From this Friday, 1st May 2026, the Renters Rights Bill will change how private renting works. This historic overhaul of the sector aims to give the 11 million renters in England more security, and has been called for for years. One of the headline changes is the end of ‘no fault’ evictions, which means that landlords will need a legal reason to ask tenants to leave. There are also new rules on rent increases, tenancy types and notice periods.
These changes are welcome, but they don’t solve the wider housing crisis, including high rents and a shortage of affordable homes.
Understanding your rights is a first step, so we have outlined some of the key changes coming into force from Friday 1st May.
Before we get started
Before we get started
If you’d like to learn more about how we support people at risk of or experiencing homelessness, join our newsletter for the latest updates—and consider making a donation to help us continue this vital work.
Overview of the key changes
Overview of the key changes
the end of no fault evictions
the end of no fault evictions
Previously, landlords have been able to issue Section 21 notices, otherwise known as no-fault evictions. This means they could evict tenants for no reason, with very little notice. This practice has led to thousands of people across the country becoming homeless. Mensah*, who featured in our 2025 Christmas Appeal, knows this all too well. His landlord issued him a section 21 eviction after he complained about the flat’s conditions: an ant infestation, and broken windows. Mensah was forced into homelessness, spending the next year alternating between sofa surfing and rough sleeping.
After 1st May, landlords will need a reason to evict their tenants, for example rent arrears, or because they’re selling the property. This protects tenants from unfair evictions and provides more stability.
no more fixed term tenancies
no more fixed term tenancies
Previously, tenancies could be fixed term. This means they could be fixed for a set period, and would end after a specific length of time, for example 12 months.
From 1st May, there will be no more fixed term assured shorthold tenancies (AST) – they will now become a ‘periodic’ assured tenancy. This means all tenancies will be rolling, either weekly or monthly, and will not have a set end date. Rolling tenancies provide more protection for renters because landlords will need a reason to give them notice to leave, rather than being able to remove tenants at the end of a short fixed term tenancy.
Support St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity and help transform lives.
stronger rules on rent increases
stronger rules on rent increases
From the 1st May, landlords will only be able increase their tenants’ rent once per year. They’ll also have to give two months’ notice of an increase instead of one. And, if tenants don’t think the new rent is in line with market rent levels in their area, they will have six months from the start of their tenancy to ask a tribunal to review it.
These changes offer much needed protection for renters. Frequent and extreme rent increases worsen what is already an expensive rental market, in which many people are struggling to make ends meet. Rent increases can push many people in to rent arrears, poverty, and eviction.
other key changes
other key changes
The new Act will bring in various other changes to improve the private-rented sector, with an aim to improve experiences for renters across the country. Some of these changes include:
- To secure a property, landlords will not be able to ask for more than 1 month’s rent in advance, and landlords who do ask for this may be fined. This increases affordability for people looking for homes.
- Renters will be able to ask to keep a pet in their rented home, and landlords can only refuse if they have a good reason.
- Renters will have to give their landlord 2 months’ notice before they leave their tenancies.
