Renters’ Rights Act: three provisions your agency needs to get right
Cailey Boyce ·
Section 21 is gone, rent reviews have a new process, and landlord registration opens on 15 December 2026. Three parts of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 will shape your agency’s lettings work over the next 12 months.
The Act received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025. Phase 1 took effect on 1 May 2026, and Phase 2 starts with the landlord database this winter. This guide covers what each provision means for agencies letting property in England, and what to do next.
This is information, not legal advice.
1. The landlord database: registration opens 15 December 2026
Every landlord of an assured or regulated tenancy in England must register themselves and each let property on the government’s new “Register your rental property” service. It costs upto £65 per property per year during the initial rollout, subject to pro-rata adjustment and renewed annually. Landlords who don’t register risk a fine.
The requirement rolls out region by region. Each region gets a three-month window, and the deadline follows where the property is, not where the landlord lives. After the deadline, local councils can start enforcement.
| Region | Requirement starts | Deadline to register |
|---|---|---|
| West Midlands | 15 December 2026 | 14 March 2027 |
| East of England | 15 January 2027 | 14 April 2027 |
| East Midlands | 15 February 2027 | 14 May 2027 |
| South East | 15 March 2027 | 14 June 2027 |
| Yorkshire and Humber | 15 April 2027 | 14 July 2027 |
| North West | 15 May 2027 | 14 August 2027 |
| North East | 15 June 2027 | 14 September 2027 |
| London | 15 July 2027 | 14 October 2027 |
| South West | 15 August 2027 | 14 November 2027 |
Source: GOV.UK Housing Hub, Get ready: ‘Register your rental property’ service
What landlords should prepare
- A GOV.UK One Login
- Property details: address, bedrooms, occupants, households, furnishing and any HMO or selective licence numbers
- Rent charged, payment frequency and any utilities included
- Copies of the gas safety record, EICR and EPC, plus any MEES exemption
Where your agency fits
The landlord must start the registration and stays responsible for it. Agents can upload some information on the landlord’s behalf, and the government says agent guidance will follow before launch.
During the initial rollout, the requirement applies to properties that are let or become occupied during the relevant period. Further legislation will extend registration requirements to unoccupied properties before they are marketed for let, with landlord and property registration numbers required in advertisements.
What’s at stake
Missing or out-of-date entries can mean civil penalties of up to £7,000 per breach, including for marketing a property without an active entry. Once the requirement applies, courts also can’t grant possession unless both landlord and property entries are active. The only exceptions are antisocial behaviour grounds 7A and 14 (Bevan Brittan).
What to do now
- Tag every managed property with its region and deadline
- Check gas, EICR and EPC certificates are in date and on file
- Tell landlords their deadline and confirm what your agency will upload for them
- Plan how you’ll record landlord and property IDs for future adverts
2. Section 21 vs section 8: every possession now needs a ground
From 1 May 2026, landlords in England can no longer serve Section 21 notices to end private assured tenancies. To seek possession, they generally need to serve a valid Section 8 notice using the prescribed Form 3A, identify the applicable possession ground or grounds, explain how they apply and give the required notice period.
Section 21 (before 1 May 2026) | Section 8 (now) | |
|---|---|---|
| Reason required | No statutory possession ground required | A valid statutory ground must be established |
Notice period | Generally two months | Depends on the ground, typically two weeks to four months |
| Court outcome | Possession could be ordered if the notice and claim were valid | Mandatory grounds require possession if the conditions are met; discretionary grounds require the court to consider reasonableness |
Claim deadline | Subject to the rules and transitional arrangements applicable to the notice | Generally 12 months from service for private notices served on or after 1 May 2026 |
The grounds your landlords will ask about most
| Ground | When it applies | Minimum notice |
|---|---|---|
| 1: Landlord or family moving in | Notice can’t expire within the first 12 months of the tenancy | Four months |
| 1A: Selling the property | Notice can’t expire within the first 12 months of the tenancy. Not available if the tenancy was already a full assured tenancy before 1 May 2026 | Four months |
| 8: Serious rent arrears (mandatory) | At least three months’ rent owed (13 weeks if paid weekly or fortnightly), at notice and at the hearing | Four weeks |
| 10 and 11: Arrears or persistent late payment (discretionary) | Some arrears, or a pattern of paying late | Four weeks |
| 12: Breach of tenancy | Any tenancy term broken | Two weeks |
| 14: Nuisance or antisocial behaviour | Conduct affecting neighbours or the area | None, proceedings can start straight away |
Source: Shelter Legal, assured tenancy mandatory grounds from 1 May 2026
The traps
- Re-letting ban. After serving on ground 1 or 1A, the landlord cannot re-let or market the property until 12 months after the notice’s earliest court date. Using these grounds without a genuine intention to sell or move in risks a council fine.
