Section 21 is gone. Assured Shorthold Tenancies are gone. The biggest change to English landlord law in 30 years came into force on 1 May 2026. Here is what you need to know — and what you need to do.
The Renters' Rights Act 2025 (RRA 2025) is the most significant piece of residential landlord legislation since the Housing Act 1988. Its main tenancy reforms came into force on 1 May 2026, abolishing the Assured Shorthold Tenancy regime that has governed the English private rented sector for nearly four decades.
The Act was designed to shift the balance of power between landlords and tenants — giving renters greater security, clearer rights, and legal protections that simply did not exist before. For landlords, it means adapting to an entirely new legal framework.
The good news: the changes are manageable if you understand them. This guide covers every key change that affects private landlords in England, and the documents you need to comply.
The headline change is the permanent abolition of Section 21 "no-fault" evictions. From 1 May 2026, there is no mechanism by which a landlord can require a tenant to leave simply because the tenancy has ended or because the landlord does not wish to renew it.
To recover possession of a property, landlords must now rely entirely on Section 8 grounds — specific, legally defined reasons set out in Schedule 2 of the Housing Act 1988 (as amended). If you want your property back for any reason — whether the tenant has breached the agreement, you want to sell, or you want to move a family member in — there is a ground for that. But you must use the correct procedure and serve the correct notice.
If you served a valid Section 21 notice before 1 May 2026 and the tenant hasn't left, the notice doesn't simply vanish — but it doesn't last indefinitely either. Under the transitional rules, you must issue court proceedings by the earlier of two dates: six months from when you served the notice, or 31 July 2026, whichever comes first.
Because 31 July 2026 was the latest possible date, every Section 21 notice served before 1 May 2026 has now either been used to start court proceedings in time or has lapsed. No new claims can be issued on an old Section 21 notice.
The grounds most private landlords use, with guidance notes, correct notice periods, and instructions for each ground. Updated for RRA 2025.
Get the Section 8 Pack — £19.99 →The Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST) — the standard tenancy agreement used since 1997 — has been replaced by the Assured Periodic Tenancy (APT). All tenancies created from 1 May 2026 must be APTs. Existing ASTs that were still running on 1 May 2026 automatically converted to APTs on that date.
The most important difference is that APTs have no fixed term. There is no "end date" — the tenancy simply continues until the landlord or tenant ends it. Tenants can give two months' notice to leave at any time. Landlords can only end the tenancy by relying on a Section 8 ground.
You can no longer grant a new fixed-term assured tenancy of a private rented home. The old "6 months then statutory periodic" model is gone, and every new tenancy is periodic from the start.
Landlords must also give the tenant a written statement of the tenancy terms, containing the prescribed information, before the tenancy is entered into (new section 16D of the Housing Act 1988). This is a new legal obligation, and the local council can impose a civil penalty of up to £7,000 for failing to comply.
APT agreement incorporating the Written Statement Regulations 2026. All mandatory terms included. Updated for the Renters' Rights Act 2025 and every change in force from 1 May 2026.
Get the APT Agreement — £19.99 →With Section 21 gone, Section 8 is now the only route to possession. The Act made several important changes to the available grounds:
The well-used rent arrears ground (Ground 8) now requires 3 months' arrears at the date of both notice and hearing, up from 2 months. The notice period for Ground 8 has increased to 4 weeks.
Critically, deposit protection failures can prevent you using most possession grounds until the deposit is returned or protected (and the prescribed information served) — take advice. If your deposit is not protected correctly, you may not be able to recover possession even if the tenant is in arrears.
Landlords can still increase rent, but the process has been formalised under the Act.
The correct statutory notice for increasing rent under RRA 2025. Includes guidance on notice periods, how to calculate the correct rent, and how to handle a tribunal challenge.
Get the Rent Increase Notice — £9.99 →Section 16A of the Housing Act 1988 (inserted by RRA 2025) gives tenants the right to request permission to keep a pet. Landlords now have specific legal obligations when a pet request is made:
Unreasonably refusing a pet request or failing to respond within 28 days can lead to a complaint to the new PRS Landlord Ombudsman (once it is running) or a claim in the county court.
The RRA 2025 makes it unlawful to refuse to let a property to someone, or to treat someone less favourably in a tenancy, on the grounds that they are in receipt of benefits or that they have children.
This is an entirely new category of civil penalty:
| Offence | Maximum Penalty |
|---|---|
| Discrimination against benefits recipients | Up to £7,000 (up to £40,000 for repeat or continuing breaches) |
| Discrimination against tenants with children | Up to £7,000 (up to £40,000 for repeat or continuing breaches) |
| Failure to respond to pet request | Ombudsman complaint or court claim |
| Serving invalid Section 8 notice | Costs + delay |
| Deposit not protected within 30 days | 1–3× deposit amount |
The Act establishes a new Private Rented Sector (PRS) Landlord Database, which will require all landlords in England to register. Registration is being rolled out region by region from 15 December 2026 (West Midlands first) to August 2027, with a 3-month registration window in each region. Check GOV.UK for the date that applies to your area.
Registration will be mandatory. Once the database is live in your area, letting without registering can lead to a civil penalty of up to £7,000 for a first failure (up to £40,000 for repeat or continuing breaches or false information), and unregistered landlords are generally unable to use most possession grounds. Letting agents will also be required to verify that their landlord clients are registered before marketing a property.
DocPilot will update the Landlord Compliance Checklist as registration requirements become clearer.
Here is what every private landlord in England should do immediately:
A comprehensive 2026 compliance checklist covering every obligation under the RRA 2025, ERA 2025, and existing housing law. Penalty figures, notice periods, and checklist items all updated for October 2026.
Get the Compliance Checklist — £14.99 →The Renters Rights Act 2025 is the biggest shake-up to English private renting in 40 years. It abolishes Section 21 no-fault evictions, ends fixed-term ASTs for new lettings, requires Form 4A for rent increases, introduces a 28-day pet request process, and extends the Decent Homes Standard to private rentals (not yet in force).
Phase 1 commenced on 1 May 2026. All existing tenancies converted from ASTs to Assured Periodic Tenancies at midnight on 30 April 2026. Section 21 notices served after that date are void.
Only if court proceedings were issued in time: by the earlier of six months from the date you served the notice, or 31 July 2026. If you missed whichever deadline applied, the notice has lapsed and you will need to use Section 8 instead.
Under the RRA 2025 (new section 16A of the Housing Act 1988), tenants can request permission to keep a pet. Landlords must respond within 28 days — not 42 days as some guides incorrectly state. There is no deemed consent, but a missed deadline makes it harder to show you acted reasonably.
Yes. New tenancies from 1 May 2026 are assured periodic tenancies, and landlords must give a written statement of terms containing the prescribed information. An old fixed-term AST template will not meet those requirements.
The RRA 2025 is the biggest change in decades, and more rules are still being phased in, including the PRS Database and new court procedure rules for possession claims. DocPilot's landlord documents carry a "last legal review" date and we update them when the law changes. If you need several documents, our bundles group them together for less.
This guide was last reviewed in October 2026. It is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. If you are unsure about your obligations as a landlord, you should consult a qualified solicitor specialising in residential property law.
The documents referenced throughout this guide, in one place: