Preparing for the Renters Rights Act - What do I need to do?

The most important thing for now is to be aware of the changes and how they may affect your current tenancies and your plans moving forward.

Essentially, any contracts with tenancies starting after 1 May 2026 will be affected by the transition to the new terms. If you have concerns - talk to us - with these new changes our role is changing to protect your liabilities as landlords.

With the upcoming changes, it may be worth considering Rent Protection Insurance. The mandatory rent-arrears ground for possession is being tightened, increasing the threshold from two months’ rent arrears to three, and the notice period from two weeks to one month. This means a tenant could be four months in arrears before you are able to take any action. With anticipated court delays, it could take several additional months before possession is granted.

You can read an overview of the changes here.

How are you preparing?
We have known about these government policies for years, and within the industry, debate has been fierce.

We have worked with partners within Propertymark and our pre-tenancy platform Goodlord to prepare, so we were ready when the time finally came. We are regularly attending meetings, training sessions, and putting plans into action.

From day one, we will have in place:

• An appropriate Assured Tenancy contract for new tenancies.
• Existing signed tenancies will transition from rolling agreements from 1 May, but will still be valid, so no new contracts need to be signed.
• New systems to track and manage Rent Reviews.
• Service of the mandatory Information Sheet (once prepared by the Government) to existing tenants, explaining the changes under the Bill.

We will also look to ensure all rents are at or close to market rent, depending on circumstances. If you would like to add Rent Protection Insurance to your current service or discuss anything else about the new letting regulations, please contact us on 01202 554470 and we’ll be happy to help.