News from 4 June 2026
Read the current guide to tenancy rules in England.
England’s Renters’ Rights reforms began in phases, with the first changes taking effect on 1 May 2026. This June report explains the initial tenancy changes, the information deadline and the measures planned for later stages.
What changed from 1 May 2026?
The government’s Renters’ Rights Act guide says the Act received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025 and is intended to change the private rented sector in England, including by ending Section 21 “no fault” evictions. The official landlord checklist says the first phase of reforms introduced a new tenancy system, alongside measures on rental bidding, discrimination and rent in advance.
Landlords and agents need to use the rules in force for each tenancy. Lettings adverts, rent increase procedures, possession paperwork and the information given to tenants all need attention. Even where a landlord uses a managing agent, the owner remains exposed if the business processes around the tenancy are not kept current.
The checklist also tells landlords to review mortgage, insurance and tenancy agreement documents for clauses that restrict tenants with children or those receiving benefits, because those restrictions are nullified as part of the anti-discrimination measures. That is a practical paperwork task, and it is easy to miss if older templates are being reused.
The 31 May information deadline
For tenancies that started before 1 May 2026 and already had a written tenancy agreement, the government checklist says landlords did not need to change or reissue the agreement. Instead, they needed to send tenants a government-produced information sheet before 31 May 2026.
Where an existing tenancy was based entirely on a verbal agreement, the checklist says landlords needed to provide a written record of the specific terms by the same date, rather than using the information sheet. For tenancies starting on or after 1 May 2026, landlords need to provide certain information about the tenancy in writing. In many cases this may be handled through an updated tenancy agreement, but the key point is that the written information requirement should be part of the normal move-in process.
Landlords who have not yet completed this step should take prompt professional advice on how to put the position right. The compliance risk is not only about the initial document. It is also about being able to show what was provided, when it was sent, and which version of the tenancy information was used.
Measures planned for later phases
The government’s checklist says other measures, including the private rented sector database and the private rented sector ombudsman, will be introduced in later phases. Local authority guidance published since implementation points to the same direction: landlords should expect registration, better information flows and stronger complaint-handling expectations to become part of the ordinary operating environment.
The planned database would bring property and landlord information together. Landlords may need to keep property details, safety information and contact details ready in a form that can be uploaded or checked. Gas safety records, electrical reports, energy performance certificates, licence details, repair records and correspondence about damp or hazards should be easy to find before a portal asks for them.
The ombudsman also changes the practical risk profile. A tenant complaint that might once have stayed as email correspondence with a landlord or agent may move into a formal external process. Good records, clear response times and consistent complaint handling will matter more when a third party can examine what happened.
