The Renters' Rights Act will be the subject of countless discussions on housing Twitter in the coming time. Typically, this takes the form of a thread filled with many words of length, legal warnings, and things so complicated that your brain goes into a haze after reading the first few paragraphs.
This is not that.
This is what was actually changed. What this means to you individually. What action you must take if any at all, and what would happen if your landlord ignored it.
Let's walk through that.
what even is the Renters' Rights Act?
The Renters' Rights Act will be the most radical reform to UK rental laws in decades. The bill was introduced by the Labour government and gained Royal Assent in 2026, replacing the much-maligned and long-stalled Renters' Reform Bill.
Simply put, the Act tips the scales heavily in favor of renters over their landlords. It removes a number of elements of UK renter laws that made renting here truly precarious and provides new protections that renters have wanted for decades.
If you are renting in England as of 2026, this concerns you.
The big one — Section 21 is gone
Under Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988, a landlord was able to serve a tenant a notice and force them out of their rented home without providing any form of explanation. Regardless of whether you were an ideal tenant, paying your rent on time, taking care of the property, and causing no disturbance whatsoever, the landlord could give you a Section 21 notice and kick you out of the property.
It was referred to as "no-fault eviction" and it created massive uncertainty about housing arrangements for millions of renters in the UK. Tenants were too afraid to raise issues regarding repair work, rent hikes, and other related things for fear of receiving a Section 21 notice.
The landlord cannot now evict without justification. If they are trying to evict you, they must be able to justify their action under one of the legal justifications for eviction, such as serious rent arrears, anti-social behaviour, or the landlord actually requiring the property either for sale or to live in themselves.
This is really important. It means that you can notify your landlord about a broken boiler without being afraid of being made to leave for causing a nuisance. It means that you can challenge things and exist as a tenant without the fear of the whole tenancy arrangement being taken away.
Rent increases — new rules
The new Act also allows for the rent increase by landlords, but it is subjected to certain procedural requirements.
New regulations include:
Now landlords are allowed to raise the rent one time each year. The increase should be made in writing with two months' notice and based on market conditions – doubling the rent is not allowed without any reasons.
In case you believe that this increase is unfair or exceeds the current market rent levels, you have the right to contest the landlord's decision in the First-tier Tribunal. It would investigate market rents for comparable properties and make its own decision. What is important, the First-tier Tribunal cannot increase the rent even if it finds that it is fair.
It means that the rent is neither frozen nor limited. You may get an increase in it; however, landlords are obliged to inform about it properly, and you have the possibility to appeal against this decision.
Pets — a genuine win
Landlords were previously allowed to refuse pets without any reason under the previous legislation. In most cases, this is what happened. Tenancy agreements previously contained an automatic “no pets” clause, and that was the end of the story.
Things have changed since the introduction of the Renters’ Rights Act. It’s now not allowable for landlords to unreasonably refuse a tenant’s request regarding having a pet. You will be entitled to receive fair consideration of your request, and landlords may decline only on reasonable grounds, such as an unsuitability of the accommodation or certain restrictions under the mortgage or lease.
They may insist on having insurance coverage for possible damage caused by the pet. However, it’s now unacceptable to decline on having a pet with no reason at all.
This legislation can become extremely helpful if you failed to rent accommodation due to the pet.
What you should actually do right now
It’s one thing to know the law. It’s another to use the law. Here’s what you need to do:
If you’re renting right now: Your tenancy agreement has become periodic and you are now protected under Section 21. If your landlord demands that you move out for an invalid reason, you can ignore their demand and seek legal counsel from organizations like Shelter or Citizens Advice.
If you are getting ready to enter into a tenancy agreement: Read it and check whether it violates the provisions of the new Act; for example, whether there is any clause specifying an expiry date for your tenancy or a blanket restriction that is no longer valid.
Should you be having pets: You may now make a formal request. The landlord is required to consider it and to provide a genuine reason should they refuse.
If you need repairs done: Send a written notice, whether by text or e-mail. The landlord now has legal responsibilities to act within certain time frames, and if he doesn’t, you have some real choices.
Final Thoughts
Renters’ Rights Act is really good news for the tenants. It offers real protection from real issues.
However, it solves not all the issues.
It does not increase the amount of available housing. The number of the potential renters exceeds the number of the decent rooms. Rents are still high and will probably remain so in the short run. Finding your apartment is still a struggle, a process which is both time-consuming and requires visits to many flats.
The Renters’ Rights Act ensures your rights after you find your flat. But finding a decent one with the decent tenants, at the decent price and run by the responsible landlord is the difficult part.
And this is where Cribo can help you.
