Renters' Rights Act 2025
Letting agent obligations

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 abolished assured shorthold tenancies from 1 May 2026. All tenancies in England are now assured periodic tenancies. Section 21 no-fault evictions are abolished under s.1 RRA 2025. Landlords and agents must use Section 8 grounds under the amended Schedule 2 Housing Act 1988 for all possession proceedings.

• Assured periodic tenancies replace all ASTs from 1 May 2026
• Section 21 no-fault evictions abolished under s.1 RRA 2025
• Rent increases require minimum two months' notice under revised s.13 procedure
• Blanket "no DSS" and similar advertising prohibited under s.27 RRA 2025
• Advance rent capped at one month before tenancy agreement signed — s.17 RRA 2025

Letting agents must serve the official Renters' Rights Act 2025 information sheet on every existing tenant. The deadline for existing tenancies was 31 May 2026. Failure to serve carries a civil penalty of up to £7,000 per tenancy. Agents must serve the sheet even if the landlord has already done so.

• Must use only the official GOV.UK PDF published 20 March 2026
• Civil penalty up to £7,000 per tenancy for failure to serve
• Agent must serve even if landlord has already done so
• Valid service methods: hand delivery, first class post, email (with tenant consent)
• Keep proof of service in the tenancy file

All possession proceedings must now use Section 8 grounds under the amended Schedule 2 Housing Act 1988. Ground 8 requires three months' rent arrears at both the date of notice and the date of the hearing. Ground 1B permits possession for landlord or family member occupation but requires advance notice in the original written tenancy terms.

• Ground 8 (mandatory): three months' arrears at both notice date and hearing date
• Ground 1B: landlord or family member needing the property — advance notice required
• Ground 1B advance notice must appear in original written tenancy terms
• 12-month restriction on re-letting or short-term letting after Ground 1B possession
• Advance notice grounds must be stated before tenancy begins

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 does not affect existing certificate and verification obligations. Gas Safety, EICR, EPC, Right to Rent, and deposit protection requirements remain in force under their respective legislation.

• Gas Safety Record — annual, under Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998
• EICR — five-year cycle under Electrical Safety Standards Regulations 2020
• EPC — minimum E rating required to let, under Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations 2012
• Right to Rent — per-applicant checks under Immigration Act 2014
• Deposit protection — Housing Act 2004 and Tenancy Deposit Schemes Regulations 2012

Section 95 of the Renters' Rights Act 2025 provides for a Private Rented Sector Database. Secondary legislation to bring this into force has not yet been enacted. The database is expected to roll out by area from late 2026. Once live, councils will have real-time compliance visibility for all registered rental properties.

• Secondary legislation not yet enacted as at June 2026
• Expected to roll out by local authority area from late 2026
• Councils will have real-time compliance visibility on enrolment
• Landlords will be required to register all rental properties
• EstateHQ will update to support registration requirements when legislation is enacted

EstateHQ includes the following tools to support letting agents' obligations under the Renters' Rights Act 2025. All features listed below are live in the current platform.

• Lettings compliance tracker with RRA 2025 status per tenancy
• Information sheet issued tracking — date recorded per tenancy
• Tenancy Deposit Protection (TDP) registration tracking
• Court bundle preparation with Section 8 grounds checklist
• Certificate tracking for Gas Safety, EICR, and EPC across all properties