The Renters Rights Act 2025: What Landlords Need to Know

The Renters Rights Act 2025 represents the most significant overhaul of private rented sector legislation in decades. The headline change — the abolition of Section 21 no-fault evictions — has been widely reported. But the Act makes a series of other changes that affect how landlords manage tenancies, respond to complaints, handle rent increases, and maintain their properties.

For London landlords in particular, where the private rented sector is both larger and more heavily scrutinised than elsewhere in England, understanding these changes is not optional.

What the Renters Rights Act Actually Changes

The Act makes several distinct changes to landlord and tenant law:

1. Abolition of Section 21 — landlords can no longer end a tenancy without grounds
2. New and revised possession grounds under Section 8 — a new framework for when landlords can recover their property
3. Damp and mould timescales — landlords must respond to damp complaints within prescribed periods
4. Pet requests — tenants have a right to request permission for a pet
5. Rent increase restrictions — rent can only be increased once per year via a prescribed mechanism
6. Enforcement powers — strengthened local authority powers and a new Private Rented Sector Ombudsman

Each of these changes affects how you manage your properties on a day-to-day basis.

The Abolition of Section 21 No-Fault Evictions

Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 previously allowed landlords to end an assured shorthold tenancy by serving two months' written notice, without needing to give any reason. This so-called "no-fault" eviction route was straightforward but frequently misused, and its abolition had been a policy commitment of successive governments since 2019.

The Renters Rights Act 2025 removes Section 21 entirely. All tenancies are now periodic from the outset — there are no more fixed-term assured shorthold tenancies. To end a tenancy, a landlord must use a Section 8 notice based on a specific ground.

This is a fundamental change in the power dynamic of landlord-tenant relations. Landlords can no longer use the threat of a Section 21 to discourage tenants from complaining about disrepair or making legitimate requests.

New Grounds for Possession Under Section 8

Section 8 of the Housing Act 1988 already contained a list of grounds on which landlords could seek possession. The Renters Rights Act revises and expands these grounds to give landlords a workable alternative to Section 21. The most important for private landlords are:

Ground 1 — Landlord or Family Member Wishes to Move In The landlord (or their close family member) wishes to use the property as their only or principal home. Notice period: four months. The landlord cannot re-let the property within 12 months of using this ground.

Ground 1A — Landlord Wishes to Sell The landlord intends to sell the property. Notice period: four months. As with Ground 1, the property cannot be re-let within 12 months of using this ground.

Ground 6A — Possession for Redevelopment Used where the landlord has planning permission for redevelopment. Notice period: four months.

Ground 8 — Serious Rent Arrears The tenant has at least three months' rent arrears (previously two months) both at the time of service of the notice and at the court hearing. This is a mandatory ground — the court must grant possession if the arrears threshold is met.

Ground 14 — Antisocial Behaviour Immediate notice period. Used where the tenant or someone living in or visiting the property has been guilty of conduct causing nuisance or annoyance.

The notice periods and mandatory/discretionary nature of each ground have changed from previous law — do not serve a Section 8 notice without taking up-to-date legal advice.

How Compliance Affects Your Ability to Recover Your Property

Under the old Section 21 regime, you could not serve a valid notice if you had failed to provide your tenant with:

• A valid Gas Safety Certificate (CP12)
• An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)
• A copy of the government's "How to Rent" guide
• The deposit in a registered scheme (if applicable)

Under the new possession regime, the specific Section 21 gateway requirements no longer apply in the same form because Section 21 itself no longer exists. However, non-compliance with certificate obligations creates its own serious problems:

Criminal liability: Not having a valid Gas Safety Certificate is a criminal offence with an unlimited fine. Not having a valid EICR exposes you to a civil penalty of up to £30,000.

Local authority enforcement: Local authorities have strengthened enforcement powers under the Act, including the ability to impose financial penalties for failure to maintain and document safety certificates.

Court discretion: While courts must grant possession on mandatory grounds if the conditions are met, a landlord who has clearly disregarded their legal obligations is not in a strong position in any disputed possession hearing.

