Spotlight: The Renters' Rights Act 2025

Background

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 is about making sure that tenants, in particular those renting from private landlords have “greater security and stability so they can stay in their homes for longer, build lives in their communities, and avoid the risk of homelessness”.

The changes made by the Renters’ Rights Act on the 1st May 2026 primarily affect the private rented sector in England but also apply to supported housing, depending on the landlord and accommodation type. Social housing tenancies provided by private registered providers (PRPSH) remain mainly subject to the existing social housing regulatory framework. The key reforms made by Chapter 1, Part 1 RRA: ending the use of assured shorthold tenancies, amending the grounds for possession, etc, will not apply to social housing assured tenancies until 2027.

The Act does not apply to licences or prevent landlords from issuing them. It should be noted that landlords cannot ‘choose’ whether to issue a license or a tenancy. If the tenant(s) occupation of the property meets the requirements of an assured tenancy then the Renters' Rights Act will apply.

The Act is clear that Supported Accommodation needs to be treated differently from general needs housing, and makes provision for shorter notice periods for possession and sets out under what circumstances notice can be given specifically for supported accommodation, including where there is no longer a need for support, where support no longer meets a tenant's need, where funding for support has ended and when a person is not engaging with support.

A category for “Stepping Stone” accommodation has also been created for accommodation which is specifically for a transitional period helping people to move to independence.

Detailed guidance is awaited, but an initial "Guide to the Renters Rights Act" has been published.

The Act will come into force from 1st May 2026, in three phases.

Phase 1 (from 1st May 2026) will:

abolish section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions
introduce Assured Periodic Tenancies in the private rented sector (PRS)
reform possession grounds in the PRS so they are fair for both parties
limit rent increases to once a year in the PRS
ban rental bidding and rent in advance
make it illegal to discriminate against renters who have children or receive benefits
require landlords in the PRS to consider tenant requests to rent with a pet
strengthen both local council enforcement and rent repayment orders

Phase 2: From late 2026

introduce the PRS Database and PRS Landlord Ombudsman in 2 phases regionally (areas and dates have not yet been confirmed).
Abolition of section 21 and tenancy reforms will be rolled out to the social rented sector.

Phase 3: Dates to be agreed following consultation

Decent Homes Standard (DHS) will apply to the PRS for the first time.
Awaab’s Law will be extended to the PRS

Implications for homelessness supported accommodation providers:

Existing processes may not meet the requirements of the act. It is likely that more detailed notices will need to be served, setting out the evidence for ending the tenancy, even under the provisions for supported accommodation.

For all assured or assured shorthold tenancies created before the 1st May 2026, landlords must give tenants a copy of the official information sheet, in hard copy or by attaching the PDF to an email. Landlords must give this Information Sheet to tenants by 31 May 2026, or they could be fined up to £7,000. The information sheet can be found here: The Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 - GOV.UK

Rent increases require two-months notice. This may mean supported housing providers need to agree rent and service charges with Housing Benefit departments earlier in order to give the 2-months notice needed.

Many supported housing providers have a mix of Assured Shorthold Tenancies (AST), which will convert to Assured Period Tenancies (APT) and licences, depending on the type of accommodation. Broadly tenancies should be used where the property is self-contained, and licences when accommodation has shared facilities. However, some providers may still be using licences where accommodation is self-contained and it is important that providers check they are using the correct legal occupancy agreements.

It is likely that supported housing providers will have to sign up to the PRS Landlord Ombudsman. However it is unclear, given the upcoming Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act provisions, if providers will also need to ensure their properties are on the new the PRS Database.

Evidencing Decent Homes Standards and compliance with Awaab's Law

There may be other implications once the detailed guidance is released, and Homeless Link will continue to update this page as guidance and timescales are announced.

Preparing for the Renters' Rights Act

The Renters' Rights Act comes into force on 1 May 2026, and while the headline changes such as the abolition of Section 21 'no fault' evictions, the shift to assured periodic tenancies, and reformed grounds for possession are well known, as much of the Act is written with mainstream private landlords in mind, working out exactly how they apply to supported accommodation is more complex. Homeless Link has set out the key areas to consider in preparing for and working within the Renters’ Rights Act.

