Renters Reform Bill 2026 — what UK letting agents need to do now

The headline

The Renters Reform Bill (Renters' Rights Bill in its 2026 form) finally received Royal Assent in March 2026 and most provisions commence on 1 October 2026. Section 21 evictions end. All new tenancies become periodic. There is a national landlord database, mandatory PRS Ombudsman membership, and a statutory Decent Homes Standard.

If you manage residential lettings in England, this is not optional and you do not have long.

What's changing — the 6 things you actually need to handle

1. Section 21 is being abolished

After commencement, you cannot serve a no-fault notice on a new or existing assured shorthold tenancy. You will need to use Section 8 grounds (rent arrears, breach, anti-social behaviour, sale, landlord moving in). The new Ground 1A (selling) and Ground 1B (landlord moving in) come with 4 months' notice and a 12-month protected period at the start of every tenancy.

What to do: audit every existing AST you manage. Anything you might have wanted to use S21 on within 6 months — serve now (you have until commencement). After that you cannot.

2. Periodic tenancies replace fixed terms

All assured tenancies become periodic from day one. The 12-month AST is gone. Tenants can leave on 2 months' notice from week one.

What to do: rewrite your landlord onboarding messaging. Many landlords will panic — your job is to explain the upside (no void if a tenant wants to extend, no awkward 11-month conversations).

3. PRS Database (Landlord Portal)

Every private landlord in England must register on a new government database. Properties cannot be marketed for let without a registered landlord ID. Fees are expected to be ~£40-60/property/year.

What to do: start collecting Companies House numbers (for company landlords) and proof-of-ownership for sole landlords now. Bulk-register on day one.

4. PRS Ombudsman membership becomes mandatory

Every landlord (and arguably every agent) must belong to the new Private Rented Sector Ombudsman. Existing TPO / PRS membership does not automatically transfer.

What to do: check your agent membership status. Email all landlord clients with the registration link the moment the scheme opens (expected September 2026).

5. Decent Homes Standard becomes statutory in PRS

The same standard that already applies to social housing now applies to private lettings. Damp, mould, structural disrepair, inadequate heating — all become enforceable by local councils with civil penalties up to £40,000.

What to do: schedule a Decent Homes audit on every managed property before commencement. Most existing inspection templates need updating to include the 4 DHS criteria explicitly.

6. Rent increases capped at one per year, market-rate only

You cannot increase rent more than once in any 12-month period, and the increase must reflect market rent. Tenants can challenge at the First-tier Tribunal.

What to do: rewrite your renewal scripts. Your landlords need to understand they cannot do mid-tenancy bumps any more.

The 30-minute Friday checklist for your agency

• [ ] Pull every active AST and tag any where the landlord may want to sell, move in, or change use in the next 6 months
• [ ] Email those landlords today. Offer to serve S21 before commencement if appropriate
• [ ] Add 'PRS database registration' as a mandatory item on your landlord onboarding checklist
• [ ] Verify your agency's redress scheme membership (TPO / PRS)
• [ ] Update your AST template to remove fixed-term language (or auto-convert at commencement)
• [ ] Schedule Decent Homes inspections on every managed property
• [ ] Brief your team — every staff member needs to know what changes on 1 October

What Estate-HQ does for you

We are updating the platform now. By August 2026 you will have:

• Auto-tagging of every existing tenancy by Section 8 ground availability
• One-click PRS database registration workflow per landlord (when the API opens)
• Decent Homes inspection template with the 4 statutory criteria pre-loaded
• Renewal workflow that enforces the 12-month minimum gap between rent increases
• Notice generator for all Section 8 grounds with up-to-date prescribed forms

If you are not on Estate-HQ yet, start your 30-day free trial — there's no card needed and we will import your existing tenancies for free.

Sources

This is a summary, not legal advice. Always check the current Government guidance before serving notices or registering. Key sources:

• gov.uk/government/publications/a-fairer-private-rented-sector
• Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government guidance for landlords (March 2026)
• Tenancy Reform Network briefings