The Renters' Rights Act: What Oxford Landlords Must do now
Section 21 evictions are gone. Periodic tenancies are the default. Notice periods have changed. Pets get protections. From today, 1st May 2026, the bulk of the Renters' Rights Act is in force, and most Oxford landlords still haven't sorted it.
The Act is the biggest reform of the private rental sector in a generation. Some provisions came in earlier. The rest take effect now. Either way, the work is real and the deadlines are immediate.
Here's what's now in force and what you need to do.
What's now in force
Section 21 is gone. No more no-fault evictions. To regain possession you need a valid Section 8 ground (rent arrears, anti-social behaviour, the landlord moving in, sale, and so on). Notice periods on those grounds have been extended.
Periodic tenancies are the default. Fixed-term ASTs are out. Every tenancy rolls month-to-month from day one. No more 12-month lock-in.
Tenant notice is two months, any time. A tenant on day one can give two months' notice. That's a meaningful change for HMOs where you used to rely on fixed terms to anchor occupancy.
Pets get a "reasonable consideration" duty. A blanket "no pets" clause is no longer enforceable. You must consider each request on its merits. Refusal needs a reason. HMO allergy risk for current and future tenants is widely accepted as a reasonable refusal, but you'll need to document it.
Awaab's Law extends to the private rented sector. Strict statutory timeframes for responding to reports of damp and mould. Miss them and there are penalties.
The Decent Homes Standard applies to PRS. Properties failing the standard can be sanctioned by local authorities.
Rent increases are capped at once per year. Must be done via a Section 13 notice. Tenants can challenge at the First-tier Tribunal.
A national PRS Database. Landlords will need to register. Non-registered landlords face restrictions and penalties.
Discrimination bans tighten. "No DSS", "no children", and similar blanket criteria are out.
What you need to do now
Update your tenancy agreements. Most existing AST templates need substantial revision. Working from a 2018 template is a liability.
Move existing tenancies to periodic. If you have fixed-term ASTs running, plan how they convert.
Write a documented pet policy. Set out the grounds you'd refuse on, with reasoning. HMO allergy risk is one. Property unsuitability is another. Have it ready before a request lands.
Build a damp and mould response process. Inspection cadence, reporting channel, contractor on call, log of every report and action. Awaab's Law is unforgiving on documentation.
Audit each property against the Decent Homes Standard. Heating, insulation, kitchen and bathroom condition, structural safety. Where you fail, plan the work now while you have time.
Diary annual rent reviews. No more "just bumped it for the new tenant". One per year, via Section 13.
Plan for the PRS Database. Get your portfolio details ready so registration is administrative, not exploratory.
Remove discriminatory criteria from your letting practices. Including any wording in adverts, agent briefs, or screening criteria.
Where Haines clients sit
If you've been with us, most of this is already in hand. We've been operating periodic tenancies and tenant-friendly notice periods for years because we sign rent guarantee agreements with our landlord clients, not directly with tenants. Damp and mould reporting runs through CoHo with a documented response trail. Properties operate to a higher standard than Decent Homes by design.
For our investor partners, we've been modelling the Act's impact on yield since the consultation phase. Where it changes deal economics, our underwriting reflects it.
The bottom line
If you're self-managing, the work is real and the timeline is now. If you'd rather hand it over, that's what we do.
The landlords who run their portfolio properly under the new rules will have a much smoother rest of 2026 than the ones still pretending the Act hasn't happened.