Key steps to take

Audit your property portfolio. Understanding your compliance position starts with going through each property individually. For every service, you need to be clear on who owns the property, who the landlord is, what management agreements are in place, and what type of occupancy agreement residents are on. This may be time-consuming but essential, without it, you cannot assess where the Act applies and what changes are needed.

Check whether residents are on tenancies or licences. The Act applies to tenancies, not licences, but landlords cannot simply choose which to issue. What matters is how the accommodation operates in practice, not just what the agreement is called. If a resident has exclusive possession of their space, they may hold a tenancy in law even if the document says "licence." Factors such as whether staff routinely enter rooms, whether accommodation is self-contained, and the level of on-site supervision all affect the classification. Providers should seek legal advice where there is any uncertainty.

Update tenancy agreements and templates. From 1 May 2026, any new tenancy must use an agreement that reflects the requirements of the Act. Existing templates that refer to fixed terms, Section 21, or outdated rent review clauses will no longer be compliant for new lets. Agreements should also be clear about support arrangements, including what happens when support is no longer needed, no longer funded, or when a resident is not engaging with support.

Review your eviction policies and procedures. With Section 21 abolished, all evictions must use the Section 8 process with specified grounds for possession. The Act includes grounds specific to supported accommodation (Grounds 5F, 5G, 5H, and Ground 18), covering situations such as support ending, funding ceasing, a resident no longer engaging with support, or the end of a stepping-stone arrangement. Policies and procedures need to reflect these changes, and staff need to understand the correct processes, evidence requirements, and notice periods.

Prepare for changes to rent increases. Rent can only be increased once a year via a Section 13 notice, with a two-month notice period. For providers funded through exempt Housing Benefit, this means the rent-setting process may need to start significantly earlier than in previous years to allow time for consultation with tenants, agreement with Housing Benefit departments, and serving formal notice.

Provide a government information sheet to existing tenants. All existing tenants must receive a government-produced information sheet explaining how the reforms affect their tenancy. This must be provided by 31 May 2026. Licence holders do not need to receive this.

Train your staff. Everyone involved in issuing agreements, managing tenancies, and handling warnings or evictions needs to understand the new legal framework and how to apply your updated policies correctly. This includes understanding the distinction between tenancies and licences, the new grounds for possession, and the correct processes for serving notice.

What's coming later

Some elements of the Act will be introduced in phases after May 2026. A new Private Rented Sector Ombudsman and PRS Database are expected from late 2026/27, and providers who issue private rented sector tenancies are likely to need to register for both. The Decent Homes Standard will also be extended to the private rented sector, along with Awaab's Law on addressing hazards such as damp and mould. Dates and details for these later phases are still to be confirmed.

Use the action plan

To help you work through what needs to be done, we have produced a Renters' Rights Act Action Plan, a practical checklist covering each area of change, with space to record what is already in place, what action is needed, and who is responsible. It is designed to be used as a working document across your organisation to coordinate your preparations and track progress.

Download the Action Plan here.

Learning from others: Changing Lives

About the service

Changing Lives is a registered charity working with people experiencing homelessness, domestic abuse, substance misuse, exploitation and involvement in the Criminal Justice System. The organisation operates around 1000 supported accommodation units across England, ranging from emergency beds and women's refuges to longer-term supported housing projects. It also has a subsidiary company, Changing Lives Homes (CLH), which functions as a Registered Provider managing affordable and general needs housing. This dual structure means the organisation spans two distinct types of housing, supported accommodation and general needs, each with its own regulatory framework.

Implications of the Renters Rights Act

The Renters Rights Act (RRA) abolishes Section 21 'no fault' evictions, makes periodic tenancies the default, and introduces new grounds for possession. For general needs landlords, the implications are relatively straightforward. For supported housing providers, the picture is far more complex.

