DeadlineSection 21 abolished from1 May 2026
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England · Royal Assent 2025 · in force 1 May 2026

Renters' Rights Act 2025The complete landlord checklist for England

The biggest change to private renting in England in a generation. Section 21 will be abolished, every assured shorthold tenancy becomes periodic, and landlords face a set of new obligations — each with its own deadline, evidence trail and penalty.

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Time until in force

Renters' Rights Act 2025 commencement · 1 May 2026, 00:00 BST

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Section 21 abolition · Information Sheet duty · new Section 8 grounds · pet rules · rent caps

Section 21
Abolished
From 1 May 2026
Information Sheet
31 May
Deadline · written ASTs
Ground 8 arrears
3 months
Was 2 · 4-week notice
RRO window
24 months
Doubled from 12

This page is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Always verify requirements with GOV.UK and, where needed, a qualified solicitor.

Deadlines at a glance

Sorted by urgency. Critical items are statute-backed deadlines — missing them invalidates notices, blocks possession claims or triggers civil penalties.

At a glance: when to act

  1. 1 May 2026

    Act in force

    • Section 21 abolished: no new no-fault notices
    • Rent in advance capped at 1 month, holding deposit at 1 week
    • New tenancies: written key terms before the tenancy starts

  2. 31 May 2026

    First hard deadlines

    • Written AST before 1 May: send the official Information Sheet (GOV.UK PDF)
    • Verbal tenancy only: written key terms by 31 May — not the Information Sheet
    • Up to £7,000 civil max if imposed — not automatic per breach (see section 1)

  3. Ongoing

    Every tenancy, every year

    • Pet requests: reasonable refusal; ~28 days often cited — verify GOV.UK
    • Rent increases: Section 13 only, once per 12 months
    • Gas Safety, EICR, EPC, deposits, Right to Rent: tracked continuously
    • Decent Homes (PRS): damp/mould — Awaab limits in force for social landlords; PRS not yet — verify GOV.UK

Use the full table below for every action, exact deadline wording and maximum penalties.

Swipe sideways to see all columns.

PriorityActionDeadlineMax penalty
CriticalSend Information Sheet (written AST only, started before 1 May 2026)31 May 2026Up to £7,000 (civil penalty — not automatic)
CriticalWritten record of key terms — verbal tenancy only; not the Information Sheet31 May 2026Up to £7,000 (civil penalty — not automatic)
CriticalStop serving Section 21 notices · use Section 8 grounds only1 May 2026Notice void · possession claim fails
HighRent in advance (max 1 month) & holding deposit (max 1 week)From 1 May 2026Void clause / civil penalty
HighRespond to pet requests~28 days often cited; confirm GOV.UKTribunal / RRO risk if mishandled
HighSection 13 for any rent increase2 months' notice, once per yearInvalid increase
RollingGas Safety certificateAnnual£6,000 Magistrates · unlimited Crown · 6mo prison
RollingEICREvery 5 years£30,000 per property
RollingDeposit protectionWithin 30 days1× to 3× deposit + return
RollingRight to Rent checkBefore move-in£5k–£10k 1st · up to £20k repeat (per occupier)
RollingDecent Homes (PRS) & hazards (e.g. damp/mould)Ongoing; PRS Awaab timing pending — verify GOV.UKTribunal; longer RRO window from May 2026
1

Information Sheet vs written key terms — deadline 31 May 2026

High priority

Two different duties, same final date: If the tenancy is under a written AST agreed before 1 May 2026, you must give the tenant the official Information Sheet (GOV.UK PDF). If the tenancy is verbal only (no written agreement before that date), you must not send that Information Sheet — you must give a written record of the key terms instead. Mixing these up is a common mistake.

Information Sheet (written AST only):The government has published an official Information Sheet explaining what the Renters' Rights Act means for tenants. It applies where there is an existing tenant with a written AST signed before 1 May 2026.

Deadline: 31 May 2026. You can serve it now, do not wait.

