Notice is coming – the Renters’ Rights Act will require special notices

Landlords must be aware that although they don’t need to renew tenancies when the new Act becomes effective on 1 May 2026, they must give an “information sheet” to their tenants explaining the main terms of the new Act. 

The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent on October 27, 2025. The Act overhauls England’s private rented sector with the Government’s stated aims of increasing tenant security and housing standards. 

This article applies to England and is not a full interpretation of the new Renters’ Rights Act rules. Some of the Government guidance and notices are still in draft form prior to the implementation of the main provisions of the Act on 1 May 2026. Always seek professional advice before making or not making decisions. Use this guide as the starting point for your research, not an endpoint.

The Reforms 

The main reforms include replacing the fixed term assured shorthold tenancy (AST) with a continuous assured periodic tenancy (APT). They abolish the "no-fault" (Section 21) evictions, cap rent increases to once a year, end rental bidding wars, so there’s no negotiation over the advertised rent, and they implement a new landlord ombudsman and property database.

Since 27 December 2025, local authorities have been given new powers to investigate (without giving prior notice to the landlord or agent) whether a private landlord or a letting agent has broken certain laws. It gives local authorities powers to inspect properties, demand documents and access third-party data. New local authority guidance was issued about this last November: Investigatory powers guidance for Renters' Rights Act 2025

The new tenancy regime

The second stage of implementation of the RRA comes on 1 May 2026 when the new tenancy regime comes into force. It will apply to both new and existing tenancies, it will automatically convert assured shorthold tenancies (ASTs) to assured periodic tenancies (APTs) with no end date, and section 21 evictions will be abolished. 

From that date forward only the reformed grounds for possession under section 8 of the Housing Act 1988 will apply.

Existing agreements still valid 

Landlords won’t need to change or re-issue their existing written tenancy agreements for existing tenants. But they will need to provide their tenants with a notice. This notice is the Government’s ‘information sheet’ which will explain the new tenancy rules. This must be done by 31 May 2026. The final version of this notice has yet to be published. 

Section 21 – transitional arrangements

There are transitional provisions in place for Section 21 claims. Any landlord who has already served on their tenant/s a valid section 21 notice before the cut-off date of 1 May 2026 can proceed with their claim, but they must commence court proceedings before 31 July 2026

The other main provisions of the Act relating to rent increases, rent in advance, rental bidding, keeping pets, and discrimination will also come into force on 1 May 2026, but the rental ombudsman and landlord database will come later, most likely later in 2026.

Special notices

For existing AST tenancies on 1 May 2026, and for those with agreements in writing, there is no requirement to issue a new tenancy agreement. The contractual elements will still stand unless they contravene the measures (rules) in the new Act, which would make them inoperative. However, there is a mandatory requirement to serve a specific government document, a notice or “information sheet” which explains to the tenant/s the provisions of the new Act.

A mandatory notice for existing tenants

The official Government information sheet is due to be published in March 2026, more detailed information is available in this document: Tenancy agreements: written information for your tenant

Draft legislation has now been published to enable the tenancy information sheet explaining the changes under the RRA and also the information required to be given prior to a new tenancy created on or after 1 May 2026 – this is in the form of a Statutory Instrument: The Assured Tenancies (Private Rented Sector) (Written Statement of Terms etc and information sheet) (England) Regulations 2026

Failure to comply with these notice requirements could result in a civil penalty of up to £7,000.

Oral tenancies

If the existing tenancy is based on a verbal agreement only, the landlord must provide the tenant/s with a written summary of the main terms of the tenancy by 31 May 2026 - The Written Statement of Terms (Oral Tenancies Only) The statement must provide certain essential information, including:

• The name and address of the landlord and tenants
• The rental property address
• Start date of the tenancy
• Rent amount, payment dates, and bank details
• Details of any deposit taken.
• Specific details regarding repairs, utilities, and notice periods for ending the tenancy.

Student landlords – eviction notices

Existing student landlords must give current tenants written notice by 31 May 2026 if they intend to use the new "Ground 4A" to recover possession at the end of the academic year. The Ground 4A Notice (Student HMOs Only)

Ground 4A under the Renters’ Rights Act is a mandatory eviction ground allowing landlords to repossess student Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) to re-let to new students. It requires 4 months' written notice (temporarily 2 months for some 2026 cases), with the notice expiring only between 1 June and 30 September.

Designed for yearly turnovers to align with the academic calendar, the key requirements for Ground 4A are (1) that the property must be an HMO occupied only by full-time students, (2) landlords must give written notice before the tenancy begins stating that they may use Ground 4A, and the 4-month notice to quit must expire between 1 June and 30 September. More comprehensive information in video form here

Valid Section 21 and 8 notices served before 1 May 2026 will remain valid, provided court proceedings are commenced by 31 July 2026. After this date only Section 8 notices can be served for claims under the updated Section 8 grounds – see the Guide to the Renters’ Rights Act and for the correct notices see Evicting tenants in England

Rent increases

To increase rent under the Renters’ Rights Act, landlords must use the statutory Section 13 process and provide at least two months' notice. Under the RRA, the Housing Act 1988 has been amended so that landlords must use a Section 13 notice Form 4 to increase rent, with a mandatory two-month notice period. Rent can only increase once every 52 weeks and must align with market rates. Contractual rent increases and break clauses are prohibited under the Act.

Selling and moving in

Under the new Section 8 grounds (Ground 1 and 1A) a landlord notice (form yet to be assigned, expected to be a new Form 4A) for selling or moving in, must provide four months' notice. These grounds cannot be used within the first 12 months of the tenancy.

The notice cannot expire within the first 12 months of the tenancy, and the property cannot be re-marketed or re-let for 12 months following the notice. Fraudulent use of these grounds with the intention of eviction and reletting will lead to harsh penalties.

For this reason, landlords must preserve evidence of their genuine attempts to sell the property to fully justify the possession claim. Should the tenant refuse to leave by the end of the four-month notice period, landlords must then apply to the court for a possession order and if necessary, go through a court bailiff eviction.

Tenants ending their tenancies

Tenants can end their tenancy at any time during the new RRA periodic tenancy, from day one onwards, by giving the landlord at least two months' notice in writing. This will be required to end on the last day of a tenancy period, which means, in practice, the notice period may be longer than two months. Notice can take any form given in writing, including email, text or letter given to the landlord or letting agent.

The “Written Statement of Terms” and the “Information Sheet”

These are two separate notices to be served. The first one is for new tenancies entered into after 1 May 2026 and is likely to require quite a lot of tenancy specific information. The second one, giving tenants’ information about the new rules under the RRA, is required to be served on existing tenants on or after 1 May 2026 and is likely to be a standard sheet of information similar to the current How to Rent Guide.

[Main image credit: Duc Tinh Ngo]