have children are prohibited. Tenants also have the right to request a pet, which the landlord cannot unreasonably refuse. Remove “no DSS” and “no children” wording from adverts and instructions, and keep a dated, reasoned record for any pet refusal so the decision is defensible.

Source: Renters’ Rights Act 2025, Parts 1 and 2; gov.uk rental discrimination guidance.

6. The tenant Information Sheet

Where a letting agent manages the property, the agent must provide the tenant with the Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026. Landlords had to provide it by 31 May 2026, and failure can attract a penalty of up to 7,000 pounds. Build issuing the Information Sheet, and evidencing that you issued it, into your onboarding process.

Source: gov.uk, The Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026.

7. The Private Rented Sector Database and the Landlord Ombudsman (coming)

The Act creates a national Private Rented Sector Database and a single Landlord Ombudsman. The database rolls out regionally from late 2026 with full launch in 2027, and an agent can be fined for marketing a property that is not registered. Mandatory sign-up to the Ombudsman is expected in 2028. The duties sit on the landlord, but the agent is the operational front door. Set up the process now so you are not retro-fitting it at go-live.

Source: gov.uk, Implementing the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 roadmap (13 November 2025).

8. The existing duties the Act sits on top of

The Act does not replace the letting-agent rulebook already in force. Client Money Protection remains mandatory, the ban on most tenant fees and the deposit cap under the Tenant Fees Act 2019 still apply, deposits must be protected in an authorised scheme, redress scheme membership remains a duty, Right to Rent checks remain a legal duty, and an agency handling high-value lettings stays inside the Money Laundering Regulations 2017. Keep these current, not let them slip while attention is on the new Act.

Sources: Tenant Fees Act 2019, legislation.gov.uk; agent redress duty, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013, legislation.gov.uk; Right to Rent, Immigration Act 2014, gov.uk; Money Laundering Regulations 2017, legislation.gov.uk.

How to roll the checklist out across your agency

This is the practical sequence for a branch that wants to be able to show, on demand, that staff were trained on each duty as it commenced.

Penalties and enforcement

Local housing authorities in England enforce the regime, and from 27 December 2025 they have powers to inspect, demand documents and access third-party data. They do not need a tenant complaint to act. Civil penalties run up to 7,000 pounds for a first or less serious breach, and up to 40,000 pounds, or criminal prosecution, for serious, persistent or repeated breaches. A tenant can also apply for a Rent Repayment Order of up to two years’ rent in defined cases. The practical test for a branch is simple: when a request lands, does your file defend the decision you made. A certificate on the wall does not. A dated, reasoned, evidenced file does.

Sources: gov.uk civil penalties guidance; The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 (Commencement No.1) Regulations 2025, legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2025/1354.

Frequently asked questions

Last reviewed: 31 May 2026  ·  Next scheduled review: 30 June 2026  ·  Updated within 30 days of legislative change.