The core private-sector reforms of the Renters' Rights Act 2025 have been in force in England since 1 May 2026. Every private tenancy is now periodic, rent review clauses have no effect, and the only lawful route to a rent increase is a Section 13 notice on Form 4A, giving at least two months' notice, no more than once a year.

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 is no longer something to prepare for. Its core tenancy reforms came into force for private tenancies in England on 1 May 2026.[1] Two months on, plenty of industry copy still says "Bill" and "will". If your templates or landlord updates do too, they describe a regime that no longer exists. Here is what changed for rent reviews, and what is still to come.

What changed for rent reviews on 1 May 2026?

Five changes do most of the work.

  • Every private tenancy is now periodic. The Act abolished fixed terms and assured shorthold tenancies, and existing tenancies converted automatically on commencement.[2][3] There is no renewal moment left to carry the rent conversation; the statutory cycle is now the rent review process for your whole managed book.
  • A Section 13 notice is the only route to an increase. Government guidance is explicit: "rent increases by any other means – such as rent review clauses – will not be permitted".[3] Rent review and indexation clauses are of no effect, including in agreements signed before the Act.[4][3]
  • The notice must be on Form 4A. The form is prescribed for the private rented sector.[5] A letter will not do, and Form 4 now applies to the social sector only.[6][7]
  • At least two months' notice, once a year. The minimum notice period doubled from one month to two, the new rent must start on the first day of a rent period, and increases are limited to once every 52 weeks, broadly once a year, or 53 weeks in years where an anti-drift adjustment applies.[4][7]
  • The tribunal rules changed. A tenant can refer the proposed figure to the First-tier Tribunal before the start date on the notice, which the tribunal must receive by then, for a £47 fee.[8] The tribunal can no longer set a rent above the figure on the notice, and an increase is never backdated: where the decision comes after the proposed start date, the new rent runs from the first rent period on or after the decision, with the existing rent payable until then. For undue hardship the tribunal can defer the increase further, to a date up to two months from its decision.[9][7]

Two adjacent rules landed the same day: rental bidding above the advertised rent is banned, and rent in advance is capped at one month.[10] Tenants on new tenancies can also ask the tribunal to review the initial rent within the first six months, on a confirm-or-reduce basis.[11][9]

Section 13 was amended, not replaced

One correction matters more than the rest, because it decides how much of your existing process survives. The Act did not replace Section 13 notices. It amended section 13 of the Housing Act 1988 and kept it as the single statutory mechanism for increasing rent on a private assured tenancy.[4][2] If you served Section 13 notices under the old rules, the skeleton is familiar; the tolerances are tighter. The form is prescribed rather than general, the notice period is two months rather than one, and the tribunal can only hold or lower your figure.[5][4][9]

The cost of a defective notice is familiar too. Form 4A itself invites tenants to refer a notice with a problem, for example one served with short notice.[7] Our guides to what a Section 13 notice is now and how much notice a rent increase needs cover the mechanics.

The commencement timeline at a glance

The Act arrived in stages, and more stages are scheduled. These are the dates that matter to a lettings business in England.

Timeline of Renters' Rights Act implementation from Royal Assent on 27 October 2025 through the 1 May 2026 commencement for private tenancies to the database, social sector and ombudsman phases scheduled from late 2026 to 2028
Date What happened Status
27 October 2025Renters' Rights Act 2025 receives Royal Assent[10]Done
November 2025Implementation roadmap published, naming 1 May 2026 as the main commencement date[10]Done
27 December 2025First commencement brings local authority investigatory and enforcement powers into force[10]In force
1 May 2026Main commencement for private tenancies: periodic tenancies, section 21 abolished, the amended Section 13 process on Form 4A, the bidding ban, the one-month cap on rent in advance, and the £47 tribunal fee[1][8]In force
31 May 2026Deadline for landlords of existing tenancies to give tenants the government information sheet[10]Passed
Late 2026Phase 2 begins: the private rented sector database starts its regional rollout[10]Announced
2027Reforms extended to the social rented sector[10]Announced
2028Landlord membership of the private rented sector ombudsman becomes mandatory[10]Expected

None of the later phases changes the rent-increase process you run today; the database, the social-sector extension, and the ombudsman sit alongside it.[10]

What if you served notices before 1 May 2026?

The commencement regulations save notices already in flight. In outline, a Section 13 notice served before 1 May 2026 continues under the previous rules until it is resolved, even where the tribunal decides it after that date.[1] Anything served on or after 1 May 2026 must be on Form 4A under the new rules.[6] One footnote for those older cases: the £47 tribunal fee is waived where the rent-increase notice is dated before 1 May 2026.[8]

Three things to do now

  1. Retire the old language. Anywhere your templates, terms of business, or landlord updates still say "Renters' Rights Bill" or lean on a rent review clause, they describe the previous regime. The clause is not a fallback; it has no effect.[4]
  2. Check your data before the next notice. Form 4A asks for the dates that drive the 52-week timing rules, including when the rent last changed.[7] Many agency systems have never held those fields; it is one of the most-raised themes in what letting agents say about rent reviews.
  3. Treat every figure as evidence-led. A challenged figure is tested against the open market rent, and delay is no longer recoverable because increases are not backdated.[11][9] Our analysis of 1,000+ published tribunal decisions shows why the evidence behind the number decides how it holds up.

MarketRent was built for this environment. It checks the statutory date rules on every Section 13 notice and blocks invalid dates, and it keeps the evidence, communication, and outcome of each review in one place. For the process end to end, see our complete guide to rent reviews under the Renters' Rights Act. For a quick reference on any rent, the Free Rent Indexation Tool gives an indexed figure from published ONS data.

This article is general information for letting agents in England, not legal advice.

Sources

  1. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 (Commencement No. 2 and Transitional and Saving Provisions) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/421)
  2. Renters' Rights Act 2025, sections 1 and 2 (assured tenancies to be periodic and abolition of assured shorthold tenancies)
  3. Guide to the Renters' Rights Act (MHCLG, GOV.UK)
  4. Housing Act 1988, section 13, as amended (rent increase notices)
  5. The Assured Tenancies (Private Rented Sector) (Prescribed Forms and Transitional Provisions) (England) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/354)
  6. Assured tenancy forms (GOV.UK)
  7. Form 4A, landlord's notice proposing a new rent for private rented sector tenancies (GOV.UK, version 05.26)
  8. Apply for an open market rent determination (GOV.UK guidance)
  9. Renters' Rights Act 2025, section 7 (challenging amount or increase of rent)
  10. Implementing the Renters' Rights Act 2025, the government's implementation roadmap (MHCLG, November 2025)
  11. Housing Act 1988, section 14, as amended (determination of rent by tribunal)