Renters’ Rights Act: Your Simple Checklist

Whilst most landlords know the basics of the Renters Rights Act and what it means to their tenancies, there are many who are unsure how it all works in practice. If you’re managing your own property, the easiest way to stay compliant is to focus on what needs to be in place right now, rather than trying to fix things afterwards or worse, suffer the fines for failure to act.

To help with that, we’ve put together a straightforward checklist for you to work through.

What’s Changing (Quick Reminder)

From 1st May:

• Section 21 “no fault” evictions are no longer available. If you served a Section 21 notice before 1st May 2026, you must begin court proceedings by 31st July 2026. If you don’t, the notice will no longer be valid and you’ll need to use the new rules.
• All existing ASTs (Housing Act tenancies) will become periodic from 1st May
• Rent increases will follow a stricter formal process, using a Section 13 Notice once every 12 months
• Rules around tenant selection and advertising will tighten
• Documentation and record-keeping will matter more than ever

If you want a more detailed breakdown of the legislation, you can read our full guide here.

The Key Things to Sort Before May

Rather than focusing on legal wording, here’s what this means in practice.

1. Review How You Advertise Your Property

Under the new rules:

• You must state a clear asking rent when marketing - no more “offers in excess of” or “price on application”
• You cannot accept offers above that amount
• You cannot advertise “No DSS” or automatically reject someone just because they receive benefits

If you self-list your property, this is a big change, and one that’s easy to overlook.

2. Understand How Tenancies Now Work

From 1st May:

• All existing ASTs automatically become periodic tenancies
• You do not need to replace existing tenancy agreements
• But you must issue the new written statement to tenants by 31st May 2026 This written statement explains how the tenancy now operates under the new rules.

For any new tenancies going forward:

• They must be set up as Assured Periodic Tenancies from the start
• Fixed-term AST agreements will no longer be appropriate, so ensure you dispose of your old AST templates.

What this means in practice:

Your existing agreements still stand, but they now operate differently.

Going forward, you should stop using older AST templates with fixed terms or break clauses, and make sure you have a new Assured Periodic Tenancy (APT) template to hand.

3. Prepare for Existing Tenancies to Change

All current tenancies will move to periodic tenancies automatically.

But there is still action required:

• You must issue the new written statement to tenants
• This needs to be done by 31st May 2026

Failing to provide this by 31st May could result in a financial penalty of up to £7,000.

4. Get Your Paperwork in Order

If there is a dispute, your paperwork will matter more than ever.

It is now imperative to ensure you have:

• Clear tenancy records
• Confirmation from your tenants of any paperwork given to them
• A full rent payment history
• Written communication (try to avoid ‘quick calls’ or ‘casual texts’ with your tenants)
• Valid safety records (Gas, EICR, EPC, Smoke & CO alarm checks)

If anything is missing, now is the time to fix it.

5. Rethink Your Tenant Checks

With Section 21 removed, it’s going to be harder to regain possession if something goes wrong, so choosing the right tenant at the start is more important than ever.

Make sure your referencing includes:

• Affordability checks (usually earnings of 2.5 to 3 times the annual rent)
• Employment status
• A full credit history
• Previous landlord checks, where applicable

If you’re unsure, using a structured referencing service can help you avoid problems later. It is also a very wise move to consider Rent Guarantee & Legal Insurance to cover you for any long possession proceedings through the courts and bailiff systems.

Download: Your Renters’ Rights Checklist

To make things easier, we’ve created a simple checklist you can work through before May.

Download the checklist here.

It covers everything from advertising rules to tenancy setup and ongoing management - so you can be confident you’re prepared.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Under the Renters Rights Act legislation, landlords are most likely to:

• Assume existing agreements require no action
• Leave rent reviews too late
• Miss the written statement requirement
• Rely on outdated tenancy documents
• Keep incomplete records

Make sure that you cover all of these points, to avoid stress or financial penalties

Final Thought

The biggest risk with the Renters’ Rights Act isn’t the legislation itself - it’s leaving things too late.

If you take the time now to get your processes, paperwork and agreements in order, the transition should be pretty straightforward. If you are ever in doubt, the Government website has lots of resources to help you.

Image is from a property for rent April 2026. Located in by Royal Victoria Docks, moments from peaceful waterside walkways and nearby cafés, restaurants and DLR transport connections. For more details see here.