Renters' Rights Act

Landlords and lettings agents must read the guidance and make changes to your letting practices to ensure you are compliant with the new law from 1 May 2026.

You can also read an Overview of the Renters' Rights Act.

Some of the key points are listed below.

For tenancies which began before 1 May 2026

For tenancy agreements signed before 1 May 2026 you will need to give a copy of the government information sheet to your tenants.

You can send it to your tenants either as a PDF attachment with an email or as a paper copy by 31 May 2026.

If you do not have a written tenancy agreement

If the tenancy is based entirely on a verbal agreement and you made this agreement before 1 May 2026, then you cannot give the above information sheet.

You must provide the written information about key terms of the tenancy instead. You must give this to your tenants by 31 May 2026.

For tenancies beginning on or after 1 May 2026 

You need to provide tenants with certain information about the tenancy in writing. You can do this by including it in a written tenancy agreement  

The government has provided guidance on the new written information to help you update your tenancy agreement templates.

You must publish the rent price for your property in any written adverts you put out. 

You will not be able to ask prospective tenants to bid above this amount (or accept any such bids).

You will not be able to ask for more than a month’s rent in advance. 

More information

The Government has produced a checklist to help you to prepare.

You can also sign up to receive emails to tell you when new guidance is published.

Taking professional advice

If you are using a letting agency, you should talk to them about what these changes mean for you.

You should also consider taking your own legal advice about complex matters.