And Lo! The appointed day has been announced! And it is 1 May 2026.
Well, partly…
On 1 May 2026, the following provisions will come into force:
- The end of assured shorthold tenancies, fixed terms and new section 21 notices.
- New and amended grounds of possession.
- Annual only rent increases via section 13 notices (challengeable in the First Tier Tribunal)
- Advance rent limited to one month
- Ban on rent bidding wars
- Discrimination against potential tenants on basis of receiving benefits or having children.
Later on, from ‘late 2026’, the landlord database and the Private Landlord Ombudsman will be introduced. The database apparently will roll out in two stages across England.
There will be a lot to consider in the interim, and a lot to be put in place, but we finally know when (most of) it is happening. All very exciting.
And finally, after 7 years of various promises, the end of the section 21 flowchart is at least conceivable – legacy cases aside. On which note, note this:
After 1 May 2026, the courts will still be able to process Section 21 possessions that are ongoing, for example:
-
- if a private landlord served their tenant with a Section 21 notice before 1 May 2026, they must begin court possession proceedings on or before 31 July 2026 when using the Section 21 court process.
- after this date (31 July 2026), any Section 21 notice where the landlord has not begun proceedings will be invalid and landlords must use the new grounds for possession.
Link to Government roadmap on this: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/renters-rights-act-2025-implementation-roadmap/implementing-the-renters-rights-act-2025-our-roadmap-for-reforming-the-private-rented-sector
For Rent Repayment Orders (RROs) it seems that the new 24 month limits – for application timing and amount of rent claimable – will only apply from 1st May 2026, not for offences predating 1st May 2026….is that your understanding also?
Given the wording of the actual statutory amendments, as enacted, my reading is that offence committed between Spring 2025 and May 2024 will become actionable, although the official guidance seems unequivocal in its contradiction of this. Perhaps a FOI to the government department responsible for the commencement guidance is called for to settle all of our suspense!
No, Guy is right.
So when Parliament does something simple like rewrite the whole law of real property, it can all come into force on 1st January 1926. When Parliament does something difficult like this, it has to come into force in dribs and drabs according to the whim of the Minister for the time being. Who dreamed up this nonsense of commencement orders, and why?
Pity that Mr Peaker thought it funny to invoke a Christian image to point a rather pointless joke.
Having a cursory read here. Should a landlord use a s21 before the cut off date 31.07.2026 and obtain a Possession Order but does not wish to enforce that order does it remain the case that the Possession Order would be valid for 6 years under the Limitations Act 1980 and therefore if a landlord wished to circumvent the RRA he could in effect get the Possession Order and leave his tenants in limbo with a sword of Damocles hanging over them for years. I cannot see anything within the legislation which would prevent or mitigate this?
I suppose you could do this. You could do this now. But…
High risk that the tenant would leave when served notice.
No rent increases after the possession order.
Tenant could leave without giving notice at any point after the possession order.