Renters' Rights Act Landlord Checklist: 12 Things to Do Before May 2026

Step 1: Audit all your tenancy agreements and note fixed-term end dates

Start with a complete picture of your portfolio. For every property, record: the tenant name(s), tenancy start date, current fixed-term end date (if applicable), current rent, and whether the tenancy has gone periodic already.

Why this matters: from 1 May 2026, all existing fixed-term assured shorthold tenancies automatically convert to periodic tenancies. If a tenant has a fixed-term tenancy that was due to end on, say, 30 June 2026, that fixed term ends on 1 May 2026 and the tenancy rolls forward as periodic. The tenant does not have to leave at the end of the original fixed term.

Create a simple spreadsheet with one row per tenancy. Include:

• Property address
• Tenant name(s)
• Tenancy start date
• Fixed-term end date (if current)
• Monthly rent
• Last rent increase date
• Any outstanding issues (arrears, repairs, complaints)

This audit underpins every other step on this checklist. Without it, you cannot systematically complete the remaining items.

If you use LandlordOS, your tenancy data is already organised by property. Use the dashboard to confirm all tenancy details are current before 1 May 2026.

Step 2: Understand your Section 8 grounds for each tenancy

Under the Renters' Rights Act, all possession must go through Section 8 with a valid ground. You need to know, for each tenancy, which grounds are available to you and whether you have the evidence to support them.

Section 21 — the so-called no-fault eviction — is abolished from 1 May 2026. After that date, every possession claim must use Section 8 and must rely on one of the prescribed grounds. Some grounds are mandatory (the court must grant possession if the ground is proven), and some are discretionary (the court has a choice).

The key grounds introduced or revised by the Renters' Rights Act include:

For each tenancy, ask yourself: if I need possession of this property, which ground would I rely on? Do I have the evidence to support it? Ground 8 requires documented rent arrears of at least two months. Ground 14 requires evidence of nuisance or antisocial behaviour — ideally written reports, complaint records, and witness statements. Ground 12 requires documented lease breaches.

If your answer is "I would need to use Section 21 because I haven't documented anything," then steps 9 and 10 on this checklist are particularly urgent for you.

Step 3: Consider whether you need possession before 1 May 2026

If you genuinely need to regain possession of a property and you have valid grounds to serve a Section 21 notice now, you may wish to do so before 1 May 2026. Section 21 notices served and proceedings started before 1 May 2026 can be pursued through to completion under the old rules.

This is a time-sensitive consideration. The Renters' Rights Act does not immediately invalidate possession proceedings already under way. If you serve a valid Section 21 notice and issue court proceedings before 1 May 2026, you can continue to pursue that claim under the existing rules even after the Act comes into force.

However, this is not a step to take lightly or speculatively. Section 21 can only be used if:

• You have protected the tenant's deposit and served the Prescribed Information
• You have served a valid EPC, gas safety certificate, and How to Rent guide
• No improvement notices or hazard awareness notices have been served in the last six months
• The fixed term has ended (or you are serving during a periodic tenancy)
• You have not taken a prohibited payment from the tenant

If all these conditions are met and you have a genuine reason to need possession, consult a solicitor about whether serving now is appropriate. Do not serve a Section 21 notice speculatively to preserve the option — courts and tenants are increasingly aware of retaliatory and pre-emptive Section 21 use, and if the notice is later challenged, the compliance requirements will be scrutinised closely.

For landlords who do not need possession imminently: this step does not apply to you. Do not serve Section 21 notices you do not intend to use. Focus on the remaining steps.

Step 4: Serve the RRA Information Sheet to all existing tenants by 31 May 2026

The Renters' Rights Act requires landlords to serve a government-prescribed Information Sheet to all existing tenants by 31 May 2026. The sheet explains tenants' new rights. For new tenancies starting on or after 1 May 2026, it must be served at the start of the tenancy.

This is one of the few compliance requirements under the RRA with a hard deadline and meaningful consequences for non-service. Failure to provide the Information Sheet may affect your ability to use Ground 1 (landlord requires property for personal use) or Ground 1A (landlord intends to sell) in future possession claims.

How to complete this step:

1. Download the prescribed Information Sheet from GOV.UK when it is published (check from 1 May 2026)
2. Serve it to every current tenant by hand, by post (ideally recorded delivery), or by email if your tenancy agreement permits email service
3. Keep a record of the date and method of service for each tenant
4. Add the Information Sheet to your new tenancy start-up checklist for all future tenancies

For a detailed guide on how to serve the document, what counts as valid service, and what to do if a tenant refuses to engage, see our full Information Sheet guide.

Step 5: Update your tenancy agreement template

Fixed-term assured shorthold tenancies can no longer be created after 1 May 2026. All new tenancies must be periodic from the outset. Update your standard tenancy agreement template now so you are ready to use compliant agreements for all new tenancies from May 2026 onwards.