How to serve it: GOV.UK describes providing the document electronically or as a hard copy. In practice, attaching the official PDF to an email or message (or handing over a printout) gives a clear record that the tenant received the sheet. A bare link, without the tenant clearly having the document, can be harder to prove if disputed — it is not the same as GOV.UK explicitly saying "links are invalid" in those words, so check the current publication and keep evidence of what was sent.

Download the official PDF: GOV.UK — The Renters' Rights Act: information sheet 2026

Practical note:Official wording focuses on giving tenants the information electronically or in hard copy. Sending the PDF as an attachment or printout is usually the safest audit trail; do not rely on our site paraphrasing GOV.UK as "link = invalid" — read the live guidance.

Verbal tenancy (no written AST before 1 May 2026): Do not use the Information Sheet. You must provide a written statement of the key terms — for example rent, landlord name and address, deposit, and repair responsibilities — by 31 May 2026. That is a separate obligation from the Information Sheet route.

What about new tenancies from 1 May onwards? For any tenancy created on or after 1 May 2026, you must provide written information about the key terms before the tenancy begins. This can be included in the tenancy agreement or provided separately.

Penalty: Many official summaries cite civil penalties up to £7,000 for failing this duty. Penalties are not automatic for every breach — they depend on enforcement and the facts. We do not state a £40,000 figure here as a verified GOV.UK standard; if you see higher numbers in commentary, cross-check GOV.UK and legislation.gov.uk. The duty is still to provide the correct document for your tenancy type: Information Sheet vs written key terms.

In LetCompliance

Go to Renters' Rights Act → Information Sheet. For each tenant, use the flow that matches AST vs verbal: track the official sheet where required, or record that written key terms were provided where the tenancy is verbal only. Dates are stored with a timestamp for your audit trail.
Track 31 May duties (sheet or written key terms)
2

Pet requests — reasonable refusal and response timing

What it is: Tenants can ask for permission to keep a pet. GOV.UK landlord guidance centres on reasonable refusaland giving reasons in writing where you refuse — not on a single "28-day rule" spelled out the same way everywhere. A response window of about 28 days appears in much sector commentary and some materials tied to the Act; treat it as a practical planning target and confirm the latest GOV.UK pages rather than assuming fixed statutory wording on this site.

Reasonable grounds for refusal include: the property is genuinely unsuitable for the type of pet requested (a large dog in a studio flat, for example), the lease of a leasehold property prohibits pets, or there is a history of damage from a previous pet kept by this tenant.

What is not a reasonable ground:a blanket "no pets" policy. The Act specifically removes the right to refuse without reason.

If you approve a pet request: You may require the tenant to take out pet damage insurance as a condition of approval.

Penalty for ignoring a request: The tenant can apply to a tribunal. A finding against you can result in a rent repayment order.

Practical tip: Log every request the day it arrives. If you use a 28-day planning horizon (as many landlords do from secondary guidance), holiday weeks eat that time fast.

In LetCompliance

Go to Renters' Rights Act → Pet Requests. Log the request with the received date; LetCompliance counts 28 days from that date for reminders (7, 5 and 1 day before — email or WhatsApp by plan) because that horizon is widely used in sector practice — it is not a statutory paraphrase. Record your decision and grounds in the log to support a reasonable, documented response.
Log and track pet requests
3

Section 13 rent increases — once per year, two months' notice

What it is:Under the Renters' Rights Act, you may only increase rent once every 12 months. Any rent review clause in an existing tenancy agreement is now invalid. The only lawful way to increase rent for an assured periodic tenancy in England is through the Section 13 process.

How it works:

  • Serve a Section 13 notice (the prescribed form) on your tenant
  • Give at least two months' notice before the proposed increase takes effect
  • The new rent must reflect the open market rate
  • The tenant can challenge the proposed increase at the First-tier Tribunal if they believe it is above market rate

What happened to existing rent review clauses? Any clause in a tenancy agreement that allows rent to be increased by a fixed percentage or by RPI is now unenforceable. You must use Section 13 regardless of what your tenancy agreement says.

