The Renters' Rights Act, Translated Into Your Inbox: The 12 Emails Letting Agents Will Get More Of

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025, and its main tenancy reforms took effect in England on 1 May 2026: section 21 is abolished, every assured tenancy is now periodic, rent can rise only once a year through the section 13 process, and new rules govern pets, bidding, advance rent and discrimination. For letting agents, the change does not arrive as a statute — it arrives as email. Here are the twelve messages you will see more of, what the Act actually says about each, and what a correct reply must contain.

Key takeaways

• The Act's core reforms have applied to all assured tenancies in England since 1 May 2026 — existing tenancies converted automatically, and fixed terms are gone.
• Tenants can now leave with two months' notice at any time; landlords need a legal ground, with four months' notice to sell or move back in and neither ground usable in the first 12 months.
• Rent rises are limited to once a year via a Form 4A section 13 notice, and a tribunal challenge can no longer result in a higher rent than the landlord proposed.
• The PRS database (rollout expected from late 2026) and ombudsman (expected 2028) are still to come, as is the extension of Awaab's Law to private tenancies.
• Most new email volume is predictable — agencies that standardise correct answers now will absorb it without adding headcount.

Where does the Renters' Rights Act stand in July 2026?

The government's overview for landlords confirms the new tenancy system has applied since 1 May 2026. The official implementation roadmap sets out what remains.

Date	What happened / happens
27 October 2025	Royal Assent
27 December 2025	Early provisions, including new local-authority investigatory powers
30 April 2026	Last day to serve a valid section 21 notice
1 May 2026	Main reforms: periodic tenancies, section 21 abolished, new rent, pet, bidding, advance-rent and discrimination rules
31 May 2026	Deadline to give every existing tenant the official Information Sheet (fines up to £7,000)
31 July 2026	Last day to issue court proceedings on a pre-1 May section 21 notice
From late 2026	PRS database rollout expected to begin, region by region
2028 (expected)	Mandatory PRS ombudsman membership
Date TBC	Awaab's Law extended to private tenancies; Decent Homes Standard to follow (proposed mid-2030s)

Two live compliance points: if any tenant has not received the Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet, fix that now — and any surviving section 21 notice becomes unenforceable unless proceedings are issued by 31 July 2026, eight days after this post's publication.

Which emails from tenants will increase?

1. "We're giving notice"

Tenants on the new periodic tenancies can end the tenancy at any time with at least two months' written notice, expiring at the end of a rent period. There are no fixed terms to hold them to. A correct reply confirms the notice date, the calculated end date, and the move-out process — arguing that "the term hasn't ended" is now simply wrong.

2. "We want to challenge the rent increase"

All rent increases must use a section 13 notice on Form 4A, at most once a year, with at least two months' notice. Tenants can challenge at the First-tier Tribunal before the start date; the tribunal cannot set a rent higher than the landlord proposed, the new rent applies from the determination date rather than being backdated, and it can be deferred by up to two months for hardship, per the gov.uk guide to the Act. Replies should state the proposed rent, the effective date and the right to challenge — never that the rent "has already gone up".

3. "Can we get a dog?"

Tenants have a statutory right to request a pet in writing, and consent cannot be unreasonably refused. The landlord must respond in writing within 28 days, though reasonable extensions apply where more information or a superior landlord's consent is needed. Two traps: the pet-insurance charging provision was removed from the final Act, so charging tenants for insurance is a prohibited payment, and there is no separate pet deposit — the five-week cap stands. The NRLA's pets guidance sets out what counts as a reasonable refusal, such as a head-lease ban or a genuinely unsuitable property.

4. "Is this fee allowed?"

The Tenant Fees Act 2019 still governs what tenants can be charged: rent, a refundable deposit (capped at five weeks' rent where annual rent is under £50,000), a one-week holding deposit, and limited default and variation fees, per the gov.uk Tenant Fees Act guidance. The Act layers on new prohibitions — no rent before the agreement is signed, no bidding above the advertised rent. Answer with the specific permitted-payment category or refund the charge.

5. "The damp is back — what are you doing about it?"

Repair escalations now carry more weight. Councils gained stronger investigatory powers and civil penalties under the Act, and Awaab's Law — fixed deadlines to investigate and fix hazards — is due to reach the private sector via regulations, with timing still to be confirmed. Our guide to what Awaab's Law means for damp-and-mould emails explains the deadlines agents should already be rehearsing. Acknowledge in writing, book the inspection, and keep the trail.

Which emails from landlords will increase?

6. "How do I get my property back without section 21?"

Possession now requires a section 8 ground. To sell (ground 1A) or move themselves or close family in (ground 1), landlords must give four months' notice, cannot use either ground in the first 12 months of a tenancy, and cannot re-let the property for 12 months after relying on them. Rent-arrears ground 8 now requires at least three months' arrears (13 weeks if rent is weekly or fortnightly) with four weeks' notice. Replies should set out the realistic ground, the notice period, and the evidence needed — and warn that misusing a ground carries civil penalties.

7. "Can I still raise the rent?"

