For landlords

What are my new duties as a landlord under the Renters' Rights Act 2025?

Guide · about 9 min read · Last checked on 2 September 2026

The main tenancy provisions of the Renters' Rights Act 2025 came into force in England on 1 May 2026, and they put a set of dated duties on the landlord. You have to give a tenant written information about the tenancy. You have to follow a fixed procedure to propose a rent increase. You have to answer a written request to keep a pet within 28 days. You have to state a rent in a written advertisement, and you cannot accept an offer above it. You cannot turn a person away because a child would live there, or because they claim benefits. Several of these carry a financial penalty that a local council can impose without anyone going to court, and others are for the tenant to raise, at the First-tier Tribunal or in court. Each responsibility is set out below, one at a time, with the provision it comes from and what doing it looks like.

What changed on 1 May 2026?

A set of responsibilities moved onto the landlord. The tenancy provisions of the Act took effect in England on 1 May 2026 (Renters' Rights Act 2025 (Commencement No. 2 and Transitional and Saving Provisions) Regulations 2026, SI 2026/421, regulation 2). Assured shorthold tenancies were abolished, and every private assured tenancy is now periodic, rolling from one rent period to the next (Renters' Rights Act 2025, sections 1 and 2). The no-fault route under section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 went with them, so ending a tenancy now depends on a ground in the legislation. Tenancies that already existed converted on that date. Our guide to when Section 21 was abolished covers that part, and what a periodic tenancy is covers how the tenancy itself now works.

The part that gets less attention is the rest of Chapter 1. Alongside the changes to how a tenancy runs, the Act created a set of duties that carry their own consequences, and they do not all work the same way. Some can be met with a financial penalty imposed by the local housing authority, without anybody going to court. Others are for the tenant to raise, at the First-tier Tribunal or in court. Several are tied to a date rather than to an event, which is what makes them easy to miss.

Did I have to send my existing tenants anything?

Yes, if the tenancy already existed on 1 May 2026 and was wholly or partly in writing. In that case the landlord had to give the tenant a government document called The Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026, in writing (Renters' Rights Act 2025, Schedule 6, paragraph 7(2), and the Assured Tenancies (Private Rented Sector) (Written Statement of Terms etc and Information Sheet) (England) Regulations 2026, regulation 3). It is published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and can be downloaded from GOV.UK.

The deadline was one month from 1 May 2026, so 31 May 2026. Where it was not given, a council can impose a financial penalty of up to £7,000 (Housing Act 1988, section 16I, as it applies by way of Schedule 6, paragraph 7(1)(b)). That is a maximum, not a standard figure. The amount, if any, is for the local housing authority to decide in the individual case (section 16I(6)). The Act does not provide for the duty to fall away once that period has ended. The sheet is still published on GOV.UK.

That date has now gone by. It fell four weeks after the Act took effect, and it sat in a schedule to the Act rather than in anything a tenancy agreement would have prompted. If you are not sure whether the sheet went out, the practical first step is to find out, and to take advice on your own position rather than act on a summary like this one.

There is one variation worth knowing. If an existing tenancy was wholly spoken and never written down, the information sheet was not the document due. A full written statement of terms was due instead, by the same date (Renters' Rights Act 2025, Schedule 6, paragraph 7(5)). What that statement has to contain is the list in the next section.

What must I give a tenant at the start of a new tenancy?

For a tenancy entered into on or after 1 May 2026, the landlord must give the tenant a written statement of terms, and it has to be handed over before the tenancy is entered into, not afterwards (Renters' Rights Act 2025, section 12, which inserts section 16D into the Housing Act 1988). The duty sits on the landlord. Arranging for someone else to do it does not move it.

What the statement has to contain is set out in regulations (the Assured Tenancies (Private Rented Sector) (Written Statement of Terms etc and Information Sheet) (England) Regulations 2026, SI 2026/324, the Schedule). Among the items listed there are:

the name of every person who is the landlord
an address in England and Wales at which the tenant can serve notices on the landlord
the address of the property, and the date the tenant is first entitled to possession
the rent, and when it is due
a statement that a proposal to increase the rent requires a notice under section 13
the amount of any tenancy deposit
the minimum notice a tenant has to give to quit
a statement that in most cases possession requires an order of the court, and that the ground relied on determines the notice period
statements of the landlord's duties on repairs, gas safety, electrical safety and fitness for human habitation
a statement that a tenant may ask to keep a pet, and that consent is not to be unreasonably refused

A council can impose a financial penalty of up to £7,000 where the statement was not given (Housing Act 1988, section 16I(1) and (6)). A further penalty is possible only if the contravention continues more than 28 days after the previous penalty was imposed, or more than 28 days after an appeal against that penalty is determined, withdrawn or abandoned (section 16I(3)). Some of that list is information a landlord already holds. The rest is drafting: eight of the eighteen paragraphs in the Schedule are set statements about the landlord's own legal obligations, covering repairs, gas, electrical safety, fitness for habitation, disability-related improvements and pets. The duty is to put all of it in writing and hand it over before the tenancy begins.

