Renters’ Rights Act Has Received Royal Assent

There are big changes to tenancy laws coming in England and Wales, which mark a new era in the relationship between landlords and their tenants.

Whilst the Renters’ Rights Act received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025 and is now an Act of Parliament (law), it is not yet in force. That is going to take a little longer. The Act contains a number of very important changes which will have a big impact on tenants and landlords alike. 

The Act changes the law on rented homes, notably providing more security for tenants by abolishing assured short hold tenancies and section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions, which are only some of the many changes upcoming. 

Under the provisions of the new Act, assured short hold tenancies will automatically convert to an assured periodic (rolling) tenancy, which will continue monthly with no set end date, regardless of any previously agreed fixed term.

Tenants will have to provide 2 months’ notice to end the tenancy and landlords will only be able to evict tenants with a valid section 8 notice if they have a statutory ground, (one of the grounds listed in the Act) such as rent arrears, antisocial behaviour or because the landlord wants to sell the property.

A further change under the Act is that landlords can also only increase their tenants' rent once a year, giving at least two months’ notice and can only ask for one month's rent in advance.

A timetable for the implementation of these changes should be provided by the Government in the coming weeks but until then, landlords can still serve a valid section 21 notice to evict tenants, for the time being. In fact, some tenants have been evicted using this procedure, in anticipation of the new Act coming into force.

If you want to know what the new rights for tenants are, if you are a renter or if you are a landlord and you are worried about how you could be affected, we can provide you with advice now. 

If you need to speak to an expert solicitor about how to adjust and prepare for when these changes become effective, please get in touch.