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ARTICLE · 27 MARCH 2026

The Renters’ Rights Act 2025

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To understand the significance of the reforms, it is helpful to consider the current legal landscape for residential tenancies in England.

United KingdomReal Estate and Construction
Lizzie Egan
Lizzie Egan
Bertie Hoskyns-Abrahall
Bertie Hoskyns-Abrahall
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The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 represents the most significant overhaul of England’s private rented sector in over a decade. The Act received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025, with the most far-reaching changes due to come into force on 1 May 2026.

Background: The Existing Residential Tenancy Framework 

To understand the significance of the reforms, it is helpful to consider the current legal landscape for residential tenancies in England.

Assured tenancies (ATs) were introduced by the Housing Act 1988, which came into force on 15 January 1989. A tenancy granted on or after that date will generally be an assured tenancy provided that: 

  • the tenant is an individual;
  • the tenant occupies the dwelling-house as their only or principal home; and

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