What is the Renters’ Rights Act,and what does it mean for tenants?

Image courtesy of Freepix

Adapted from Rightmove’s Renters Guide, updated 27 October 2025

The changes laid out in the Renters’ Rights Bill were the biggest shakeup of rental legislation in decades. In October 2025, the Bill gained Royal Assent, which means the Bill becomes the ‘Renters’ Rights Act’, and will now become law.

The government has committed to making sure landlords are given time to adjust to the new rules, which will mean changes to tenancies, renters’ rights, and evictions. Whether you already rent a home or are thinking about renting in future, here’s what the changes could mean for you.

What is the Renters’ Rights Act and what’s changing?

The Renters’ Rights Bill represents the government’s efforts to update and improve the private renting experience in England. It seeks to provide greater protections for renters while also outlining clear rules for landlords.

The Bill represents the biggest shift towards more tenant-friendly rental laws in England for a long time.

Some of the key changes that it will bring about include:

Abolishing Section 21 evictions, in which landlords can evict tenants with just two months’ notice. Instead, landlords may need to provide a strong reason for evictions, such as tenants not paying rent.

Introducing open-ended tenancies: Rather than fixed-term tenancies (like 6 or 12-month contracts), all tenancies will be more flexible, and work on a rolling basis.

Providing means to appeal rent increases: Tenants will be able to challenge rent increases they believe are too high through official channels that will include a tribunal.

Establishing a dedicated ombudsman: This independent body would help resolve disputes between landlords and tenants.

What is the rent payment reform?

The Renters’ Rights Act – also known as the Renters’ Rights Bill, Renters Reform Bill, or Rent Repayment Reform – is set to introduce several rental payment reforms. These include:

Rent increases

Under the new rent regulations, tenants may appeal to a tribunal if they believe rent increases are excessive. The tribunal may reject the increase if it finds the right is higher than comparable local properties and market rates.

Rent in advance

Landlords often request that tenants pay large sums up front. The Bill will change this, preventing landlords and agents from asking for more than one month’s rent in advance of the tenancy commencing.

Rental bidding

Tenants can currently compete by offering more rent than the asking price, leading to bidding wars. The Bill will put a stop to this by requiring landlords to clearly state an asking price, and preventing them from accepting any higher offers.

Rent Repayment Orders (RROs)

RROs can help tenants to take action against rule-breaking landlords. They help to stop landlords from acting unfairly and give tenants with a way of getting their money back if something goes wrong. The Bill is designed to make RROs stronger, easier to use, and be applicable to more rental situations. More information on this can be found here.

Will the Renters Reform Bill be passed?

The Bill was given Royal Assent on 27 October 2025.

The new rules are likely be implemented a couple of months later, providing landlords with time to comply and the rental sector time to respond to the changes.

When the rules come into force, they will cover both new and existing tenancies. This one-stage rollout in which all tenants will be given the same rights at the same time, is designed to help avoid confusion.

The only exception will be social housing, where further consultations will be carried out before changes are introduced.

What are the changes to Section 21?

The Renters’ Rights Act will end Section 21 evictions, also known as ‘no-fault’ evictions.

Under Section 21, landlords could end your tenancy by giving you two months’ notice. They don’t need to explain why they want you to leave – hence the term ‘no-fault’ eviction.

Under the new bill, this changes completely. Landlords need to give a specific, valid reason to evict a tenant. These would include things like selling the property, moving back in to the property themselves, or other specified circumstances that are written into the law.

The changes will give tenants greater security of tenure, while still allowing landlords to regain possession of properties when they need to. For the full list of grounds for possession and notice periods, official guidance is available here.

What are the rights of a tenant?

All tenants of privately rented properties in the UK have several rights that include:

The right to live in a property that’s safe and in a good state of repair.

The right to have your deposit returned when the tenancy ends.

The right to challenge excessively high charges.

The right to know who your landlord is.

The right to live in the property undisturbed.

The right to see an Energy Performance Certificate for the property.

The right to be protected from unfair eviction and unfair rent.

The right to a written agreement if you have a fixed-term tenancy of more than three years.

When starting a new assured tenancy in England, your landlord must also give you a copy of the how to rent guide. In Scotland, they must give you a copy of the Tenant Information Pack.

What are the new renters’ rights rules?

Both landlord and tenant rights will be updated within the Renters’ Rights Bill. Some of the key tenancy reforms that will affect renters rights include:

The end of fixed-term tenancies: These will be replaced with periodic tenancies that give you more flexibility. This means you won’t be locked into long contracts if your circumstances change.

End of Section 21 evictions: You won’t be able to be evicted without your landlord providing a valid, specific reason. This gives you much greater security in your home.

Rent increases: Hikes in rent prices will be able to be challenged through a tribunal. Landlords may also only increase rent once per year, in line with market rates.

Rent payments: Landlords won’t be able to ask tenants to pay more than one month’s rent in advance of a tenancy beginning.

Decent Homes Standard: This new standard will be introduced to ensure that properties meet minimum standards of safety and decency.

Awaab’s Law: All renters in England will be empowered to challenge dangerous conditions such as damp and mould, and all landlords must take swift action to make sure homes are safe.

Pet ownership: Landlords must legally consider and cannot unreasonably refuse requests to keep a pet within a property. They may, however, ask tenants to obtain additional insurance to cover potential damages

A new private rented sector ombudsman will aim to deliver a fair and impartial dispute resolution service, and will create a national landlord database register, to help enforce standards and protect renters.

A full Renters’ Rights Bill overview can be found here, outlining the key changes and measures.

On what grounds could a landlord evict a tenant before the Renters’ Rights Act?

Before the Renters’ Rights Act, UK landlords could evict a tenant via two notices:

Section 8 notice: evicting a tenant on legal grounds such as rent arrears, antisocial behaviour, or property damage.

Section 21 notice: ‘no-fault’ evictions where landlords can evict tenants after a minimum two months’ notice period without any specific reason.

This changes now the Renters’ Rights Act has become law. Section 21 evictions will come to an end in England, and all landlords will need to provide a reason to evict tenants.

Further, new tenants will also be protected from evictions for reasons such as the landlord wanting to sell for a period of 12 months. Even after these 12 months, landlords must give at least four months’ notice in most cases.

To view the full guide online, please visit

www.rightmove.co.uk/guides/renter/renters-rights-bill-tenants/

For further information

Whether you are a landlord or a renter considering purchasing your first home, please give Russell Green a call, and he will be delighted to help.

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