How do I put the rent up now?

By serving the prescribed notice. A rent increase is proposed under section 13 of the Housing Act 1988, as amended by section 6 of the Act. The form is Form 4A, prescribed by the Assured Tenancies (Private Rented Sector) (Prescribed Forms and Transitional Provisions) (England) Regulations 2026, SI 2026/354, or a form substantially to the like effect (regulation 3(1)).

Four limits sit on top of that. The new rent cannot take effect until at least two months after the notice is served (section 13(2)(a)). It cannot take effect earlier than 52 weeks after the date on which the first period of the tenancy began, and that limit applies whether or not the rent has ever been increased before (section 13(2)(b)(ii)). Where the rent has been increased before, by a section 13 notice or a tribunal determination, the new rent cannot take effect sooner than 52 weeks after that increase took effect, or 53 weeks in the situation described in section 13(3B) (section 13(2)(c)(ii) and section 13(3A)). And the rent for a period cannot be higher than the rent for the period before it except through one of the routes section 13(4A) allows. Those routes are:

a notice under section 13
a lower figure agreed with the tenant after such a notice
a determination by the tribunal
a lower figure agreed with the tenant in writing after such a determination

That last one is the change most likely to catch out a landlord who has always done this the same way, because it means a rent review clause in the agreement no longer decides anything by itself. The wording that was signed is not the mechanism any more. The tenant can also apply to the First-tier Tribunal to have the rent decided (section 14). We go through the process in more detail in our guide to how a landlord can increase rent under the Renters' Rights Act 2025.

A tenancy that already existed has a rule of its own. Where the rent went up before 1 May 2026 under a rent review clause, a section 13 notice served on or after that date may not propose a new rent taking effect before the end of 52 weeks beginning with the day that earlier increase took effect (Renters' Rights Act 2025 (Commencement No. 2 and Transitional and Saving Provisions) Regulations 2026, regulation 7).

Can I still ask for rent in advance?

Not in the way that was common before. Rent payable before the tenancy is entered into is a prohibited payment (Renters' Rights Act 2025, section 9, amending Schedule 1 to the Tenant Fees Act 2019). A landlord must not invite or encourage such a payment, and must not accept an offer of one, even where the offer is made without being asked for (Tenant Fees Act 2019, section 5A).

Once the tenancy has been entered into, a term providing for rent to be due in advance has no effect so far as it does so, and the rent for that period becomes due instead on the substitute rent day the section sets (Housing Act 1988, section 4B(1) and (3), inserted by section 8 of the Act). The rent does not stop being payable. It moves.

The exception is the initial rent, meaning the rent for the first rent period and any later period ending within the first 28 days, and then only so far as it is due in the window between the tenancy being entered into and the day before it begins (section 4B(2)(c)). Section 4B reaches a tenancy entered into on or after 1 May 2026, and does not apply to one entered into before that date (section 4B(2)(a)).

The limit is therefore set by the rent periods, not by a number of months. On the common monthly tenancy that works out as the first month being payable and six months up front not being payable, but that is an illustration rather than the rule. Where rent periods are weekly, or the first period is an unusual length, the wording of section 4B is what governs it.

What do I have to do when a tenant asks to keep a pet?

Answer, in writing, within a set number of days. The tenant's request has to be in writing and has to describe the pet (Housing Act 1988, section 16B(3)). Consent is then not to be unreasonably refused.

Consent has to be given or refused in writing on or before the 28th day after the date of the request (section 16A(1)(c)). The clock can move in three situations. If further information about the pet is reasonably requested within those 28 days, the answer can wait until the 7th day after the tenant provides it, and if the tenant does not provide it, no answer is required at all (section 16A(2)). If a superior landlord's consent is needed and is sought within those 28 days, the answer can wait until the 7th day after that reply arrives (section 16A(3)). And if the landlord and the tenant agree that the answer may be delayed, it can wait until the date they agree (section 16A(4)). This is an implied term of the tenancy, and a court can order it to be performed (section 16B(5)).

Reasonableness under section 16A is not the only duty in play here. A landlord's duties under the Equality Act 2010 apply alongside it, and this guide does not cover them. Where a request involves a disabled person, or an animal that works for someone rather than being kept as a pet, that is a point to take advice on.

What must a written advertisement say?

It has to state a specific proposed rent (Renters' Rights Act 2025, section 56(2)). You must not then invite or encourage an offer above that stated rent, and you must not accept one (section 56(3)). A council can impose a financial penalty of up to £7,000 for a breach (section 57). A sign at the property saying only that it is to let is outside the requirement (section 56(5)). The stated rent includes a rent stated by anyone acting on your behalf (section 56(4)). Put plainly, this section asks two things of a written advertisement: name a rent, and do not go above it.

