From 1 May 2026, the Renters’ Rights Act will introduce significant changes to the private rented sector in England, in what's considered the biggest shake up of the sector for decades.
Many of the headline measures are already confirmed, although some operational details will follow through secondary legislation.
In this article, we’re looking at the key changes, and how they are likely to affect landlords and property investors in practice.
For full details, refer to the official government guidance and read the government information sheet for tenants.
Key changes at a glance
All tenancies will move to Assured Periodic Tenancies (APTs). These will be open-ended, with no fixed term. Tenants will be able to leave at any point with a minimum of two months’ notice. Existing ASTs will convert automatically.
Landlords will no longer be able to rely on Section 21 to regain possession. Instead, possession must be sought using specific legal grounds under Section 8, supported by evidence and legal process.
Rent can only be increased once per year, with at least two months’ notice, using a prescribed process. Increases must reflect market levels, and tenants can challenge them through a tribunal.
Restrictions are placed on blanket bans (for example, relating to pets or families). Referencing and tenant selection must comply with data protection and anti-discrimination rules.
All landlords must join a Private Rented Sector Ombudsman. The scheme will handle disputes and can issue binding decisions.
A national register will be introduced. Registration will be required to market a property and, in most cases, to regain possession.
New rules apply to student lets, including a proposed possession ground (Ground 4A) for re-letting to incoming cohorts. Further detail is expected.
The removal of fixed terms changes how long tenancies are expected to run.
There is no defined end date, and tenants can leave with relatively short notice (just 2 months). For landlords, this reduces the ability to plan around a fixed tenancy cycle and places more weight on:
With Section 21 removed, possession relies on defined legal grounds. Key examples of circumstances that would have grounds for ending the tenancy (and eviction) include:
This shifts the emphasis towards selecting tenants carefully at the outset, maintaining clear records and properly understanding which grounds apply and when.
The framework for rent increases is more structured than before. The new Act now means that:
For investors, rental assumptions now need to be fully aligned with local market conditions rather than being landlord-led.
The Ombudsman and landlord database introduce baseline requirements that apply across the sector.
These are not optional. In particular, failure to comply may limit a landlord’s ability to market a property and regain possession.
The aim of the Ombudsman is to provide tenants with a free, independent route to resolve disputes without going to court. Meaning record keeping, documentation, and response processes become far more important for legitimate landlords.
The Act introduces specific provisions for student accommodation, but how they apply depends on the type of property and tenancy.
Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) let to students are expected to fall within the new assured tenancy regime.
A new possession ground (Ground 4A) is being introduced, intended to allow landlords to re-let the property according to the academic letting cycle. However, this only applies where certain conditions are met:
Secondary legislation is due to be published with final criteria and notice requirements, but even where Ground 4A applies, tenants will still have the right to give two months’ notice at any time, meaning tenancy end dates may not always align neatly with the academic cycle.
For purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA), the position is less clear at this stage.
Some PBSA may fall outside the new regime, particularly where the property is managed by a provider within a government-approved student housing management code of practice. However, until the final legislation is published, exemptions should not be assumed.
Certainly the less scrupulous landlords in the market might find these new legislations problematic, but moving towards more professionalism in the sector is largely positive for the industry, improving standards and consistency.
Smaller scale (or accidental landlords), who hold a significant share of the market, might feel an element of bureaucratic fatigue, and a portion of them might decide the new regulatory environment isn’t worth the effort. That risks reducing supply, which is not good from a tenant perspective, and counterproductive to the aims of the Act.
In practical terms though, amongst professional landlords and investors, the changes are likely to shift behaviour rather than spur a mass exodus.
Common responses are likely to be around:
These changes are not entirely new in a UK context. Scotland introduced Private Residential Tenancies (PRTs) in 2016, which have applied to most new tenancies since December 2017.
Key features include:
While there are differences in court processes, rent controls, and local policy, in effect, the English reforms bring the system closer to what already operates in Scotland. When these changes were introduced in Scotland, there was concern about loss of control among landlords, but the market has continued stably under this structure, and still attracts landlord investment.
Councils overseeing the Act have been allocated additional government funding, much of which will go towards modernising civil courts and supporting the housing legal aid sector, enabling renters to more easily access legal options when facing eviction.
Due process from the outset of a tenancy is key, and landlords should focus on:
For new investments post-1st of May 2026, dig further into whether or not the numbers stack up. With capped rental increases, market dictations, uncertainty around vacant periods and timings, knowing your income and yield vs outgoings is inherently more important.
Therefore checking the cost of your finance before committing to any deal, is, as ever, crucial. Running your numbers through tools such as Brickflow’s commercial mortgage calculator can help quickly assess whether a deal remains viable under these assumptions.