Renters' Rights Act 2025 Landlord Obligations: What's Live, What's Coming

The Phased Rollout

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025, but it doesn't all land at once. Different provisions commence on different dates through secondary statutory instruments, and some of the most talked-about changes are still in consultation. Confusing the phases is the fastest way to either panic over rules that aren't live or ignore ones that are.

What's Already in Force (Phase 1–2)

Section 21 abolished — 1 May 2026. No-fault evictions are gone. All existing fixed-term assured shorthold tenancies converted to periodic assured tenancies on this date. New tenancies granted after this date are periodic from the start.

Periodic tenancy conversion — 1 May 2026. Every private tenancy in England is now periodic. Landlords can't create new fixed-term assured shorthold tenancies.

Increased civil penalties — 1 May 2026. The maximum penalty for failing to comply with an improvement notice went from £30,000 to £40,000. Direct civil penalties up to £7,000 for Category 1 HHSRS hazards — no court prosecution needed — took effect on 22 June 2026 where removal was reasonably practicable.

Rent Repayment Orders expanded — 1 May 2026. The recoverable rent period doubled from 12 to 24 months, and liability now extends to superior landlords and company directors.

Government landlord information sheet — by 31 May 2026. All existing converted periodic tenants must have received the new statutory information sheet. Failure is a potential civil penalty.

What's Coming Next

PRS Database registration — late 2026 to 2028. All private landlords will need to register themselves and their properties on a national database before marketing or letting. The portal isn't live yet, but the statutory power is enacted.

Landlord Ombudsman — late 2026 to 2028. Mandatory membership of a PRS Ombudsman scheme for binding dispute resolution. Again, enacted but not yet operational.

What's Still in Consultation (Phase 3)

Decent Homes Standard for the PRS — target 2035. The five-criteria standard that social housing has followed since 2004 will extend to private rentals. The government confirmed the target date in January 2026, but operative secondary regulations haven't been made.

Awaab's Law PRS timescales — date TBD. The Renters' Rights Act provides for Awaab's Law to apply to private landlords, but exact PRS thresholds and deadlines remain subject to consultation and secondary regulations. The 24-hour emergency, 10-working-day investigation, and 5-working-day safety-work periods are current social-housing timescales, not confirmed PRS deadlines.

EPC C by October 2030 — proposed. The government announced a target for all PRS properties to achieve an EPC rating of C or better by 1 October 2030, with an increased cost cap of £10,000.

The Practical Takeaway

The pattern is clear: existing enforcement is getting teeth now (higher fines, easier penalties, expanded RROs), while new standards are phasing in over the next decade. Landlords who focus only on the future announcements miss the immediate stakes — up to £7,000 for a Category 1 hazard where removal was reasonably practicable, up to £40,000 for improvement notice non-compliance, and up to 24 months' rent in an RRO for qualifying offences committed on or after 1 May 2026.

The Decent Homes & Awaab's Law Guide separates what's enforceable today from what's announced and what's proposed, with a dated compliance checklist you can work through now.

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