Who may not be turned away?

This is not a full list. Discrimination on other grounds, including race, disability, sex, religion or belief, is separately unlawful under the Equality Act 2010, and this guide does not cover it. What the Renters' Rights Act added in England is two further prohibitions.

They apply from the first enquiry onwards. A person must not be prevented from asking whether a property is available, seeing information about it, viewing it or entering into a tenancy, on the basis that a child would live with or visit them, or on the basis that they are or may be a benefits claimant. Nor may a practice be applied that makes such a person less likely to enter into a tenancy (Renters' Rights Act 2025, sections 33 and 34). A council can impose a financial penalty of up to £7,000 here too (section 40). The Act says expressly that none of this stops a landlord taking a person's income into account (section 41). It also allows narrow statutory exceptions to both prohibitions, which are a matter to take advice on rather than to read off a guide (sections 33(2) and 34(2)).

These two prohibitions sit on top of the law that was already there rather than replacing it. The Equality Act 2010 continues to apply to letting decisions in England, and this guide does not cover it, so read this section as what the Renters' Rights Act added and not as the whole of the ground.

Which parts of the Act are not in force yet?

Several of the parts that get written about most. Neither the landlord redress scheme, often called the Ombudsman (sections 64 to 73), nor the Private Rented Sector Database (sections 75 to 96), places any duty on a landlord yet. The provisions of those Parts that are in force are preparatory ones, such as the powers for the Secretary of State to make the regulations that would set the schemes up, which took effect on the day the Act was passed (section 145(2)). None of the duties those Parts would place on a landlord has been commenced. The new timescales for remedying serious hazards have not been commenced at all (sections 60 and 61). The decent homes standard in section 100 has been commenced only in part, by SI 2025/1354 and SI 2026/638, and not so as to apply the standard to private rented homes. Our overview of what the Renters' Rights Act 2025 means for landlords goes through what each of them is meant to do.

No date is fixed in law for the rest, so any date in circulation should be read as provisional until a commencement instrument is made. GOV.UK is the place to check. The practical point for today is the plain one: these are not duties yet, so they are not the thing to act on this month.

VEYLO X is a software platform for renting and letting in England. The platform is not open yet. We publish these guides because almost everything the Act added for landlords is a piece of writing with a deadline attached, and nothing sends a reminder when one falls due. This guide sets out what the legislation says. It is not a compliance checklist, and it does not decide anything: VEYLO X does not judge whether a landlord has met a legal duty and does not act as an adjudicator of anyone's compliance. Nothing on this page is legal advice, and the judgement stays with you and with whoever advises you.

Common questions

What are the new landlord duties under the Renters' Rights Act 2025?

Since 1 May 2026 in England, a landlord must give a written statement of terms before a new tenancy is entered into. A rent increase must be proposed on the prescribed notice, and it is limited to once in a 52 week cycle. A written request to keep a pet must be answered in writing within 28 days. A written advertisement must state a specific rent, and an offer above that rent must not be accepted. A person must not be turned away because a child would live there, or because they claim benefits. A tenancy that already existed and was in writing also had to be sent the government information sheet by 31 May 2026.

What is the Renters' Rights Act information sheet, and when was it due?

It is a document produced by the government, called The Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026. It sets out what the Act changed. For a tenancy that already existed on 1 May 2026 and was wholly or partly in writing, the landlord had to give it to the tenant in writing within one month of that date. That deadline was 31 May 2026. A council can impose a financial penalty of up to £7,000 where it was not given. The duty does not end because the date has passed.

How often can a landlord increase the rent in England now?

Once in a 52 week cycle. A rent increase must be proposed on the prescribed notice under section 13 of the Housing Act 1988. The new rent cannot take effect until at least two months after the notice is served. It cannot take effect earlier than 52 weeks after the first period of the tenancy began, whether or not the rent has been increased before. Where the rent has been increased before, it cannot take effect sooner than 52 weeks after that increase took effect, or 53 weeks in the situation described in section 13(3B). A tenant can apply to the First-tier Tribunal to have the rent decided instead.

Is the landlord Ombudsman or the Private Rented Sector Database running yet?

No. Neither the landlord redress scheme in sections 64 to 73 nor the Private Rented Sector Database in sections 75 to 96 places any duty on a landlord yet. The only parts of them in force are the ones letting the Secretary of State make the regulations that would set them up, which took effect on the day the Act was passed. The Decent Homes Standard has not been extended to private rented homes, and the new timescales for serious hazards have not been commenced. No date for any of them is fixed in law, so treat any date in circulation as provisional and check GOV.UK.

Sources

The primary sources behind this guide. Where the law and a summary disagree, the law is what counts.

This article is general information, not legal advice. It states the position in England as at 24 August 2026, when every provision cited was read on legislation.gov.uk. Commencement dates and regulations change, so check GOV.UK for the current position, and consider taking professional advice on your own tenancies, particularly on anything to do with ending one.