Renters’ Rights Act to supply extra safety for tenants

The first section of the Renters’ Rights Act comes into impact on Friday 1 May 2026, bringing vital adjustments to the personal rented housing sector for landlords, letting brokers and tenants. 

The Renters’ Rights Act will provide higher safety for tenants by giving councils extra powers to research landlords and implement compliance, alongside the introduction of upper fines and penalties for breaches of rental legal guidelines. 

Learn extra in regards to the Renters’ Rights Act. 

Tenants 

Core rights altering for tenants from Friday 1 May will imply:

• you can’t be evicted with no legitimate authorized cause
• your tenancy can be periodic (rolling) with no fastened finish date
• there can be a most of 1 hire rise per 12 months, with 2 months’ discover
• you may problem unfair hire will increase by way of tribunal
• landlords can’t discriminate based mostly on advantages or having youngsters
• you may request to maintain a pet, and refusal should be cheap 

Tenants can discover particulars on our Renters’ Rights Act webpage about getting assist with any breaches of those rights.

Landlords and letting brokers

As a landlord, understanding the adjustments being launched by means of the Renters’ Rights Act will enable you keep away from penalties and preserve robust relationships together with your tenants. Landlords and letting brokers ought to: 

• keep updated with information about the Renters’ Rights Act on the government website 
• replace tenancy agreements, notices and paperwork in keeping with the brand new necessities 
• perform common property inspections to make sure ongoing compliance 
• develop a transparent record-keeping system to trace compliance
• contemplate partaking with skilled landlord associations to remain knowledgeable and obtain steerage 

Landlords should additionally present tenants with the authorities’s official Information Sheet explaining how their tenancy has transitioned to the brand new system by Sunday 31 May 2026. 

If the tenancy is solely verbal, landlords should present a written document of particular phrases by 31 May 2026.  

There are particular necessities for landlords of scholar properties to serve a written assertion by 31 May 2026 if they’re intending to make use of the brand new ‘Ground 4A’ to repossess property for brand new college students. 

We’ll be working carefully with landlords and tenants throughout town and may have a higher position within the enforcement of breaches of the laws the place required. 

This will embody Civil Penalties to landlords who’ve breached the laws by not complying with discover intervals, required data to tenants or not following course of round hire will increase.  

Security, stability and assist

Councillor Gill Williams, Cabinet Member for Housing, mentioned: “We have a excessive proportion of privately rented properties in Brighton & Hove, and in some wards greater than half of properties are privately rented. 

“The adjustments being introduced in by means of the Renters’ Rights Act will provide extra safety, stability and assist for tenants and allow us to take motion if landlords fail to handle their properties or tenancies appropriately.

“We welcome these essential adjustments which is able to assist to make the sector fairer for tenants. This laws can be supported domestically by means of our new Private Sector Housing Enforcement Policy.

“A key focus for our Housing Advice and Homelessness services is early intervention and support for tenants to prevent homelessness as the earliest opportunity. We encourage tenants who may be concerned about possession action, rent increases or the impact of the Renters’ Rights Act to get in touch with the team.”

Get assist for those who’re apprehensive about dropping your own home or are homeless.

Enforcement

The following parts of the Renters’ Rights Act can be enforced by Trading Standards:

• discrimination based mostly on advantages or youngsters
• rental bidding
• requirement to pay hire upfront
• failure to show hire

Trading Standards Officers may even be visiting all letting brokers within the metropolis to make sure they’re conscious of their new obligations below the Renters’ Rights Act and are supporting their landlord prospects to adjust to the brand new necessities.

Next steps

Phase 2 is prone to begin later in 2026. All landlords must register their properties on a brand new nationwide personal rented sector (PRS) database. This goals to enhance transparency and enforcement within the rental market. 

A Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman can be launched to deal with disputes between landlords and tenants. The ombudsman’s choices can be legally binding and all landlords might want to register with the scheme. 

The timescale for rolling out section 3 of the Renters’ Rights Act is to be confirmed. This section will embody extending the Decent Homes Standard to the personal rental sector, making certain properties are: 

• secure and well-maintained 
• free from severe hazards equivalent to damp, defective wiring or poor insulation 
• match for human habitation 

Awaab’s Law may even be prolonged to the personal sector as a part of  section 3. This would require landlords to deal with damp and mildew points inside set timescales.