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5 Changes with the Renter Reform Bill

Kathryn Strachan
27 May 2026

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Table of Contents

The Renter Reform Bill was the name given to the Government’s proposed legislation to overhaul private renting in England. 

After a long and sometimes turbulent journey through Parliament, it was passed into law as the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 and came into force on 1 May 2026. The result is the most significant transformation of the private rented sector in decades.

If you are renting privately in England, understanding what the Renter Reform Bill delivered is essential. This article walks through the five most important changes it has introduced, what they mean for you in practice, and how they have permanently shifted the relationship between tenants and landlords.

What Was the Renter Reform Bill?

The Renter Reform Bill was first announced in the Queen’s Speech in May 2022 and went through several iterations before being passed under a new Government as the Renters’ Rights Act 2025. Its core purpose was to end the insecurity and unfairness that had defined private renting in England for decades. The final Act was given Royal Assent in 2025 and its provisions came into force on 1 May 2026. You can read the full Act on the UK legislation website.

The legislation affects all private tenants in England with an assured or assured shorthold tenancy. It does not apply to social housing tenants or lodgers. Its changes are automatic: they apply to your tenancy regardless of whether your landlord has updated your tenancy agreement.

The changes introduced by the Renter Reform Bill apply to all existing and new private tenancies in England from 1 May 2026. Your landlord cannot use your tenancy agreement to override them.

Change 1: The End of No-Fault Eviction

The abolition of Section 21 no-fault eviction is the defining change delivered by the Renter Reform Bill, and the one that campaigners fought hardest to achieve. Before 1 May 2026, a landlord could ask a tenant to leave without giving any reason. All they had to do was serve a Section 21 notice with two months’ notice. The tenant could be paying their rent on time, looking after the property perfectly, and have no idea why they were being asked to leave.

According to research by Shelter, no-fault evictions were one of the leading causes of homelessness in England, with tens of thousands of households affected each year. The psychological and practical impact on families, including disruption to children’s schooling and community ties, was severe.

From 1 May 2026, Section 21 is abolished. Any Section 21 notice served on or after this date has no legal force. Landlords must now use the Section 8 process and cite a legally recognised ground for possession, such as rent arrears, antisocial behaviour, or the landlord’s intention to sell or move into the property. If the tenant disputes the eviction, the matter goes before the court, where the landlord must prove their case and the tenant has the right to challenge it.

This change gives private renters in England something they have not had for a long time: genuine security in their homes. You can report a repair, challenge a rent increase, or simply live your life without the constant threat of a no-fault notice arriving through the letterbox.

Change 2: Fixed-Term Tenancies Are Abolished

The second major change delivered by the Renter Reform Bill is the abolition of fixed-term tenancy agreements. Under the old system, most renters signed contracts with a set end date, typically six or twelve months. During that period, neither the landlord nor the tenant could usually end the tenancy early. When the fixed term expired, the tenancy would either be renewed or roll over into a monthly arrangement.

This system suited landlords more than tenants. At the end of every fixed term, renters faced uncertainty: would the landlord renew? Would the rent go up significantly? Would a Section 21 notice arrive instead of a new contract? For many tenants, the approaching end of a fixed term was a source of real anxiety.

From 1 May 2026, fixed-term tenancies no longer exist in English private rental law. All assured tenancies are now rolling periodic tenancies, sometimes called rolling contracts. Your tenancy continues automatically from month to month with no set end date. It can only be ended by you giving at least two months’ written notice to your landlord, by mutual agreement, or by your landlord successfully obtaining a court possession order based on a valid legal ground.

If your existing tenancy agreement contains an end date, that date ceased to have legal effect on 1 May 2026. Your tenancy is now a rolling contract under the Renters’ Rights Act. More information is available on GOV.UK.

In practical terms, this means greater stability for tenants. You are no longer on a countdown to the end of your fixed term. You can put down roots, make plans, and invest in your community without the uncertainty of a contract expiry looming over you.

Change 3: Stricter Rules on Rent Increases

The Renter Reform Bill also introduced significant new restrictions on how and when landlords can increase rent. Before the changes, many landlords used rent review clauses written into tenancy agreements to raise rents at regular intervals or by predetermined percentages. Others would use the threat of a Section 21 notice to persuade tenants to accept rent increases they could not realistically afford.

Both of those routes are now closed. Rent review clauses in tenancy agreements can no longer be used to justify a rent increase from 1 May 2026. Instead, all rent increases must follow the statutory process set out in Section 13 of the Housing Act 1988. Under this process, a landlord can only increase rent once in any twelve-month period and must give the tenant at least two months’ written notice using the official Form 4A.

