UK property compliance

Renters' Rights Act 2025 training for letting and estate agents

Section 21 is gone. Since 1 May 2026 every assured tenancy in England is periodic, and letting and estate agents have a new set of duties to get right. This is how to train your branch on the Renters' Rights Act 2025, in the version in force.

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What changed on 1 May 2026

Section 21 no-fault evictions and fixed-term assured shorthold tenancies are gone. Every assured tenancy is now periodic, with new rules on rent and possession.

Who must be trained

Front-of-house negotiators, property managers, valuers and branch principals each face different duties. The whole branch needs the version in force, not last year's law.

Evidence for the regulator

Trading Standards and the new Private Rented Sector Database raise the bar. You need version-dated training records you can show on request.

The key changes

Five duties your branch has to get right

1. Periodic tenancies only

Fixed-term assured shorthold tenancies are abolished. New and existing assured tenancies are periodic, with rent payable each period, so your tenancy paperwork and processes change.

2. Rent increases by Section 13 only

Rent can rise once a year, by a Section 13 notice, and the tenant can challenge it at tribunal. Rent-review clauses and bidding wars are out.

3. Possession through Section 8 grounds

With Section 21 gone, possession runs through expanded and amended Section 8 grounds. Staff need to know which ground fits which situation, and the notice periods.

4. The Private Rented Sector Database

Landlords and properties must be registered on the new database and Property Portal, phasing in later in 2026. Agents need to know the registration and marketing rules.

5. Standards: Decent Homes and Awaab's Law

The Decent Homes Standard and Awaab's Law extend to the private rented sector, phasing in through 2026, raising the condition and repair duties agents manage.

Before and after

What the Act changed for agents

AreaBeforeUnder the Renters' Rights Act 2025
Tenancy typeFixed-term assured shorthold tenanciesAssured periodic tenancies only, from 1 May 2026
Ending a tenancySection 21 no-fault evictionSection 21 abolished; possession through Section 8 grounds
Rent increasesRent-review clauses and frequent risesOnce a year via Section 13, challengeable at tribunal
MarketingRental bidding allowedBidding above the advertised rent banned
RegistrationNo central registerPrivate Rented Sector Database and Property Portal, from later in 2026
StandardsLimited in the PRSDecent Homes Standard and Awaab's Law extended to the PRS, phasing in through 2026
The test that matters

Awareness content will not survive a complaint

If a tenant complains, a landlord client challenges a notice, or Trading Standards asks what your team was trained on, generic property awareness will not hold. Training that names the Renters' Rights Act 2025, the section, and the version in force is what stands up. That is the difference between a course your branch completed and evidence you can rely on.

How Auren trains it

Three levels, one branch, in days not weeks

1. Foundation for the whole branch

Every member of branch and back-office staff gets the awareness floor: what changed, why it matters, and the duties that touch their role.

2. Intermediate for those who act

Negotiators and property managers who serve notices, handle rent and manage tenancies get the operational level on the new processes.

3. Advanced for principals

Branch principals and compliance leads get the audit-grade level on possession grounds, registration, and standards liability.

4. Train and evidence in days

Self-paced courses, version-dated, with a single dashboard so you can show who was trained, on what, and when.

Questions

Renters' Rights Act training, common questions

When did the Renters' Rights Act 2025 come into force?

The Act received royal assent on 27 October 2025. The first phase, including the abolition of Section 21 and the move to assured periodic tenancies, took effect on 1 May 2026. The Private Rented Sector Database, the Decent Homes Standard and Awaab's Law in the private rented sector phase in later in 2026.

Do letting and estate agents need specific training on the Act?

Yes. The Act changes tenancy types, rent rules, possession grounds, marketing rules and registration duties that agents handle every day. Generic property awareness does not cover the named provisions, and Trading Standards can ask what your team was trained on.

What are the main new duties for agents?

Move every assured tenancy to periodic, apply Section 13 for rent increases, use Section 8 grounds for possession now that Section 21 is gone, stop rental bidding above the advertised rent, register on the Private Rented Sector Database, and meet the Decent Homes Standard and Awaab's Law as they extend to the private rented sector.

How often is the training updated?

Auren revises covered content within 30 days of a material legal change and publishes the version date on every course, so your branch always trains on the rules currently in force as the Act phases in through 2026.

Related at Auren

Go deeper

Get your branch trained on the Act

Tell us your branch size and roles, and we will map the Foundation, Intermediate and Advanced levels to your team.

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