Renters' Rights FAQs

The Renters’ Rights Bill only applies to England. Housing laws in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland are set separately and have their own distinct reforms.

=Under the new law, fixed-term tenancy agreements will be abolished and replaced with a single system of periodic tenancies. This means your existing fixed-term tenancy will automatically transition into a periodic, rolling tenancy when the legislation comes into force. This provides tenants with greater flexibility, as you’ll be able to end the tenancy at any point with a minimum of two months’ notice.

No, the Renters’ Rights Bill does not include a rent cap or a rent freeze. The government has explicitly stated its position against rent controls, believing that the key to a fair market is to increase housing supply, not to cap prices.

However, the bill does introduce new rules to give tenants more power and protection against unfair rent hikes:

• Rent Increases Limited to Once a Year: Landlords will only be able to increase the rent once every 12 months. This is a change from the current system where rent can be increased more frequently in some cases.
• Abolition of “Rent Review Clauses”: Landlords will no longer be able to use clauses in a tenancy agreement to increase the rent mid-tenancy. All increases must be done via a formal Section 13 notice.
• Right to Challenge Rent Increases: If you believe a proposed rent increase is excessive or not in line with the current market rate, you will have the right to challenge it at the First-tier Tribunal. This gives you a clear and low-cost way to dispute an unfair increase. The tribunal will determine if the proposed rent is fair based on what other similar properties in the area are renting for.
• Tribunal Can’t Set a Higher Rent: A significant change is that the tribunal will not be able to set a rent higher than what the landlord initially proposed. This removes the risk for tenants who might otherwise be afraid to challenge an increase for fear of the tribunal setting an even higher rent.

While the bill doesn’t cap how much a landlord can increase the rent, it provides a more regulated process and a powerful tool for tenants to challenge increases they believe are unreasonable.

You will only be able to ask for rent in advance after the landlord and tenant have signed the tenancy agreement and before the date the tenancy starts. The maximum amount you can ask for is:

• 1 month’s rent if the tenant will be paying rent monthly
• 28 days’ rent if they will not be paying rent monthly

This measure is designed to prevent tenants from being asked to pay large sums of rent upfront to secure a property. It does not affect the regular collection of rent once the tenancy has started.

See the full guidance on rent payments and deposits.

You will usually only be able to use a Section 21 notice to start court proceedings for up to six months after you gave it to your tenant or until 1 August 2026, whichever is sooner. After a maximum of three months beginning on 1 May 2026, you will not usually be able to use a section 21 notice to start an eviction process. This will apply even if you gave the tenant notice less than six months ago.

See the full guidance on giving notice to evict tenants.