The most important change to your template is removing fixed-term clauses and replacing them with periodic terms. A periodic tenancy has:

• A start date but no contractual end date
• A rent period (typically monthly, matching the payment frequency)
• Terms governing how either party can end the tenancy (via Section 8 for landlords, via written notice for tenants)

Your template also needs to reflect the new rules on:

• Rent increases: Any clause purporting to allow rent increases at the landlord's discretion, or at fixed intervals, must be removed. Rent can only be increased via Section 13 notice, once per year, with two months notice.
• Pets: Clauses that flatly prohibit pets are no longer enforceable. Replace blanket pet prohibitions with a clause stating that pet requests will be considered in accordance with the Renters' Rights Act and that pet insurance may be required.
• Break clauses: Break clauses that allow landlord termination outside Section 8 grounds are no longer valid. Remove them.
• Anti-discrimination: Remove any clause that restricts occupancy based on benefit receipt or family composition — such restrictions are now unlawful.

If you use a template from a landlord association, professional body, or solicitor, request an updated RRA-compliant version. Do not use the same template after 1 May 2026 without confirming it has been updated.

Note: for existing tenancies, you do not need to issue new tenancy agreements. The Act automatically converts existing terms to the new regime. The template update applies to new tenancies started from 1 May 2026 onwards.

Step 6: Review your rent increase process

From 1 May 2026, rent for all private assured tenancies in England can only be increased using Section 13 of the Housing Act 1988. This means: one increase per year, a minimum two months notice, and the tenant has the right to challenge the increase at the First-tier Tribunal.

Many landlords currently increase rent informally — by agreement with the tenant, by noting a new rent in a renewal agreement, or via a rent review clause in the tenancy. All of these mechanisms are no longer valid under the Renters' Rights Act. The only lawful mechanism is Section 13.

How Section 13 works:

1. Serve a Section 13 notice on the tenant at least two months before the proposed increase date
2. The notice must specify the proposed new rent and the date from which it will apply
3. The tenant can accept the increase, negotiate a different amount, or refer it to the First-tier Tribunal
4. If referred to the tribunal, the tribunal will determine the market rent for the property and set the rent accordingly — it cannot be higher than the proposed increase, but it can be the same or lower
5. A further increase cannot be proposed within 12 months of the date the previous increase took effect

Practical steps to take now:

• Check when you last increased rent for each tenancy
• Identify any tenancies where you have been planning an informal renewal at a higher rent — these will now need to follow Section 13 process
• Download or prepare a Section 13 notice template for future use (LandlordOS includes a Section 13 notice generator)
• Note in your calendar that you cannot increase rent more than once per 12-month period per tenancy

If you are planning a rent increase in the coming months, consider whether to implement it before 1 May 2026 under the current rules (where written agreement with the tenant suffices), or whether to wait and use Section 13. Either approach is valid; the key is that after 1 May 2026, you cannot increase rent without a Section 13 notice.

Step 7: Update your pet policy

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 gives tenants the right to request a pet. Landlords cannot unreasonably refuse a pet request. You must respond to any pet request within 28 days. You can require the tenant to take out pet insurance as a condition of consent.

Many landlords have operated a blanket "no pets" policy, often encouraged by their mortgage lenders or building insurers. The RRA changes this: a blanket prohibition is no longer enforceable, and the default position is that pets are allowed unless there is a reasonable objection.

What counts as a reasonable refusal? The Act and its accompanying guidance suggest that reasonable grounds for refusal include:

• The property is too small for the type of animal requested
• The animal is dangerous or prohibited by law
• The lease on a leasehold property prohibits pets and the landlord cannot obtain consent from the freeholder
• The property has no outdoor space and the animal's welfare would suffer
• Other tenants in the building (in an HMO or shared building) have documented severe allergies

What does not count as a reasonable refusal:

• "We have a no-pets policy" as a blanket statement
• Concern about potential damage without any specific evidence or assessment
• The landlord's personal preference not to have animals in the property

Practical steps:

1. Create a pet request response process: when a tenant submits a pet request (which must be in writing), you have 28 days to respond in writing with consent, consent with conditions (such as pet insurance), or a reasoned refusal
2. Check your building insurance — if it excludes pet damage, note this as a potential condition of consent (requiring pet insurance)
3. If you hold leasehold properties, check your lease and contact the freeholder in advance to understand their position on pets — this may be a valid ground for refusal if the superior lease prohibits them
4. Prepare a standard pet consent letter and a standard pet insurance requirement clause

Step 8: Review your property advertising for unlawful restrictions

The Renters' Rights Act makes it a civil offence to advertise a property with "no DSS", "no housing benefit", "no children", or similar blanket restrictions. Review all current and template advertising to remove such wording immediately.

