FOR OUR LANDLORD CLIENTS
THE RENTERS' RIGHTS ACT.
A practical guide. Three timelines, two checklists, one clear answer to "what do I actually need to do?"
FIRST THING FIRST
For any property we manage on your behalf, the operational changes are already in hand for the 1 May commencement. We've been preparing for this since the Bill stage. The only items that need your direct action are the ones that the law puts on the landlord personally, regardless of who manages. We list those clearly below.
01
THE TIMELINE
The Act commences on 1 May 2026, five days from when this guide is published. The biggest changes go live then. Other items follow later in 2026 and into the next decade. Here's the shape of it.
FROM 1 MAY
1 MAY 2026
- Section 21 banned
- All tenancies become periodic
- Limits on rent in advance
- Ban on rental bidding
- Clearer rent-increase rules
- Stronger pet rights
- Tighter anti-discrimination
COMING
LATE 2026
- Mandatory landlord ombudsman
- Private Rented Sector Database
AHEAD
2035 — 2037
- Decent Homes Standard (we already meet it)
- Awaab's Law (we already operate it)
02
FROM 1 MAY 2026
WHAT CHANGES ON 1 MAY
POSSESSION
Section 21 ends. Periodic tenancies become default.
No more no-fault evictions. Fixed-term ASTs end. All assured tenancies become periodic from day one. Tenants can give two months' notice any time. To regain possession you need a valid Section 8 ground.
SECTION 8
New possession grounds. New numbers.
Rent arrears notice: 4 weeks (was 2). Mandatory eviction threshold: 3 months in arrears (was 2), measured at notice and at hearing. Sale and moving-in grounds: new, but unavailable in the first 12 months of a tenancy. Anti-social behaviour ground: widened, with HMO impact considered. Student HMO ground: new mandatory ground for full-time student HMOs, requires written statement at the start.
RENT
One increase a year. Two months' notice. Section 13.
Annual increases via Section 13 with two months' notice. Tenants can challenge above-market increases at the First-tier Tribunal. At-market or below-market increases can't be challenged. (We already issue Section 13 notices, so this changes nothing for properties under our management.)
RENT IN ADVANCE
Maximum one month, and only between contract and tenancy start.
Between signing and tenancy beginning, you can require no more than one month's rent (or 28 days for periods under one month). Once the tenancy starts, you cannot enforce any term requiring rent in advance of agreed due dates, even if a tenant offers it.
RENTAL BIDDING
Banned. Publish an asking rent.
You and your agent must publish an asking rent. You cannot invite, encourage, or accept offers above it. You can choose between offers at or below the asking rent on other criteria.
PETS
Consent cannot be unreasonably withheld.
Blanket "no pets" clauses are no longer enforceable. The presumption is consent. Refusal needs a documented, reasonable reason. HMO allergy risk for current and future tenants is widely accepted as a reasonable refusal, but document it. Tenants can challenge a refusal.
DISCRIMINATION
No DSS, no children, no indirect tactics.
It's unlawful to discriminate against tenants with children or who receive benefits. Includes blanket adverts and indirect tactics like requiring higher deposits from benefits claimants. Civil fines up to £7,000 per breach in England.
WRITTEN STATEMENT
Every tenancy needs one.
Landlords must provide a written statement of terms setting out the basic information about the tenancy and both parties' responsibilities. We've built this into our onboarding pack. For self-managed properties, you need to provide your own.
03
COMING · LATE 2026
WHAT'S COMING NEXT
OMBUDSMAN
Mandatory private landlord redress scheme.
Every private landlord letting on an assured or regulated tenancy in England will be required to join the approved redress scheme, with or without an agent. The scheme can compel apologies, remedial action, and compensation. This is a landlord-personal duty, not something an agent can do on your behalf.
PRS DATABASE
Register every property you let.
A national database of private landlords and their properties. Without an active entry, you generally cannot get a possession order from the court. Local authorities can take enforcement action against landlords who fail to register. We can handle property-level registration on properties we manage; the underlying landlord registration is yours.
04
AHEAD · 2035 — 2037
WHAT'S AHEAD
Two big standards arrive via secondary legislation in the back half of the next decade. Both are things we already operate at our properties.
DECENT HOMES STANDARD
Minimum quality requirements for the PRS.
Heating, insulation, kitchen and bathroom condition, structural safety, freedom from serious hazards. Local authorities will be able to issue fines up to £7,000 (with larger penalties for non-compliance with enforcement action). Every Haines-managed property already meets the standard.
AWAAB'S LAW
Statutory damp and mould response timeframes.
Strict statutory deadlines for landlords to investigate and remedy serious hazards including damp and mould. We already operate strict procedures around mould. Tenant reports run through CoHo with a logged response trail and contractor SLA in place.
05
YOUR CHECKLIST: REGARDLESS OF WHO MANAGES
Some duties under the Act sit with the landlord personally. Even on properties we manage for you, you'll need to action these yourself. We can guide you through any of them; they're not things we can do on your behalf.