Much of the Act is written with private landlords in mind, and while supported accommodation is acknowledged within the legislation, the detailed statutory guidance specific to this part of the sector is not expected until 2027. This has left organisations like Changing Lives preparing for significant legal change with limited clarity on how it applies to their specific circumstances.

Several questions are particularly live for supported housing providers. Whether a resident holds a licence or a tenancy matters enormously as licences fall outside the main provisions of the RRA, but accurately classifying which type of agreement is appropriate requires careful assessment of each individual property and its staffing model. The distinction between protected and excluded licences adds further complexity, as does the question of whether organisations like Changing Lives are classified as social landlords or private landlords for the purposes of the Act. If classified as private landlords, the new rules apply from 1 May 2026; if social landlords, certain provisions are deferred to 2027. For an organisation operating as both a charity and a registered provider, through a subsidiary, this is not a straightforward question to answer.

Changes made in preparation

Changing Lives has been working on RRA preparedness since mid-2025, led by Kirstie Wilkinson, who heads up housing compliance. Training was an important part of getting up to speed, including understanding the differences between excluded and protected licences, tenancy classification, and where the grey areas lie.

Alongside this, the organisation engaged a specialist housing solicitors firm in July 2024 to provide ongoing legal advice. The solicitors have reviewed the licensing arrangements across the portfolio, advised on what agreements should be used and why, and drafted updated notice to quit documents.

One of the most significant pieces of work has been a full property-by-property audit. Every property in the portfolio has been reviewed to clarify who owns it, who the landlord of record is, what management agreements are in place, and whether the correct legal entity is named on each agreement.

Each project has also been assessed to determine the correct type of agreement for residents. Key factors include whether accommodation is self-contained, whether staff are on site or on-call 24 hours, and whether staff hold the right to enter a resident's space to carry out welfare checks. Changing Lives’ legal advice determined that a project that is staffed Monday to Friday with a 24-hour on-call system in place can qualify as a protected licence, even where residents have their own front door and self-contained space, provided there is a genuine ability for staff to attend and enter in an emergency. This has changed how a number of Changing Lives' projects are classified.

The organisation has also reviewed all of its licence templates, is developing new documentation for emergency bed projects, and has an evictions policy currently being drafted to reflect the abolition of Section 21 and the new grounds for possession. Superior landlords and RPs for whom Changing Lives is a managing agent have been contacted to understand their plans and agree processes around repairs and compliance responsibilities. A full-time housing trainer starts in April 2026, with a programme of staff training on the new arrangements planned for rollout before the May implementation date.

Recommendations for others

Provide training . Ensuring everyone understands the different legal agreements, including tenancies and licenses, and on what factors determine the type of agreement to use, gave the team the foundation they needed for everything else.

Get specialist legal advice early (but consider your questions first). The input of a legal firm with a housing specialism has been essential, but legal advice is expensive. Make the most of every contact by compiling questions before you make contact and using those conversations efficiently.

Do a proper property audit. You cannot assess your compliance position without going through each property individually - who owns it, who is the landlord, what the management agreement says, and what kind of agreement residents are on. It is time-consuming but unavoidable.

Don't assume self-contained means tenancy. One of the most useful insights from this process is that a self-contained property with 24-hour on-call staffing and regular welfare checks may still qualify as a protected licence. It is worth getting advice on this before defaulting to a tenancy agreement.

Think about the managing agent relationship now. Where you operate as a managing agent rather than a landlord, the landlord has the final say on the type of agreement used. If you disagree with their decision, you need to understand where you stand legally, and future management agreements should include clear provisions about who bears the cost if there is a dispute.

Standardise your documentation and processes. The right occupancy agreement template is only half the battle. If documents are informally adapted by managers or not issued correctly, compliance breaks down quickly. Training, clear guidance and robust processes are just as important as getting the documents right.

Accept that some grey areas will not be resolved before May. Despite significant preparation, some questions remain. Document the questions you have asked and the advice you have received, so that if challenged you can demonstrate good faith and due diligence.

Download Homeless Link's RRA Action Plan