Renters' Rights Act Leeds: What Landlords Need to Know About Section 21 and the PRS Database

The Renters' Rights Act and Leeds Licensing

The Renters' Rights Act received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025, with core provisions taking effect on 1 May 2026. It changes the national framework for residential tenancies across England, and several provisions interact directly with landlord licensing in Leeds.

Section 21 Is Abolished

Landlords can no longer serve Section 21 "no fault" notices to end a tenancy. All assured shorthold tenancies have transitioned to assured periodic tenancies that continue indefinitely until the landlord establishes one of the reformed grounds for possession under Section 8 of the Housing Act 1988.

For Leeds landlords, local licensing compliance remains important: operating without a required licence can lead to enforcement. Possession claims are decided by the court, not the First-tier Tribunal.

Periodic Tenancies Are Now the Default

Fixed-term assured tenancies are abolished for new lets. Existing assured fixed-term tenancies became periodic on 1 May 2026, and their fixed end dates no longer apply. Tenants can end an assured periodic tenancy by giving notice; the notice period is generally two months, but a shorter period may apply if agreed in writing or under the tenancy's transitional notice terms. Landlords must rely on the statutory grounds — rent arrears, anti-social behaviour, landlord sale, landlord occupation and others — to recover possession.

Contractual rent review clauses no longer apply. Rent increases are restricted to formal Section 13 notices, capped at one per year, with the tenant able to challenge excessive increases through the First-tier Tribunal.

Higher Penalty Ceilings

The Renters' Rights Act raised the maximum civil financial penalty for housing offences from £30,000 to £40,000 per offence, effective 1 May 2026. It also doubled the maximum Rent Repayment Order from 12 months to 24 months of rent. Both changes apply to selective licensing and HMO licensing offences in Leeds.

The PRS Database

The Act establishes a national Private Rented Sector Database. Voluntary registration opens on 15 December 2026. Mandatory registration for Yorkshire and the Humber takes effect by 15 April 2027. After that date, landlords in Leeds must register themselves and every rented property before marketing or letting it. The court generally cannot grant a possession order without an active database entry for the property, subject to statutory exceptions for specified anti-social behaviour grounds.

The PRS Database sits alongside — not instead of — local licensing. Leeds landlords in the selective licensing area will need both a local selective licence and a national PRS Database entry. The database collects property details, compliance records and landlord information, creating a national register that tenants and enforcement bodies can search.

The Landlord Ombudsman

The Act also introduces a mandatory Landlord Ombudsman scheme for dispute resolution. Landlords must join an approved scheme. The Ombudsman will handle tenant complaints about property conditions, repairs and service, operating separately from the First-tier Tribunal and the Council's licensing enforcement.

Preparing Now

The key dates are already fixed: Section 21 abolished and penalties raised since 1 May 2026, voluntary PRS Database registration from 15 December 2026, mandatory Yorkshire registration by 15 April 2027. Landlords who already hold a selective licence in Leeds are well-positioned — the compliance records assembled for licensing (EICR, Gas Safety, EPC, tenancy details) are largely what the PRS Database will require.

Our Landlord Licensing in Leeds guide covers how the Renters' Rights Act interacts with local licensing and includes a compliance timeline for the PRS Database rollout.

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