Invicta Estate Agents are here to help you navigate your way through the ever changing lettings legislation. It is now more important than ever to ensure that your property is being professionally managed and that you are complying with the ever expanding list of legal requirements. Our director Paul Emery has many years experience in lettings and can offer advice to anyone concerned about the new legislation. In our opinion, the new requirements are a positive step forward, many of which we already adhere to. We believe that for landlords who are running their lettings portfolio in a professional way, this new act will have very little impact. It will however have a massive impact on rogue landlords and those who are not treating tenants fairly.
The 2025 Renters’ Rights Act in England is a significant reform of the private rental market that abolishes Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions, replaces fixed-term tenancies with new periodic tenancies, and introduces stricter property standards. Key provisions include ending blanket bans on tenants with children or pets, limiting advance rent requests to one month, and introducing a new Decent Homes Standard and landlord ombudsman. The Act received Royal Assent in October 2025 and will be implemented in phases, likely with changes taking effect in 2026.
Key changes in the Renters’ Rights Act
Landlords will need a legally valid reason, such as rent arrears or selling the property, to evict a tenant, replacing the Section 21 notice.
Fixed-term tenancies will be replaced by new periodic tenancies. Tenants will need to give two months’ notice to end their tenancy, and landlords will have to provide longer notice periods for evictions.
A new Decent Homes Standard will apply to private rentals, requiring landlords to address issues like damp and mould within a specified time frame, as part of Awaab’s Law.
Landlords and agents can no longer discriminate against prospective tenants based on whether they have children or receive benefits.
Landlords are prohibited from asking for, encouraging, or accepting offers above the advertised rent.
Landlords will only be able to ask for a maximum of one month’s rent in advance.
A new national register of private landlords and a Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman will be introduced to handle disputes.
The Act ends the “AST trap,” where long leases (over seven years) could be treated as Assured Shorthold Tenancies, by stating that tenancies of more than seven years cannot be Assured Tenancies.