- Join the landlord ombudsman when the scheme launches (late 2026). Mandatory for every private landlord letting on assured or regulated tenancies in England, with or without an agent.
- Register on the PRS Database when it launches (late 2026). Without an active entry, you generally can't get a possession order from the court.
- Maintain valid certificates on every property you own (gas safety, EICR, EPC, HMO licence where applicable). Always the landlord's legal duty regardless of management.
- Keep buildings insurance current. Always the landlord's duty.
- Stay on top of tax obligations. Self Assessment, NRLS where applicable, MTD when it lands. Always you.
- Tell us about any property changes. Sale, refinance, restructure of ownership. We need to know to keep the management agreement and registrations clean.
06
YOUR CHECKLIST: SELF-MANAGED PROPERTIES
For any properties you self-manage or hold outside the Haines management agreement, this is the operational work. The earlier you get through it, the smoother the rest of 2026 will be.
- Update tenancy agreements to a post-Act template. Most pre-Act ASTs need substantial revision.
- Convert any remaining fixed-term tenancies to periodic. Existing fixed-terms convert automatically as they roll, but plan around it.
- Provide a written statement of terms for every tenancy. Statutory requirement.
- Update advertising and listings. Publish an asking rent. No bidding language. No discriminatory criteria (no DSS, no children, etc.).
- Update onboarding to reflect rent-in-advance limits. No more than one month's rent between contract and tenancy start. No advance-payment terms once the tenancy is live.
- Write a documented pet policy. Set out the grounds you would refuse on, with reasoning. 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.
- Audit each property against the Decent Homes Standard. Heating, insulation, kitchen and bathroom condition, structural safety. Plan remedial work where you fail.
- Diary annual rent reviews. One per year via Section 13 notice with two months' notice.
- For HMOs let to full-time students: if you intend to rely on the new student possession ground, give tenants the prescribed written statement before the tenancy starts. Miss it and you lose the ground.
07
WHAT WE'VE ALREADY HANDLED FOR YOU
For the properties we manage on your behalf. You don't need to action any of the below.
- Tenancy agreements updated to the post-Act template. Periodic by default. Compliant pet, deposit, notice, and possession-ground clauses.
- Written statement of terms issued with every new tenancy.
- Notice periods and possession grounds reflected in our operational systems (4-week rent arrears notice, 3-month threshold, 12-month freeze on sale/moving-in grounds).
- Pet policy documented per property, with allergy and suitability assessments on file.
- Damp and mould response routed through CoHo with a logged response trail and contractor SLA.
- Rent reviews already running annually via Section 13 with two months' notice.
- Rental bidding and rent in advance aligned across listings and onboarding.
- Decent Homes Standard: every managed property already meets it. Where capital work is needed on yours, we've flagged it to you separately.
- Discrimination: all advertising, screening, and reference processes updated.
- HMO student ground (where applicable): prescribed written statement built into the onboarding pack.
08
COMMON QUESTIONS
Can I still evict a tenant who's not paying?
Yes, on the rent arrears Section 8 grounds. Notice is now four weeks. For Ground 8 (mandatory eviction) the threshold is three months in arrears (or 13 weeks if rent is paid weekly or fortnightly), measured at both notice and hearing. Discretionary arrears grounds remain available.
A tenant has asked to keep a pet. What do I say?
The presumption is consent. You can refuse, but you need a documented, reasonable reason. For an HMO, allergy risk to current and future housemates is reasonable in most cases (document it). Tenants can challenge a refusal.
Do I personally need to join the ombudsman?
Yes, when the scheme launches in late 2026. Even if we manage your property, the membership duty sits with you as the landlord.
Can I still ask for six months' rent in advance?
No. Maximum is one month's rent (or 28 days') between contract signing and tenancy start. After the tenancy begins, no rent in advance of agreed due dates, even if the tenant offers.
If I get multiple offers, can I take the highest?
No. Rental bidding is banned. You publish an asking rent and pick between offers at or below it on other criteria.
My property doesn't meet Decent Homes. When does it have to?
The standard formally applies via secondary legislation around 2035-2037. We don't recommend waiting that long. Properties under our management already meet it. If you self-manage, plan the work over the next few years, not the next few weeks.
I let an HMO to students. Anything specific?
Yes. There's a new mandatory possession ground for student HMOs that lets you regain possession ahead of each academic year. To rely on it, you must give the tenant a prescribed written statement before the tenancy starts. If you self-manage, get the wording right or you lose the ground.
09
NEED HELP WITH ANYTHING?
Specific question about your wider portfolio? Thinking of moving more properties under management with us? Want us to explain a clause in plain English? Just ask.
For complex legal questions you'll want a property solicitor (we're not lawyers). For operational questions about HMO management and the practical mechanics of complying with the Act, we deal with this every day.