Penalty for getting it wrong: An improperly served notice is invalid. The rent increase does not take effect and you must start the process again, losing months of the increase you were entitled to.

In LetCompliance

Go to Renters' Rights Act → Section 13 Notices. Enter the landlord and tenant names, property address, current rent, proposed new rent and notice date. The tool automatically calculates the proposed effective date (notice date plus two calendar months) and generates a draft PDF you can download and check before serving. Every draft is saved to your history with the date it was generated.

Always verify the form against the current prescribed version on GOV.UK before serving. LetCompliance generates a working draft only, not a substitute for legal advice.

Generate a Section 13 draft
4

Section 21 is gone — Section 8 is now the only route

High priority

What changed: From 1 May 2026, you can no longer serve a Section 21 no-fault eviction notice. Any Section 21 notice served before 30 April 2026 must have court proceedings started by 31 July 2026, after that date, even previously served notices are dead.

What replaces it:Section 8 of the Housing Act 1988 (as amended by the Renters' Rights Act 2025), which requires you to prove a specific ground in Schedule 2. The amended Schedule 2 contains the existing grounds plus seven new or expanded grounds introduced by the 2025 Act (1A, 1B, 2ZA–2ZD, 4A, 8A, 14ZA), and Ground 3 (out-of-season holiday let) is repealed. The most commonly used possession grounds are:

  • Ground 1— landlord (or close family: parent, grandparent, sibling, child or grandchild) intends to move in. Mandatory ground · 4 months' notice · cannot be used in the first 12 months of a tenancy.
  • Ground 1A (new)— landlord intends to sell the property. Mandatory · 4 months' notice · 12-month protected period · property cannot be re-let or marketed for re-letting for 12 months after the notice expires.
  • Ground 1B (new) — possession needed under a Rent to Buy scheme (specific, niche use).
  • Ground 8 — now requires 3 months' rent arrears (was 2 months) at both the date of notice and the hearing. Notice period increased from 2 weeks to 4 weeks. Arrears caused by unpaid Universal Credit housing element are disregarded when counting the threshold.
  • Ground 8A (new) — persistent rent arrears across the previous three years (discretionary backstop where Ground 8 cannot be made out repeatedly).
  • Ground 14ZA (new) — tenant convicted of an offence connected to a riot in the United Kingdom.
  • Ground 14 — antisocial behaviour
Before 1 May 2026

Section 21 no-fault

2 months' notice · no reason required · valid Form 6A · backdoor exit if compliance gaps

From 1 May 2026

Section 8 with a named ground

Cite a Schedule 2 ground · prove the facts · compliance record scrutinised in court

Rent in advance— from 1 May 2026, you cannot require more than one month's rent in advance. Any clause in an existing tenancy agreement requiring more than one month upfront is now void. Holding deposits remain capped at one week's rent.

Why compliance matters more now: Courts assessing a Section 8 claim will look at your compliance record. A missing Gas Safety certificate, an unprotected deposit or an expired EICR gives the tenant grounds to challenge your claim and can cause the court to adjourn the hearing. The backdoor exit that Section 21 provided, where compliance gaps could be bypassed, is permanently closed.

Practical tip: Before serving any Section 8 notice, check that every compliance item is current: Gas Safety, EICR, EPC, deposit protection, Right to Rent, How to Rent guide, and the 31 May 2026 duty that applies to your tenancy type — Information Sheet or written key terms for a verbal tenancy, not both by mistake.

In LetCompliance

Your compliance score shows you exactly which items are missing or expiring across every property before you take any possession action.
Check your compliance score
5

Gas Safety, EICR and EPC — now directly linked to possession

These requirements pre-date the Renters' Rights Act, but their significance increases sharply once the new regime takes effect on 1 May 2026 — non-compliance becomes a defence point in any contested Section 8 claim.