- Deposits. For notices served from 1 May 2026, the court cannot order possession while the deposit is unprotected, scheme rules are breached or prescribed information is missing. The fix is to protect or return the deposit before the hearing. Exceptions apply for antisocial behaviour grounds and some older assured tenancies.
- Arrears records. Ground 8 only works if arrears meet the threshold on both dates. Clean, reconciled rent ledgers are your evidence.
What to do now
- Remove every section 21 template and instruction from your systems
- Check deposit protection and prescribed information on every live tenancy
- Confirm the tenancy start date before advising on grounds 1 or 1A
- Make sure rent ledgers show exactly what’s owed and when
3. Rent increases: one route, once a year
Since 1 May 2026, the section 13 process is the only way to raise rent on an assured periodic tenancy in England. Rent review clauses, index-linked uplifts and stepped rents in tenancy agreements can no longer be used for new increases.
How the section 13 process works
- Check the timing. Rent can only rise once every 52 weeks, and not in the first 52 weeks of a tenancy. Check when the last increase took effect, including any made under a review clause before 1 May 2026.
- Set a market rent. The proposed increase should reflect the open-market rent for the property. Keep comparable local rental evidence to support the figure if the tenant challenges it.
- Serve Form 4A. Use the prescribed Landlord’s notice proposing a new rent, with at least two months’ notice. The new rent must start on the first day of a rent period.
- Wait for the effective date. If the tenant doesn’t challenge it, the new rent applies from the date on the notice.
- Handle a challenge. The tenant can refer the proposed increase to the First-tier Tribunal before the effective date stated in the notice. The tribunal assesses the open-market rent and cannot set a figure higher than the landlord proposed. If a challenge is made, continue to bill the existing rent while the matter is pending. If the tribunal determines a new rent, update the rent schedule in line with its decision and the effective date it specifies.
Source: Shelter Legal, rent increases for assured tenants
Frequently asked questions
Can a letting agent register properties for the landlord?
Not fully. The landlord must start and end the registration and stays responsible for it. Agents can upload some information on their behalf.
Do empty properties need registering now?
Not yet. Only let properties are in scope during the rollout. Future rules will require registration before an empty property is marketed.
Can a landlord sell or move in during the first year of a tenancy?
A landlord can sell a property during the first year, but the new possession rules restrict when Grounds 1 and 1A can be used to recover possession. These grounds generally require four months’ notice, and the notice cannot expire within the first 12 months of the tenancy. The landlord must also meet the applicable statutory requirements for the relevant ground.
Does a rent review clause in an existing agreement still work?
No, not for new increases after 1 May 2026. Use the section 13 process with Form 4A.
Can the tribunal increase the rent beyond what the landlord proposed?
No. It can confirm the proposed rent or set a lower market rent.
Get your records ready
All three provisions come back to the same thing: accurate, reconciled records. Registration needs correct rent and certificate data. Possession claims depend on clean arrears ledgers and protected deposits. Rent increases need the right figures billed from the right date.
The Letting Partnership provides hands-free client accounting for letting agents, so your rent ledgers, arrears and landlord statements stay accurate as the rules change. To check your client money and deposit processes, book a TLP Comply CMP or Deposit HealthCheck.
Sources: GOV.UK Housing Hub · Shelter Legal, section 8 notices · Shelter Legal, mandatory grounds · Bevan Brittan