Blanket restrictions based on benefit receipt or family composition are now unlawful — not just poor practice. The penalty for advertising with such restrictions is a civil fine, enforceable by local councils and Trading Standards.

Check the following for unlawful restriction wording:

• Rightmove, Zoopla, and any other portal listings
• Your letting agent's standard listing templates
• Any local advertising (boards, newspaper classifieds)
• Your own website if you advertise properties directly
• Internal application forms or screening criteria documents

Important distinction: you can still carry out individual affordability assessments. Setting an income-to-rent threshold (for example, gross income of at least 30x monthly rent) is not unlawful, as long as it applies to all applicants equally, not just those on benefits. Requiring a guarantor is still permitted. What is not permitted is a blanket statement that you will not consider applications from benefit claimants or families with children at all.

For a detailed guide to what the RRA's anti-discrimination rules do and do not permit, see our full guide to the Renters' Rights Act discrimination rules.

Step 9: Start documenting tenancy issues formally

With Section 21 gone, evidence is everything. From today, every rent arrears instance, every breach of tenancy conditions, every nuisance complaint, every maintenance request and your response, and every formal communication with the tenant should be documented and retained.

This is the step that catches landlords most off guard. Under the Section 21 regime, you could seek possession without needing to prove any specific ground — you simply served the notice and waited for possession. Under the Section 8 regime, you must prove your ground at court. The quality and completeness of your evidence determines the outcome.

What to document and how:

Transitioning to a more formal documentation approach is a change in habit, not a large investment of time. Using property management software that logs communications automatically — as LandlordOS does — makes this significantly easier than trying to maintain paper files.

Step 10: Check your insurance covers periodic tenancies

Most landlord insurance policies are written to cover assured shorthold tenancies, which include both fixed-term and periodic versions. However, some policies contain conditions tied to fixed-term tenancy structures. Check your policy terms now and confirm with your insurer that you will remain covered when all tenancies convert to periodic from 1 May 2026.

Specifically, ask your insurer or broker:

• Does my policy cover periodic tenancies? (It almost certainly does, but confirm)
• Does my policy have any conditions tied to tenancy length that may be affected by the RRA?
• Does my rent guarantee insurance remain valid for periodic tenancies?
• Does my rent guarantee insurance cover the new eviction timeline under Section 8? (Section 8 cases can take longer to conclude than Section 21 cases)
• Does my policy require me to have served the RRA Information Sheet? (Some policies may add this as a condition of rent guarantee cover)

Rent guarantee insurance is worth particular attention. Under Section 21, possession proceedings took a predictable amount of time. Under Section 8, particularly for discretionary grounds, the timeline to possession can be longer. If you rely on rent guarantee insurance to cover rent loss during a possession claim, confirm that your policy covers the potential extended timeline and check the maximum number of months covered.

If you are a portfolio landlord, review each policy individually rather than assuming they all have the same terms.

Step 11: Register with the PRS Database when it launches

The Private Rented Sector (PRS) Database is a new national register of landlords and rental properties in England, launching in late 2026. All landlords in England will be required to register. Failure to register is a civil offence with fines of up to £5,000.

The PRS Database does not launch until late 2026, so there is nothing to register for right now. However, you should:

• Be aware that registration will be mandatory — this is not optional
• Ensure your record-keeping is in order so you have all necessary property details to hand when registration opens
• Monitor GOV.UK for the registration launch date and process
• Ensure all your properties comply with current regulations (EPC, gas safety, EICR) before registration — the database may prompt compliance checks

Information you will likely need to provide at registration:

• Your name and contact address
• Address and tenure details for each rental property
• EPC rating for each property
• Gas safety certificate status
• Any recent local authority enforcement action

For a full guide to what the PRS Database is, how it works, and what landlords need to do, see our PRS Database guide.

Step 12: Join the PRS Ombudsman before mandatory membership in 2028

Membership of the Private Rented Sector Ombudsman will be mandatory for all landlords in England from 2028. Joining early gives you access to dispute resolution services now, and ensures you are not scrambling to register at a deadline.

The PRS Ombudsman is an independent body that will handle disputes between landlords and tenants that cannot be resolved between the parties. It provides a low-cost alternative to court proceedings for tenants who have complaints about their landlord's conduct.

For landlords, the Ombudsman provides:

• A recognised dispute resolution mechanism (decisions are binding on landlords)
• A formal record of dispute outcomes — useful if a tenant makes repeated or frivolous complaints
• A demonstrable commitment to professional landlord practice, which may be relevant in possession proceedings

The Ombudsman is not yet launched as of February 2026. Monitor GOV.UK for the registration process. When it opens, joining proactively positions you as a compliant and professional landlord — which matters increasingly in a regulatory environment where enforcement is tightening.

Your complete RRA compliance timeline

Here is a consolidated timeline of all 12 checklist items, organised by deadline date.