Gas Safety (CP12): Annual inspection by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Give a copy to existing tenants within 28 days and to new tenants before move-in. A lapsed certificate can cause a court to refuse your Section 8 claim and is a criminal offence under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 — penalties run from up to £6,000 per offence in the Magistrates' Court to unlimited fines in the Crown Court, plus up to 6 months' imprisonment (and manslaughter charges where a tenant dies from carbon monoxide or a gas incident).

EICR: Every 5 years by a qualified electrician. Provide to tenants within 28 days. Carry out any C1 or C2 remedial work within 28 days. Penalty: up to £30,000 per property.

EPC: Must be E or above to let legally. Every 10 years, or when starting a new tenancy with an expired certificate. Penalty: up to £5,000.

In LetCompliance

All three are tracked per property with a live compliance score. Reminders go out at 90, 30, 14, 7 and 1 day before expiry, by email or WhatsApp.
6

Deposit protection — still critical, now harder to fix

Deposits must be protected in one of three government-approved schemes within 30 days of receipt: DPS, TDS or mydeposits. Prescribed Information must be served on the tenant within the same 30-day window.

Under the Renters' Rights Act, deposits must remain protected for the full duration of the tenancy, including any holdover period. An unprotected deposit blocks a Section 8 possession claim until it is returned or a penalty is paid.

Common issue: Landlords who transitioned from a fixed-term to a periodic tenancy without re-registering the deposit. If this applies to you, check your deposit status now.

In LetCompliance

Deposit protection status is tracked per tenancy. If a deposit is missing or unconfirmed, the property compliance score reflects it immediately.
7

Decent Homes Standard — private rentals

The Renters' Rights Act extends the Decent Homes Standard to the private rented sector for the first time. How and when each requirement bites in practice — including damp and mould — is set out in regulations and GOV.UK guidance; confirm the live rules for your property rather than relying on this page alone.

What it means in practice:

  • Your property must be free from Category 1 hazards (serious risks to health or safety)
  • The structure and exterior must be in good repair
  • Heating, hot water and basic facilities must be in working order

Awaab's Law: Named after Awaab Ishak, this is the framework for fixed damp and mould response times for social landlords — often summarised as acknowledge within 14 days, begin investigation within a further 7 days, and complete emergency repairs within 24 hours. For the private rented sector, the same-style statutory time limits are scheduled but not yet in force: government consultation and commencement dates are still to come, so they do not automatically apply to private lets from 1 May 2026. Verify GOV.UK and legislation.gov.uk for the current position — do not treat social-sector figures here as PRS law.

Penalty: Tenants can apply to a tribunal. From May 2026, the maximum claim period for rent repayment orders doubles to 24 months.

8

Right to Rent — unchanged but penalties increased (Feb 2024)

Right to Rent checks remain mandatory before any adult occupier moves in. For tenants with time-limited immigration status, follow-up checks are required before that status expires.

Civil penalties were significantly increased on 14 February 2024 and now apply at the following maximums:

  • First breach: up to £5,000 per lodger and up to £10,000 per occupier in a rented property.
  • Repeat breach (within 3 years): up to £10,000 per lodger and up to £20,000 per occupier.
  • Knowingly letting to a person disqualified by their immigration status remains a separate criminal offence with up to 5 years' imprisonment.

In LetCompliance

Right to Rent status is tracked per tenant with follow-up reminders for time-limited statuses.

Deep-dive guides (same topic cluster)

Step-by-step blog articles that link back here for deadlines and penalties.

How LetCompliance tracks all of this

Every item on this checklist has a corresponding tool inside LetCompliance:

  • Information Sheet & verbal tenancies

    Track sheet vs key-terms by tenancy type

  • Pet requests

    28-day planning window with reminders

  • Section 13

    Generate draft PDFs · saved history

  • Gas Safety, EICR, EPC

    90/30/14/7/1-day reminder ladder

  • Deposit protection

    Status per tenancy in compliance score

  • Right to Rent

    Checklist + follow-ups for time-limited status

  • Section 8 grounds

    Ground 8 calculator · Form 6A drafter

  • Compliance score

    0–100 per property · updated daily

Everything in one dashboard. Nothing expires silently.

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