Renters' Rights Act: 10 Key Questions Answered

What the Renters' Rights Act means for landlords in practice

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 is now in force, and it represents the most significant shift in private rented sector law in a generation. Assured shorthold tenancies (ASTs) have been abolished, Section 21 'no-fault' eviction is gone (except where notices were validly served before 1 May 2025), and landlords are operating under a fundamentally different legal framework. If you are still trying to piece together what this means day to day, the following ten questions cover the issues most landlords are working through right now.

1. What has replaced the assured shorthold tenancy?

All new tenancies granted under the Renters' Rights Act are assured periodic tenancies — there is no fixed term with an automatic end date. Existing ASTs have also converted to this new periodic structure. In practice, a tenancy now continues indefinitely until either the tenant gives valid notice to leave or a landlord obtains a court order using one of the prescribed statutory grounds.

2. Is Section 21 really gone?

Yes, for almost all landlords. Section 21 'no-fault' evictions have been abolished. The only remaining exception applies to notices that were validly served before 1 May 2025 — those proceedings can still conclude under the old rules. Any notice you serve today must rely on a Section 8 ground.

3. What grounds can I now use to recover possession?

Section 8 of the Housing Act 1988 remains the mechanism for possession, but the grounds have been revised and expanded under the Renters' Rights Act. They fall into two broad categories:

• Mandatory grounds — where the court must grant possession if the ground is proved. These include serious rent arrears (Ground 8), the landlord genuinely intending to sell (Ground 1A), and the landlord or a close family member needing to move in (Ground 1).
• Discretionary grounds — where the court weighs up whether it is reasonable to grant possession, such as persistent late payment of rent or breach of tenancy conditions.

Notice periods vary by ground, and using the wrong form or wrong notice period will invalidate your notice entirely. Tenant City's Section 8 notice generator uses the current Form 3A — the prescribed form under the Renters' Rights Act — and automatically applies the correct notice period for each ground, reducing the risk of a procedurally defective notice derailing your case.

4. Do I need to serve a new tenancy agreement on existing tenants?

No — existing tenancies have converted automatically. You do not need to issue new tenancy agreements simply because the law has changed. However, you should ensure your tenants have received the government's prescribed information sheet explaining the new regime and their rights under it. Failing to provide this where required can affect your ability to rely on certain grounds.

5. Can I still do fixed-term tenancies?

No. Fixed-term assured tenancies are no longer permitted for new lettings. All tenancies are now periodic from the outset. This changes the rhythm of tenancy management: you no longer have a natural lease-end date to prompt a review, so keeping on top of compliance certificates, rent reviews, and tenancy conditions becomes an ongoing discipline rather than a periodic one.

6. How do rent increases work now?

Landlords can only increase rent using the formal Section 13 notice procedure. Agreed rent review clauses in tenancy agreements are no longer enforceable as a standalone mechanism. You must serve the prescribed Section 13 notice, give the required notice period, and your tenant has the right to challenge the proposed increase at the First-tier Tribunal if they consider it above market rate. You cannot increase rent more than once in any 12-month period.

7. What are my obligations around pets?

The Renters' Rights Act gives tenants a right to request permission to keep a pet, and landlords must not unreasonably refuse. If you do refuse, you must do so in writing within a set timeframe with reasons. Blanket 'no pets' clauses in tenancy agreements are no longer enforceable. Landlords can require tenants to take out pet damage insurance as a condition of consent.

8. Has anything changed about deposits?

The 5-week deposit cap remains in place. The rules around protecting deposits in an approved scheme within 30 days of receipt and serving the prescribed information on tenants are unchanged. What has changed is the context: because tenancies are now indefinite, deposit disputes may arise at varying points rather than neatly at a fixed-term end. Keeping accurate records throughout the tenancy — not just at check-out — is more important than ever.

9. What compliance certificates do I still need to maintain?

Your obligations around Gas Safety certificates (annual), Electrical Installation Condition Reports (every five years), EPCs, and Right to Rent checks are unchanged. These were pre-existing requirements and the Renters' Rights Act does not remove them. Staying on top of these is now more operationally critical, because there is no fixed tenancy renewal moment to prompt a compliance review. Tenant City's compliance tracker monitors expiry dates for all statutory certificates across your portfolio and sends alerts before they lapse, so you are not relying on memory or spreadsheets.

10. What happens if I make a mistake with a notice or ground?

Procedural errors are costly. A Section 8 notice served on the wrong form, with the wrong notice period, or citing a ground you cannot prove will be dismissed by the court — and you will need to start the process again from scratch. With possession timelines already lengthy, getting the paperwork right at the first attempt matters enormously. Before serving any notice, check the prescribed form, the notice period for your specific ground, and that all pre-conditions (such as being up to date with your own compliance obligations) are met.

Staying on top of an evolving framework

The Renters' Rights Act has changed the legal landscape permanently. There are no short-term workarounds and no legacy formats to fall back on for new lettings. The landlords who manage this transition well will be those who build compliant processes into their day-to-day management rather than treating compliance as a periodic task. If you want a single place to track certificates, manage Section 8 notices correctly, and monitor your portfolio's legal position, that is exactly what Tenant City is built for.