Renters' Rights Act: Your Landlord Compliance Checklist

The first phase of the Renters' Rights Act came into force on 1 May 2026. It is the biggest change to private renting in England in a generation, and most of it already applies to every tenancy you have. This checklist covers what you need in place now, and what is still to come.

What changed on 1 May 2026

• Section 21 is abolished. To end a tenancy you serve a section 8 notice on a legal ground, such as rent arrears, antisocial behaviour, or that you are selling or moving in. See our guide to ending a tenancy.
• Every tenancy is now periodic. Fixed terms ended on 1 May. Tenants can leave with two months' notice.
• Rent goes up once a year, using a section 13 notice with at least two months' notice. Rent review clauses no longer work. Tenants can challenge an increase at the First-tier Tribunal, which cannot set a rent higher than the one you proposed.
• One month's rent in advance, at most, and only once the agreement is signed.
• No rental bidding. Advertise one rent and do not ask for or accept more.
• No blanket bans on tenants with children or who claim benefits.
• Pets: tenants can ask to keep one, and you must reply within 28 days. You can only refuse with a good reason.
• Higher penalties for councils to use: up to £7,000 for a breach, and up to £40,000 or prosecution for serious or repeated breaches.

Your checklist

These apply to every let property in England. Tick each one off for each property.

• Gas safety record, in date. A Gas Safe engineer checks every gas appliance every 12 months. Give tenants a copy within 28 days. Gas safety guide.
• EICR, in date. At least every five years, with any C1, C2 or FI remedial work done within 28 days. Penalties rose to £40,000 in November 2025. EICR guide.
• EPC rated E or better. Valid for 10 years. The minimum rises to C on 1 October 2030. EPC guide.
• Smoke alarm on every storey, and a carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a fixed combustion appliance (not gas cookers). Working on the first day of the tenancy.
• Deposit protected within 30 days in a government-approved scheme, with the prescribed information served. An unprotected deposit now blocks most possession claims.
• Licence, if the property needs one. Mandatory HMO, additional or selective licensing. Penalties are up to £40,000. Check by postcode.
• Right to Rent checks on every adult occupier before the tenancy starts, with copies kept.
• Written terms. New tenancies need a written statement of terms before they start; existing tenants should already have the information sheet.
• Rent increases on the right footing. Section 13 notice, once a year, two months' notice.
• Ready for the PRS Database. Property details and certificates to hand for when your region opens. PRS Database guide.

Still to come

The penalties

Rent repayment orders now cover up to 24 months' rent (up from 12), and tenants have up to two years to apply.

Where landlords actually get caught

Very few landlords set out to break the rules. The usual problem is a certificate that quietly expires: a gas record that ran out in August, or an EICR nobody diarised five years ago. With the PRS Database about to show councils every let property in their area, those gaps are about to become much easier to find.