Date landlords can be banned from handing out ‘no fault’ evictions is revealed

The Government has today announced the date that the long-awaited Renters’ Rights Act will come into force.

The new law received Royal Assent on 27 October, with the Government today announcing the timeline for implementing the new legal protections, including the end of so-called ‘no-fault’ evictions.

The huge shake-up has delivered England’s 11 million private renters the greatest increase to their rights in a generation.

Aside from ending Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions, the law gives renters the right to end tenancies with two months’ notice and enables them to better challenge poor conditions and unreasonable rent increases without fear of retaliatory eviction. 

The major shake-up means fixed-term assured tenancies and assured shorthold tenancies will be abolished and replaced with rolling periodic tenancies, meaning renters will no longer be tied into long contracts.

At the core of the Renters’ Rights Act is the abolition of Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions – a practice that has pushed thousands into homelessness, according to the Government

These changes will be in force from 1 May 2026, the Government has announced today. 

Ben Twomey, chief executive of campaign group Generation Rent, said: ‘Our homes are the foundation of our lives, but for too long Section 21 evictions have forced renters to live in fear of being turfed out of our homes, preventing us from raising valid concerns with our landlords. 

‘At last we know when this outdated and unfair law will be sent packing.’

However, landlords have said they haven’t been given enough time to adapt to the new rules. 

Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, said: ‘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.’

What is in the Renters’ Rights Act? 

The Renters’ Rights Act is a dramatic shake-up that brings in new rules on evicting tenants and how tenancies are structured.

It will end long fixed-term tenancies, allow renters to leave with two months’ notice, stop landlords getting rid of tenants without good reason, and bring the ability to challenge rent rises. 

There are other elements too. Bidding wars will be ended and landlords will be stopped from demanding more than one month’s rent upfront.

The Act will ban landlords and agents from refusing renters because they have children or receive benefits. Renters will also be able to ask to keep a pet – something landlords can’t say no to without a good reason.

It will strengthen local authority enforcement designed to protect tenants and force landlords to urgently fix dangerous homes.

A new Private Rented Sector Ombudsman will also offer swift, binding resolutions to tenants’ complaints.