What next for the Renters’ Rights Act?

The Renters’ Rights Act seeks to rebalance landlord-tenant relations across England by converting all assured shorthold tenancies (ASTs) in the PRS – both existing and any granted after the Act comes into force – into assured periodic tenancies. This means that tenancies will no longer have a fixed end date and instead will roll over indefinitely until a valid notice is served by a landlord or tenant.

However, the key message tucked into the Government’s press release is that we still do not have a full timetable for implementation of the Act’s provisions – although an “outline” is anticipated in the coming weeks. The current view across the sector is that a six-month implementation period is likely, potentially placing commencement around April 2026.

The landlords most affected by this uncertainty over timing are those with student housing stock. ASTs already granted for the 2025/26 academic year will be caught under the Act, but it is hoped that the coming timetable will give providers a clearer picture before the 2026/27 cohort are signed up. The Government rejected proposals to extend the ground for possession beyond houses in multiple occupation (three or more people forming one household), meaning that landlords will not be able to rely on that ground to obtain possession of smaller units of student housing – and may instead favour other PRS tenants.

For other sectors however, the legislation is aimed at discouraging and regulating unscrupulous landlords and giving more transparency and recourse to tenants – creating space for professional, responsible building owners with the ability and capacity to absorb the additional administrative burden, while raising standards across the sector by improving the quality and sustainability of housing stock.