The Renters' Rights Act - what does it mean for landlords, and how we can help

After years of consultation and delay, the Renters' Rights Act is now in force. The main reforms took effect on 1 May 2026, and they apply to your tenancies, whether you signed the agreement last week or a decade ago.

If you've been waiting to see what the Act actually requires before doing anything, that moment has arrived. This guide is written mainly for landlords, though tenants will find it useful too, because the new rules reshape the relationship on both sides. Below, we set out what changed on 1 May, the one deadline you should have already taken action on, what's coming next, and how Robert Ellis keeps you on the right side of all of it. 

The information sheet deadline has passed

Every landlord with a written tenancy in place on 1 May 2026 had to serve their tenants with the Government's official Information Sheet by 31 May 2026. If you missed it, you face a civil penalty of up to £7,000 per tenant.

That deadline has now passed, so if you gave your tenants the sheet in time, you're covered. But if you haven’t, don't panic. Serving the document late can still help reduce or avoid a penalty.

One detail catches many landlords out: if an agent manages the property, the law requires the agent to serve the Information Sheet as well, even if you've already done so yourself. For landlords on our managed service, we handle this automatically and keep a dated record of exactly when and how each tenant was served. If you manage your own lets and you're not sure whether you've met this duty, talk to us.

What changed on 1 May 2026

• Section 21 "no-fault" evictions are gone. You can no longer end a tenancy without a reason. You now need to use the Section 8 process and rely on a valid legal ground, backed by proper evidence.
• There's a short transition window for Section 21 notices that were already served before 1 May, but the route itself is closing.
• Tenants get a protected first year. During the opening 12 months of a tenancy, you can't use the grounds for selling the property or moving in yourself. The idea is to give renters security when they first move in, so factor it into your plans if you might want the property back early.
• Fixed terms are gone; every tenancy is now rolling. Existing tenancies converted automatically to periodic (rolling) tenancies. Tenants can leave at any point by giving two months' notice.
• Rent increases are limited to once a year. You can raise the rent once in any 12-month period, with two months' written notice, and tenants now have a clearer route to challenge an increase they think is above market rate.
• Bidding wars are banned, and upfront payments are capped. You can't invite, encourage or accept offers above the advertised price, and you can't ask for more than one month's rent in advance.
• Discrimination rules are tighter. Blanket refusals of tenants because they have children or claim benefits are no longer lawful. Each application has to be judged on its merits.
• Pet requests have to be considered. When a tenant asks to keep a pet, you must consider it properly and respond within 28 days. A flat "no pets" policy won't hold.
• Councils have stronger powers. Local authorities can now inspect properties, request information and investigate suspected breaches, with these enforcement powers having come into force at the end of 2025.

What's still to come

The May 1^st reforms are the first phase. There are a few more changes confirmed for later. Planning for them now will help you stay in compliance with the regulations.

 The national landlord database is the next big item, with a phased rollout expected from late 2026 and a fuller launch into 2027. Landlords will need to be registered and have up-to-date safety records, so keeping your certificates and documentation in order today makes that step painless.A mandatory landlord ombudsman scheme is expected to follow, currently anticipated around 2028, giving tenants a free route to resolve complaints without going to court.

Further out, the Government plans to bring the Decent Homes Standard into the private rented sector for the first time, alongside tighter rules on damp, mould and serious hazards under what's known as Awaab's Law, and longer-term standards on energy efficiency. Some of the details here are still subject to consultation, so treat the timing as indicative rather than fixed. Around one in five private rented homes currently falls short of basic standards, so this is the direction of travel landlords should expect.

How Robert Ellis can help

The rules have changed; what hasn't is the basic job of letting a property well and staying compliant while you do it. That's where we come in.

Our fully managed service keeps you compliant by default. The right notices and documents are served correctly and on time, without you having to track every deadline yourself. The Information Sheet duty is a good example of why that matters: it's the kind of obligation that's easy to miss when you're managing a let around a day job, and the penalty for missing it is real.

We also support landlords through the new possession process. Now that every claim has to rest on a valid Section 8 ground and stand up on evidence, getting the grounds and the paperwork right from the start is what makes the difference between a smooth recovery and a stalled one. We'll guide you through it.

Ahead of the landlord database, we run compliance checks on your safety certificates and records, so your portfolio is ready to register rather than scrambling when registration opens.

We also give your tenants clear guidance on their new rights. Renters who understand where they stand are easier to deal with, quicker to renew, and far less likely to end up in dispute.

And we know this market. With branches across Nottingham and Derbyshire and accreditation through our professional memberships, you get local knowledge and a name your tenants can trust.

If you'd like to talk it through, visit our landlord and tenant pages or call into your nearest branch. We're happy to review where your tenancies stand under the new rules and tell you, plainly, whether there's anything you still need to do.

In short

The law governing letting in England has changed, and these changes apply to your properties right now. Handled on your own, that's a lot to keep on top of. With the right agent by your side, staying compliant is straightforward. Get in touch, and we'll take the worry off your hands.