Critically, any proposed increase must not exceed the open market rent for a comparable property in the same area. There is no fixed percentage cap on increases, but the open market rent acts as a ceiling. If you receive a rent increase notice and believe the proposed new rent is above market rate, you have the right to challenge it at the First-tier Tribunal, which will assess the evidence and set a fair rent. The process is free and does not require a solicitor.

You can find Form 4A and guidance on the Section 13 process on GOV.UK.

Combined with the abolition of Section 21, this change removes the leverage landlords previously had to push through above-market rent increases. Tenants can now push back, challenge increases through the proper process, and do so without fear of retaliatory eviction.

Change 4: The Right to Request a Pet

One of the most widely discussed aspects of the Renter Reform Bill is the new right for tenants to request permission to keep a pet. For years, blanket no-pets clauses in tenancy agreements left animal lovers unable to share their home with a pet, even when they were responsible, long-term tenants with every intention of looking after the property carefully.

From 1 May 2026, tenants have the legal right to make a formal request to keep a pet in their rented home. The rules are straightforward. The tenant makes the request in writing. The landlord must consider it on its individual merits and cannot apply a blanket refusal. If the landlord declines, they must do so in writing and must provide a reason. A refusal that is not based on reasonable grounds can be challenged in court by the tenant.

This does not mean that every pet request must be approved. A landlord may have legitimate reasons to decline, such as the terms of their own lease in a leasehold building, insurance conditions, or the specific nature of the pet and property. But what it does mean is that tenants are no longer shut out of pet ownership simply by a standard clause in a template tenancy agreement.

For the millions of renters in England who have been unable to own a pet due to blanket restrictions, this is a meaningful quality of life improvement. It also brings England closer in line with other countries where responsible pet ownership is considered a normal part of long-term renting.

Change 5: Greater Protection at the Start of a Tenancy

The fifth significant change introduced by the Renter Reform Bill is a protected period at the start of every new tenancy. During the first twelve months of a tenancy, a landlord cannot evict a tenant on the grounds that they wish to sell the property or that they or a family member want to move in.

This matters because these two grounds, while legitimate in principle, were sometimes used by landlords who wanted to recover the property for other reasons. A tenant who had just moved in, settled their family, and begun a new chapter could previously find themselves facing eviction within months on grounds that were difficult to challenge. The twelve-month protection period addresses this directly.

Alongside this, the Renter Reform Bill has tightened the notice requirements for several grounds for possession, giving tenants more time to respond, seek advice, and make alternative arrangements when a landlord does have a legitimate reason to end the tenancy.

Full details of all grounds for possession and their notice requirements are available on GOV.UK.

Taken together, the protections introduced at the start of a tenancy send a clear message to renters: moving into a new home is no longer the beginning of a short and uncertain countdown. It is the start of a tenancy with genuine legal protections from day one.

What the Renter Reform Bill Means for Renters Today

The five changes outlined above represent a fundamental rebalancing of the relationship between landlords and tenants in England. For the first time, private renters have a legal framework that prioritises stability, fairness, and the ability to exercise their rights without fear of losing their home as a consequence.

That does not mean every problem in the private rented sector has been solved. Renters still need to know their rights, understand their tenancy agreements, and be prepared to act if a landlord does not comply with the new rules. The law provides the framework; knowing how to use it is what makes the difference in practice.

If you are a private renter in England, the key things to remember are these. You cannot be evicted without a legal reason. Your tenancy will continue rolling until you choose to leave or your landlord goes through the proper court process. Rent can only go up once a year through the correct formal process. You can request to keep a pet. And your first twelve months in any new home come with meaningful legal protection.

Renter Reform Bill: Key Facts at a Glance

  • The Renter Reform Bill became the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, in force from 1 May 2026
  • Section 21 no-fault eviction is abolished: landlords must have a legal reason to evict
  • Fixed-term tenancies are abolished: all tenancies are now rolling periodic tenancies
  • Rent can only be increased once per year using the Section 13 process with 2 months’ notice
  • Tenants can request to keep a pet and landlords cannot unreasonably refuse
  • The first 12 months of a tenancy are protected from eviction for sale or landlord occupation

Where to Get Help

If you want to understand how the Renter Reform Bill changes affect your specific situation, the following free resources can help:

Final Thoughts

The Renter Reform Bill delivered changes that renters in England had been waiting years for. From the abolition of no-fault evictions to rolling contracts, restricted rent increases, pet rights, and stronger protections at the start of a tenancy, the five changes covered in this article collectively amount to a new era for private renting.

The law has changed. Now it is time to make sure renters know it.

Want to know exactly how the Renter Reform Bill affects you?

Contend is an AI-powered legal platform built to help renters in England understand their rights in plain English, with no jargon and no expensive solicitor fees. Whether you want to know if your landlord is following the new rules, understand your rights on a rolling contract, or get guidance on a specific situation, Contend gives you clear, reliable answers in minutes.

Get free legal guidance today at contend.legal.