What has the Renters' Rights Act 2025 changed for landlords?

Since 1 May 2026, section 21 has gone: almost every private tenancy in England is now an assured periodic tenancy with no end date, and to get a property back you need a legal ground, the right notice period and, if the tenant stays, a court order. Rent can now rise only once a year by formal notice, adverts must state a fixed rent that you cannot accept bids above, and no more than a month's rent can be taken before the tenancy starts. The national landlord register, a landlord ombudsman and a Decent Homes Standard for private lets are still to come.

This guide keeps what is already law apart from what has only been announced.

What is already in force

No section 21, no fixed terms

On 1 May 2026 every private assured shorthold tenancy became an assured periodic tenancy, rolling month to month or week to week with no end date. Tenants can leave on two months' notice, and you cannot ask for more.

The transition deadlines have passed. Existing written tenancies needed the government's Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 given to every named tenant by 31 May 2026; new tenancies need specified written information before signing. Missing either can mean a fine of up to £7,000. And 31 July 2026 was the last day to start court proceedings on a section 21 or section 8 notice served before 1 May.

Getting a property back

Possession now needs a section 8 notice (Form 3A) citing one or more grounds. The common ones:

• Moving in or selling (grounds 1 and 1A). Four months' notice, which cannot expire in the first 12 months of the tenancy. You then cannot relet or remarket the property until 12 months after the notice expires; doing so is an offence, with penalties of up to £40,000.
• Rent arrears (ground 8). Mandatory where the tenant owes at least three months' rent (13 weeks if paid weekly or fortnightly) both when notice is served and at the hearing. Four weeks' notice.
• Student lets (ground 4A). Recovers an HMO let to full-time students for the next academic year, but only if you gave written notice before the tenancy was signed, it was signed less than six months before move-in, and your four months' notice ends between 1 June and 30 September. That matters across Manchester's student and sharer areas.

For most grounds, a deposit that was not properly protected can stop the court ordering possession, so check it before serving notice.

How rent increases work now

Rent can go up once a year, not in the first year of a tenancy, and only through a section 13 notice on Form 4A giving at least two months' notice. You need one every time, even when the tenant has agreed the figure. Rent review clauses no longer work.

A tenant who thinks the proposed rent is above market can apply to the First-tier Tribunal, which cannot set a higher rent than you proposed. The tenant keeps paying the old rent until it decides. Tenants can also challenge the rent in the first six months of a tenancy, so price the starting rent at market.

Adverts, bidding and rent in advance

Written adverts and offers, including portal listings, social media posts, emails and texts, must state a specific rent, not a range. You cannot invite, encourage or accept offers above it, including by mentioning other offers. Up to £7,000 for a first breach.

No rent can be taken before the tenancy agreement is signed. Between signing and move-in you can take one month's rent (28 days' where rent is not monthly), and no more.

It is also unlawful to refuse or discourage tenants because they have children or receive benefits. Affordability checks are still allowed, but benefit income must count like any other income.

Pets

A tenant can ask in writing to keep a pet. You must answer in writing within 28 days (you can ask for more information first) and can refuse only for a good reason, such as a head lease that bans pets or a flat too small for the animal. Pet damage can still come out of the deposit.

Enforcement

Councils can fine up to £7,000 for breaches of the new rules and up to £40,000 for offences. The maximum rent repayment order has doubled to two years' rent. Since 22 June 2026, councils can also fine up to £7,000 where a rented home has a category 1 hazard that it would have been reasonably practicable to remove.

What is still to come

• A national landlord register. On 9 September 2026 the government announced its Register Your Rental Property service. It launches on 15 December 2026 in the West Midlands and reaches other regions over 12 months. Landlords get three months once their area is called, and everyone actively letting must be registered by 14 November 2027 or risk a fine. Draft regulations published the same day put the North West, including Manchester, on 15 May 2027; that date is not yet law. Our landlord register guide has the full timetable.
• A landlord ombudsman. Mandatory membership is expected in 2028. Letting agents already have to belong to an approved redress scheme (Atlas is a member of the Property Redress Scheme); this one covers landlords directly.
• Awaab's Law. Its deadlines for damp, mould and emergency hazards have applied to social housing since 27 October 2025. Extension to private lets will follow a consultation on details and timing. No start date has been set.
• The Decent Homes Standard. Planned to apply to private rented homes from 2035. The regulations have not yet been made.
• EPC C by 2030. Confirmed policy, not yet law. See our guide to landlord safety certificates.

What to do now

1. Check every tenancy that began before 1 May has the Information Sheet or written terms on file.
2. Take rent review clauses out of your templates and diary increases as Form 4A notices, at least two months ahead.
3. Keep certificates, deposit records and tenancy paperwork in one place. The government's roadmap expects the register to ask for gas, electrical and EPC details.

Possession, rent and advertising now all turn on paperwork being right from day one. What our management covers, and costs, is on our fees page.

If you want a second pair of eyes on a tenancy, a notice or an advert before it goes out, ring 0161 710 4510 or call in at 12–14 Midland Street, Manchester M12 6LB.

General information, current at September 2026, and not legal advice. Several measures above depend on regulations not yet made; confirm the current position on GOV.UK or with a solicitor before acting on a specific tenancy.

See also: how much a letting agent costs in Manchester · HMO licensing and Article 4 in Manchester