The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 – A practical guide for landlords.

Copyright Thom Atkinson

The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 is now live across England. If you let a property in the UK, it changes how you operate. This guide covers the five changes that matter most.

1. Tenancies no longer have an end date.

Fixed-term contracts — the standard 6 or 12-month agreements — are gone. Every tenancy, new and existing, is now a rolling monthly one. It runs until your tenant decides to leave.

When a tenant wants to leave, they give you two months’ notice. That’s it. No negotiation, no penalty.

• Update your tenancy paperwork — any template with a fixed end date is now out of date.
• Existing tenancies converted automatically on 1 May 2026.
• Two months’ notice is the new standard for tenants leaving.

2. One market-based rent increase per year.

You can only raise the rent once every 12 months, and you must give your tenant two months’ written notice before any increase takes effect.
The increase must reflect the open market rate. If a tenant thinks it is above market rate, they can challenge it at a tribunal, which will assess what a fair rent for the property would be.

• Diary rent reviews exactly 12 months apart.
• Give two months’ written notice before any increase.
• Keep evidence of comparable local rents to support your review.

3. No rental offers allowed above asking price.

Bidding wars are now illegal. The rent you advertise is the maximum you can charge. You cannot accept offers above the listed price.
For London landlords, this is one of the most significant day-to-day changes. Price your listing at the number you actually want to achieve — not as an opening bid.

• List your property at the rent you actually want — no buffer for negotiation.
• Accepting an above-asking offer is a criminal offence.
• If demand is high, the answer is accurate pricing — not a bidding process.

4. No discrimination against tenants with benefits, children or pets.

Blanket bans on tenants with children or those claiming housing benefit are now unlawful. You cannot refuse a tenant on these grounds alone.
Tenants now have the legal right to request a pet. You can decline, but only with a genuine reason — and you must respond within 28 days.
You are allowed to require the tenant to take out pet damage insurance as a condition of keeping a pet.

• Remove all “no DSS”, “no children” and “no pets” wording from listings immediately.
• Have a clear, written pet policy ready for when tenants ask.
• You can require pet insurance — confirm this in writing.

5. You’ll need a valid reason to get your property back.

Section 21 — the “no-fault” eviction notice — has been abolished. You can no longer ask a tenant to leave simply because you want the property back.

You can still regain possession, but you must have a specific legal ground, based on a revised Section 8 notice:
• Selling the property.
• Moving back in yourself or for a close family member.
• Serious rent arrears.
• Breach of contract by the tenant.

More changes to come.

A landlord register and complaints service are on their way. The Act introduces further changes that roll out over the next few years. These are not yet live, but worth knowing about now.

• Landlord database (late 2026–2027): every private landlord must register and pay a fee. London boroughs are expected to be among the first to go live.
• PRS Ombudsman (~2028): compulsory membership, binding decisions on complaints.
• Decent Homes Standard (date TBC): minimum property standards extended to private rentals.
• Minimum EPC rating of C (2030): properties below this will not be legally lettable.