Industry seeks clear guidance ahead of sweeping changes
The UK government has announced that the Renters’ Rights Act will begin to take effect from May 1, 2026, marking the start of significant changes for the private rented sector.
The move has prompted calls from industry leaders for clear guidance and sufficient preparation time to ensure a smooth transition.
The Renters’ Rights Act, which establishes new rules on rent increases, advertising, and letting practices, as well as a Decent Homes Standard for private rentals, became a law following Royal Assent on Oct. 27.
Ben Beadle (pictured top left), chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, welcomed the confirmation of a start date but emphasised the need for more than just a deadline. “The announcement of a commencement date for these important reforms is welcome,” he said. “However, a deadline alone is not enough.
“We have argued consistently that landlords and property businesses need at least six months from the publication of regulations to ensure the sector is properly prepared for the biggest changes it has faced for over 40 years.
“Unless the government urgently publishes all the guidance documents and written material needed to update tenancy agreements to reflect the changes to come, the plan will prove less a roadmap and more a path to inevitable failure. Without this, landlords, tenants, agents, councils and the courts will be left without the information required to adapt, creating utter confusion at the very moment clarity is most needed.”
BREAKING NEWS: The first changes being brought in under the Renters’ Rights Act will be introduced on 1st May 2026. NRLA Chief Executive, Ben Beadle, explains what happens next https://t.co/TKsLjita1B pic.twitter.com/FhQvXgSBx6
— NRLA - National Residential Landlords Association (@NRLAssociation) November 13, 2025
Beadle added that ministers also need to explain how the county court will be ready to process legitimate possession cases far more swiftly than at present. “As the cross-party Justice Committee has rightly warned, the court is simply dysfunctional,” he said. “Vague assurances about digitisation, without an idea of what that means in practice, are simply not good enough.”
For Timothy Douglas (pictured top centre), head of policy and campaigns at industry body Propertymark, the confirmed date would help letting agents prepare for the transition to periodic tenancies. “Now that it has been confirmed that the tenancy reforms contained in the Renters’ Rights Act will commence from May 1, 2026, this will likely bring much relief to letting agents with their ongoing preparation for the switch over to periodic tenancies,” he said.
“We pressed the UK government for enough lead time, and now the date is set, letting agents must prepare accordingly, review internal processes, and work with landlords and tenants.”
Isobel Thomson (pictured top right), chief executive of letting agent accreditation scheme safeagent, highlighted the importance of certainty for the sector. “We are glad that the government has confirmed the implementation date for Phase 1 of the measures contained in the Renters’ Rights Act,” she said. “It provides certainty for all, which is what is needed if the pivotal changes the Act brings are to be introduced seamlessly, maintaining the stability of the sector.”
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