Renters' Rights Act Implementation Timeline is now live

The Implementation timeline for the Renters' Rights Act ('RRA') has now been released and confirms the RRA will be introduced in three phases. This article focuses on the main parts that landlords should be aware of.

Gov.uk - Renters' Rights Act 2025: Implementation roadmap

Phase 1 - from 1 May 2026

Phase 1 is when many of the measures impacting on tenancy agreements for Private Rented Sector (PRS) tenancies will come into force. The Government has announced it will provide a draft tenancy agreement in January 2026 so PRS landlords can start to prepare for the changes for tenancies that will commence on or after 1 May 2026. For those tenancies that commence prior to 1 May 2026, there is no need to change existing tenancies but landlords will be required to provide tenants with a government published “Information Sheet” on or before 31 May 2026. This will be published online in March 2026.

In terms of possession action, PRS landlords will no longer be able to use Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 to evict their tenants. There are some transitional provisions which provide that, after 1 May 2026, the courts will continue to process possession claims based upon Section 21 notices that are ongoing for a short period as follows:

The abolition of Section 21 notices and tenancy reforms during Phase 1 will not apply initially to the Social Rented Sector. The Implementation timeline states this will happen in 2027 after further consultation with social landlords and the Regulator of Social Housing.

The Government has further confirmed within the policy paper that more funding will be provided to the Courts and support given to move the possession process to a new digital end-to-end possession service in the county courts.

Phase 2 - from late 2026

The PRS Database will be rolled out on a regional basis in late 2026, this will require at a minimum that landlords will provide for each PRS property : their contact details, the property details including address, type of property, number of bedrooms, whether it is occupied and the safety information for the property including compliance information for gas, electric and EPCs.

A new PRS Landlord Ombudsman will be introduced following roll out of the PRS Database with the aim of providing a redress scheme for PRS tenants when thing go wrong and supporting PRS landlords with tools, guidance and training on handling complaints from tenants.

Phase 3 - dates TBC

A new Decent Homes Standard in the PRS will be introduced for the first time, however, this is not expected to be until 2035 or 2027, and the Government is currently considering the consultation responses it received in July to September 2025 in order to publish its plans to implement those changes.

Awaab’s Law will be extended to the PRS, setting clear legally enforceable timeframes within which PRS landlords must make homes safe where they contain serious hazards. The details of this policy, including implementation timescales, will be released ‘in due course’.

For further information, please contact Anna Bennett.