Breaking News: The Renters’ Rights Act Becomes Law
Posted on in Property Litigation
It is fair to say the wheels of Government turn slowly. It was under Theresa May’s Government in 2019 that a bill to fundamentally change the private rented sector in England was first proposed. One pandemic and four further Prime Ministers later, and with a subtle but telling change of name - from ‘renters reform’ to ‘renters’ rights’- and we are finally there. Yesterday (27 October 2025) the Bill received Royal Assent and so the new Renters’ Rights Act 2025 is now formally part of UK legislation.
So what now? For the moment, it is business as usual. Many of the provisions of the Act, the new landlord database, for example, will take time, and potentially quite a lot of time, to introduce. Keep in mind that parts of many Acts of Parliament don’t take effect straight away and can be delayed for months or even years.
But the fundamental changes the Act is introducing, namely the abolition of the assured shorthold tenancy (AST) and the section 21 notice, are likely to be brought into force in 2026. Some commentators say early in the year, some are suggesting it may be that the AST will still be around until the Spring or early summer of 2026. In the final debate in the House of Commons, the Minister simply said that the Government would “allow time for a smooth transition to the new system.”
What we can however say with certainty is that the AST will be no more in the coming months. For any landlords who have been hesitating as to whether or not to issue proceedings using a section 21 notice, it is crunch time. Given that there can often be a little bit of housekeeping to carry out before a notice can be served, now is the time to be making that final decision. If it is that you want to take advantage of section 21 whilst it is still available for use, it’s worth getting things moving sooner rather than later.
Over the coming weeks, we will be publishing updates on the detail of the new Act so please to keep an eye out for articles from our property litigation experts which you will find on our website or by following us on social media.