Yes — once a year, to market rent, via Form 4A with two months' notice. Rent-review clauses in agreements are void, so point landlords to the statutory process and diarise one increase per tenancy per year.

8. "Do I have to accept pets, or tenants on benefits?"

Blanket "no pets", "no DSS" or "no children" positions are no longer lawful. Pet requests must be considered individually and refused only on reasonable grounds; refusing applicants because they receive benefits or have children is banned. Objective affordability and referencing checks, applied to everyone, remain fine. The correct advice protects landlords from penalties of up to £7,000 per breach.

9. "What's this landlord database I have to join?"

Registration on the new PRS database will be mandatory for every private landlord, with an annual fee, and possession claims will generally be blocked for unregistered landlords. Rollout is expected to begin regionally from late 2026, with the ombudsman — a binding redress scheme for landlords — expected in 2028, according to the implementation tracker at The Independent Landlord and the government roadmap. The honest answer today: nothing to join yet, and we will notify you when your region opens.

Which emails from applicants will increase?

10. "Can I offer over the asking rent?"

No. Landlords and agents must advertise a stated asking rent and cannot invite, encourage or accept offers above it. Decline politely, in writing, and record that you did — accepting the offer is the breach.

11. "Can I pay six months upfront?"

Also no, for new tenancies. Rent cannot be required or accepted before the agreement is signed, and after signing only up to one month's rent may be taken before the tenancy starts. Where affordability is the concern, a guarantor or standard referencing is the compliant route.

12. "Were we refused because we have children?"

Discrimination against applicants with children or on benefits is unlawful, and councils can fine for it. Every rejection should rest on documented, objective criteria applied to all applicants — and your reply should be able to say so.

Every email type, mapped to the Act

Email type	Relevant provision	Response must include
Tenant notice to leave	Assured periodic tenancies; 2 months' tenant notice	Notice validity, end-of-rent-period date, move-out steps
Rent-increase challenge	Section 13 / Form 4A; tribunal rules	Proposed rent, effective date, tribunal right, no backdating
Pet request	Statutory pet consent process	Written decision within 28 days; reasonable grounds if refusing
"Is this fee allowed?"	Tenant Fees Act 2019 + new advance-rent rules	Permitted-payment category, caps, or refund
Repair escalation	HHSRS now; Awaab's Law (PRS) pending	Written acknowledgement, inspection date, records
Possession question	Section 8 grounds 1 / 1A / 8	Correct ground, notice period, 12-month limits, evidence
"Can I raise the rent?"	Section 13 only, once a year	Form 4A, 2 months' notice, market-rent benchmark
Pets / benefits stance	Anti-discrimination provisions	No blanket bans; individual, documented assessment
Database / ombudsman	PRS database (late 2026), ombudsman (exp. 2028)	Current status, registration duty, fee expectation
Bidding offer	Rental bidding ban	Advertised rent stands; decline in writing
Advance rent offer	One-month advance-rent cap	Refusal, compliant alternatives (guarantor, referencing)
Discrimination query	Bans on benefits/children discrimination	Objective criteria used, records available

How do you answer all of this consistently?

The risk in 2026 is rarely ignorance — it is inconsistency: three negotiators giving three different answers to the same rent-increase question, on top of rising per-tenancy admin. Standardise the twelve answers above as approved wording — our letting agent email templates are a starting point. Context-aware drafting tools such as Lanten help here: reading each incoming email in Outlook, surfacing the matching tenancy from your CRM, and drafting an on-brand, provision-aware reply that a human approves before anything is sent.

FAQs

When does the Renters' Rights Act take effect?

Its main reforms have been in force in England since 1 May 2026, when existing assured shorthold tenancies converted to periodic tenancies and section 21 was abolished. Some elements — the PRS database, the ombudsman, Awaab's Law for private tenancies and the Decent Homes Standard — follow later, some on dates not yet fixed.

Can landlords still evict tenants without fault?

Not via section 21. Landlords now need a section 8 ground, such as selling (ground 1A) or moving in (ground 1), each requiring four months' notice and unavailable in the first 12 months of a tenancy, or grounds like serious rent arrears and antisocial behaviour. Section 21 notices served before 1 May 2026 die entirely unless court proceedings were issued by 31 July 2026.

How often can rent be increased now?

Once per year, using a section 13 notice on Form 4A with at least two months' notice. Tenants can challenge the increase at the First-tier Tribunal, which can confirm or reduce — but not exceed — the proposed rent, and the new rent is not backdated.

Do landlords have to allow pets?

Landlords must consider each written pet request and cannot refuse unreasonably; a written response is due within 28 days. Reasonable refusals include a superior lease that bans pets. Landlords cannot charge for pet insurance or take an extra pet deposit — the standard five-week deposit cap is unchanged.

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If you would rather every one of these emails arrived pre-triaged, matched to the tenancy and drafted for your approval, see how Lanten works.

This article is general information for letting professionals, not legal advice. Implementation dates and secondary legislation can change; check current gov.uk guidance or take professional advice before acting.