New Renters’ Rights Act – Landlord Rules will be changing

Millions of people in England live day in, day out with the knowledge that they and their families could be uprooted from their home with little notice and minimal justification, and a significant minority of them are forced to live in substandard properties for fear that a complaint would lead to an instant retaliatory eviction.

On that basis, from May 2026, the government are introducing the Renters Rights Act which will give 11 million renters stronger rights, better protections and more security in their homes.

In summary, private landlords won’t be able to evict tenants without a valid reason., all tenancies will roll on from month to month or week to week (depending on your arrangement) with no end date, landlords can only raise rent once a year and must stick to no more than the advertised rent price. They also can’t ask for more than one months rent and it’ll be illegal to refuse tenants just because they receive benefits or have kids or pets.

The changes aim to strike a fair balance between renters and landlords, making the system more stable, safer and easier to understand.

Then late next year they will be introducing more changes. There will be a Private Rented Sector Database which is basically a register of all landlords and rental properties in England, so you can check who you’re renting from. Then the Private Landlord Ombudsman will be launched to help renters sort complaints against landlords quickly and fairly – without needing to go to court.

A significant future change will be their plans to make homes warmer and safer. The government are continuing work to improve living conditions in privately rented homes. New rules will raise the standard of rented homes – tackling damp, mould and dangerous conditions. Landlords will need to fix serious hazards faster and make homes more energy efficient, helping tenants stay warm and cut bills

The government is looking to extend Awaab’s Law to private rentals – forcing landlords to act fast when homes are unsafe. A consultation on how best to do this will be launched soon, so private tenants can benefit from protections like those already supporting social housing tenants.

Also, by 2030, the plan is to require that all privately rented homes must meet new energy efficiency standards (EPC rating C or better), unless exempt. That means better insulation, lower bills and greener living. The Decent Homes Standard for privately rented homes will be introduced – a clear set of rules to make sure every rented property is safe, warm and in good repair.

This new standard will help raise the bar across the board, giving renters confidence that their home meets basic safety and quality rules – and giving councils more power to crack down on landlords who don’t meet them.

Landlords will be responsible for sticking to these new rules – and local councils will have stronger powers to act if landlords breaks them.

The government will publish guidance for tenants before the changes kick in on 1 May 2026 to help them understand their new rights better.