The law on private renting has changed.
Private tenants now have more rights and better protection. New rules have been introduced for private landlords.
The changes do not apply if you're a lodger or live in social housing.
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Fixed‑term assured shorthold tenancies (ASTs) no longer exist.
Any new tenancy agreement with a private landlord created on, or after 1 May 2026, will be an assured periodic tenancy.
Existing assured shorthold tenancies (ASTs) created before 1 May 2026 will have automatically become assured periodic tenancies on 1 May 2026.
For more details, go to our guide to renting privately.
The Renters' Right Act means landlords cannot:
- refuse to rent to you because you have children, or because you claim benefits
- make it harder for you to rent because you have children, or claim benefits
- advertise a property in a way that excludes people with children or those claiming benefits
- do things that make prospective tenants less likely to rent a property such as, withholding information about a property or preventing you from viewing it
This is called 'rental discrimination'
For more details go to discrimination and unfair treatment from a private landlord
Landlords and letting agents cannot encourage rental bidding.
They must publish the asking rent in any written advert. They're not allowed to ask for, encourage, or accept offers above the advertised rent.
For more details, go to our guide to renting privately.
Landlords and letting agents cannot ask for, encourage or accept a payment of rent before signing of the tenancy agreement.
Before a tenancy agreement is signed, landlords can ask for:
- a holding deposit to reserve the property while they carry out checks, this can be up to one week's rent
- a tenancy or security deposit
For more details, go to our guide to renting privately.
There are now stricter rules on rent increases.
If you have an assured periodic tenancy, your landlord:
- can only increase your rent once a year
- cannot increase your rent in the first year of your tenancy
- must give you at least 2 months' notice that they're increasing your rent
- must use the correct legal process to let you know, such as using Form 4A.
For more details, go to our guide to renting privately.
You have the right to ask to keep a pet in your privately rented home.
If you want to keep a pet, you must make your request in writing and include a description of the pet.
Landlords must consider requests and respond in writing, including any reasons for refusal.
If you believe your landlord has refused your request unreasonably, you may be able to challenge the decision in court.
For more details, go to our guide to renting privately.
You can end an assured periodic tenancy by giving two months' notice in writing.
Notices of possession served before 1 May 2026
If your landlord served you with a valid Section 21 or Section 8 notice before 1 May 2026, the previous rules may still apply. If you're unsure what rules apply, get advice as soon as possible.
Notices of possession served before 1 May 2026 at GOV.UK
Notices of possession served from 1 May 2026
Landlords must now have a valid reason to end a tenancy. These are called grounds for possession and include serious rent arrears, or where landlords are planning to sell the property.
They must use a ‘section 8 notice of seeking possession',
Landlords must give at least the minimum notice for the grounds they're using. In most cases it's 4 months, but for some reasons, such tenant anti-social behaviour, it can be less.
If a tenant has not left after the notice period, the landlord can apply to the court for a possession order.
Some types of student accommodation are treated differently under the law.
For more details, go to our guide to renting privately.
Most students who rent from a private landlord or letting agent are covered by the Renters' Rights Act.
They have the same protections as other private renters, including:
- assured periodic tenancies
- protection from no-fault evictions
- limits on rent increases
- the right to give two months' notice to leave
Some types of student accommodation are treated differently under the law. This can include university-managed halls and some purpose-built student accommodation.
You'll usually have a common law tenancy or licence and your tenancy will usually last for a fixed period, normally to the end of the academic year.
The rules can also be different for shared student homes in the private rented sector. A landlord will be able to use Ground 4A to end the tenancy if all the following apply:
- the property is a house of multiple occupation (HMO) and let to full-time students
- the property is needed for a new group of students
- the tenancy was signed less than 6 months before the date you could move in
- give 4 months' notice ending between 1 June and 30 September
Because student renting arrangements can be complex, your rights may depend on:
- who you rent from
- the type of accommodation you live in
- whether you live with other full-time students only
Local councils have stronger powers to investigate, including further powers of entry to business and residential premises and powers to require information.
Civil penalties now apply to more types of housing offences and breaches of the law.
Rent repayment orders apply to more landlords, including superior landlords.
The maximum amount of rent a landlord can be ordered to repay has doubled from 12 months to up to 24 months. Repeat offenders must pay the full amount.
Enforcement of the Renters' Rights Act is split into two categories, breaches and offences.
Landlords can ask someone else, like a letting agent, to take care of their responsibilities for them.
People who act for a landlord, or say they do, can also be held responsible if they break these rules. Legal representatives are not covered by these enforcement rules.
Councils can issue fines of up to £7,000 for breaches or offences under the Renters' Rights Act.
For more serious offences, they can issue fines of up to £40,000, instead of taking the case to court.
Other parts of the Renters' Rights Act will come into force over time.
From late 2026
All landlords of assured and regulated tenancies will be legally required to register themselves and their properties on the Private Rented Sector Database. They could be subject to penalties if they market or let out a property without registering it and providing the required information.
The Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman Service will provide a complaints service. By law, all private landlords in England with assured or regulated tenancies must join it, even if they use a managing agent.
After late 2026
A Decent Homes Standard will be introduced to the private rented sector (PRS) to:
- make sure that all PRS properties meet a minimum standard of housing quality
- give local councils powers to take enforcement action if PRS properties fail to meet the standard
The government has consulted on plans for all domestic privately rented properties in England and Wales to meet Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) of EPC C or equivalent by 2030 unless a valid exemption is in place.
Awaabs' Law will be extended to the PRS. This will set clear, legally enforceable timeframes within which PRS landlords must make homes safe where they contain serious hazards.
Organisations across the West of England have come together to help renters, landlords and communities across the region understand the changes introduced by the Renters' Rights Act.: