Since 1 May 2026, private landlords in England have had a new set of duties under the Renters' Rights Act. In short: every assured tenancy is now periodic, section 21 is gone, rent can rise only once a year through the statutory process, tenants can ask to keep a pet, rental bidding is banned, rent in advance is limited, and you cannot turn away tenants because they claim benefits or have children. A landlord database, a landlord ombudsman and a new Decent Homes Standard follow later. This checklist sets out each duty in plain English, with a link to the GOV.UK page it comes from.
It covers England only. Wales and Scotland have their own rules, which our landlord compliance checklist summarises.
1. Your tenancies are now periodic
GOV.UK's overview for landlords says existing assured shorthold tenancies became assured periodic tenancies on 1 May 2026, and new tenancies are periodic too. They run on a rolling basis, such as month to month, and a tenancy agreement can no longer have an end date.
- Stop issuing fixed-term agreements with an end date.
- Check your renewal process: there is no fixed term left to renew.
- Tenants can end the tenancy by giving two months' notice that lines up with the end of a rent period, according to the Guide to the Renters' Rights Act.
More on this in what happens to fixed-term tenancies.
2. Give tenants the information sheet or written terms
If a tenancy began before 1 May 2026 with a written agreement, you did not have to rewrite it. You did have to give the tenant the government's Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet by 31 May 2026. If the agreement was only verbal, you had to give the tenant the key terms in writing by the same date.
- Check every tenancy that started before 1 May 2026 has a copy of the information sheet on file, with the date you gave it.
- For new tenancies, give a written statement of the terms at the start.
- If you missed the deadline, take advice and fix it now rather than later.
See do I have to give tenants the information sheet? for the details.
3. Section 21 has ended: you need a ground for possession
You can no longer evict using section 21. To regain possession you serve a section 8 notice that cites one or more legal grounds, and apply to court if the tenant stays past the notice period. GOV.UK says notice periods are usually four months, with some grounds shorter.
- The sale and moving-in grounds cannot be used in the first 12 months of a tenancy.
- A court will only grant possession if the deposit was protected in an approved scheme with the right information given, or the deposit has been returned, or a deposit challenge has been settled.
- Keep your deposit paperwork in order: it now matters for every possession claim.
Read what a section 8 notice is and is section 21 abolished?.
4. Rent increases: once a year, by the statutory process
The overview says you must use Form 4A (the section 13 process), give at least two months' notice, and cannot increase rent more than once a year. Tenants can challenge an increase they think is above the open market rent. The Guide adds that rent review clauses are no longer allowed.
- Diary the date of each tenancy's last increase, so the next one is at least a year later.
- Keep the served Form 4A and proof of how and when you served it.
5. Consider every pet request
A tenant can ask to keep a pet. You must consider each request and can refuse only with a valid reason. A tenant can take a refusal further, to the ombudsman once it exists, or to court. Record the request, your answer and your reason. Our glossary entry on pets in tenancies has more.
6. Advertise an asking rent and do not take bids
Adverts must show an asking rent ("To let" boards are excluded). GOV.UK is clear that it is illegal to encourage people to bid, and you cannot accept an offer above the advertised rent. If you use a letting agent, check their process does the same.
7. Limit rent in advance
The overview says you cannot ask for, encourage or accept rent before you and the tenant have signed the tenancy agreement. The Guide explains that, after signing and before the tenancy starts, you may take up to one month's rent. You cannot require rent in advance once the tenancy is under way.
8. Do not turn away tenants on benefits or with children
You cannot discriminate against people who receive benefits or have children. That rules out blanket "No DSS" or "no children" lines in adverts and in your agent's instructions.
9. What is coming next
- The landlord database. GOV.UK's "Register your rental property" service opens region by region from 15 December 2026, with an annual fee per property. Our PRS database guide gives every regional window.
- The landlord ombudsman. The implementation roadmap says the government expects membership to be required in 2028, and landlords will be told their sign-up date in advance.
- The Decent Homes Standard. The government response of January 2026 says all rented homes must meet the new standard by 2035 at the latest, and that landlords should not leave the work until the end of that period.
- Awaab's Law. The Act allows it to be extended to private renting. The timing is still out to consultation: see our guide to Awaab's Law and private landlords.
What happens if you get it wrong
Councils have new powers to investigate and act. Depending on the breach, a landlord can face a civil penalty, criminal prosecution for serious or repeated breaches, or a rent repayment order, which tenants apply for at the First-tier Tribunal. The overview says the most a landlord can be ordered to repay has doubled, and more offences now qualify.
The checklist in one place
- No end dates on tenancy agreements.
- Information sheet, or written terms, given for every tenancy that began before 1 May 2026, with the date recorded.
- Possession only through section 8 grounds, with deposit paperwork in order.
- Rent increases once a year at most, on Form 4A, with at least two months' notice.
- Pet requests answered with a recorded reason.
- An asking rent on every advert, and no bids taken.
- No rent taken before signing, and no more than one month's rent in advance.
- No blanket bans on tenants with benefits or children.
- Your property's region and registration window for the landlord database noted.
- Safety certificates, deposit records and repair records ready to show.
Need a tenancy-by-tenancy list of the rest of your duties? Try the landlord compliance checker or download the tenancy start checklist.
Keeping the record
Most of these duties come down to dates and proof: when you gave the information sheet, when you last raised the rent, what you said about a pet. VoxaMTD's paid plans keep each property's duties in one place, remind you before something lapses and keep a sealed, date-stamped record of what was done. See how VoxaMTD tracks each property's duties.
Sources
Each page below was read on 2 November 2026.
- Renters' Rights Act: an overview for landlords (GOV.UK, published 1 May 2026)
- Guide to the Renters' Rights Act (GOV.UK, 6 November 2025)
- Implementing the Renters' Rights Act: our roadmap for reforming the private rented sector (GOV.UK, 13 November 2025)
- Consultation on a reformed Decent Homes Standard: government response (GOV.UK, updated 28 January 2026)
- Register your rental property service: guidance for landlords (GOV.UK, 29 October 2026)
This guide is general information, not legal advice. It covers private landlords in England.