The practical message is that compliance with safety certificate requirements — EICR, Gas Safety, EPC — is not just a box-ticking exercise. It is the foundation that makes everything else in landlord law work.

Awaab's Law — What It Means for Damp and Mould

Awaab's Law is named after Awaab Ishak, a two-year-old boy who died in 2020 from a respiratory condition caused by mould in a rented flat in Rochdale. The case prompted legislation imposing strict timescales on landlords to respond to hazards including damp and mould.

Under the Renters Rights Act 2025 provisions, when a tenant reports a potential health hazard related to damp or mould, the landlord must:

• Investigate within 14 days of receiving the complaint
• Start remedial work within a further 7 days if a hazard is confirmed
• Complete emergency repairs within 24 hours if the hazard poses an immediate risk

These timescales apply to private landlords. Failure to comply is an offence and can trigger enforcement action, financial penalties, and civil claims.

Landlords who respond promptly to damp and mould complaints, document their investigations, and complete works quickly are protected. Landlords who ignore reports, serve retaliatory notices, or allow hazardous conditions to persist now face sharply increased risk.

Pet Requests and Your Rights

Under the Renters Rights Act, tenants have the right to request permission to keep a pet. Landlords must not unreasonably refuse a request.

You can refuse if there is a legitimate reason — for example, a lease prohibition in a leasehold flat (a common issue in London mansion blocks), documented evidence of pet damage from a previous tenancy, or a genuine allergic tenant already in shared accommodation.

You can require the tenant to take out pet insurance to cover potential damage. You cannot charge a higher security deposit specifically to cover pet damage — deposit caps remain in force.

For most landlords, the practical change is that blanket "no pets" clauses in tenancy agreements are no longer enforceable. Requests must be considered on their merits.

Rent Increase Restrictions

The Renters Rights Act restricts how and when landlords can increase rent:

• Once per year maximum: Rent can only be increased once every 12 months.
• Section 13 procedure: Increases must be served via a formal Section 13 notice with a minimum two months' written notice.
• Market rent cap: The increased rent cannot exceed the open market rent for the property.
• Tenant challenge: Tenants can challenge proposed rent increases by applying to a First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber), which can reduce the proposed increase to market rent.

The restriction to once per year formalises what has been good practice for most landlords. The ability for tenants to challenge increases via the tribunal may result in more disputes in areas where rents have risen sharply.

The Impact on HMO Landlords

HMO landlords are subject to all of the above changes, plus:

HMO licensing: Mandatory HMO licensing requirements are enforced separately by local authorities and remain unchanged by the Act. Failure to licence a licensable HMO is a separate criminal offence with an unlimited fine and can trigger a Rent Repayment Order.

Fire Safety: HMOs must comply with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, which requires a suitable fire risk assessment by a competent person. This obligation is unchanged by the Renters Rights Act but is relevant to overall compliance.

Increased enforcement: Local authorities have new tools and funding to target non-compliant landlords. HMO landlords — who historically have faced the most enforcement activity — should expect heightened scrutiny.

What to Do Now to Prepare

For London landlords who have been relying on Section 21 as a backstop:

1. Review your compliance documentation. Ensure every property has a valid EICR (current and satisfactory), a valid Gas Safety Certificate (within the last 12 months), and a valid EPC (minimum E rating, within 10 years).

2. Review your tenancy agreements. Agreements with fixed-term provisions and Section 21 machinery need updating to reflect the new periodic tenancy regime.

3. Document your maintenance. Under Awaab's Law, a clear paper trail of how you responded to tenant complaints about damp, mould, or disrepair is essential protection.

4. Understand the new Section 8 grounds. If you ever need to recover possession, the process is now entirely through Section 8. Know which grounds apply to your situation before you need them.

5. Get professional advice. The Renters Rights Act is new legislation and its application in practice is still developing. A specialist landlord solicitor or RICS-qualified managing agent is worth consulting for portfolio landlords and HMO operators in particular.