What happens to my fixed-term tenancy on 1 May 2026?

All existing assured shorthold tenancies, including those still within their fixed term, automatically convert to assured periodic tenancies on 1 May 2026. The tenant stays in the property on the same terms, but the tenancy is now governed by the new rules. Section 21 is no longer available and rent increases must follow the Section 13 process via Form 4A.

What is the RRA information sheet and when do I need to deliver it?

The government published an official information sheet on 20 March 2026 explaining tenants' rights under the Renters Rights Act. If you have an existing tenant on a written assured or assured shorthold tenancy created before 1 May 2026, you must deliver this sheet to every named tenant by 31 May 2026. Delivery must be a printed hard copy or PDF email attachment. Sending a link is not valid. Failure to comply can result in a fine of up to £7,000.

Can I still use a Section 21 notice I served before May 1?

Yes, provided you initiate court proceedings by 31 July 2026. The deadline is the earlier of six months from when the notice was served, or 31 July 2026. After that date, no new Section 21 claims can be started. If you are planning to use an existing notice, move quickly.

What are the new Section 8 grounds for Ground 8 rent arrears?

From 1 May 2026, the mandatory Ground 8 threshold increases from two months' arrears to three months' arrears (or 13 weeks for weekly or fortnightly tenancies). The arrears must exist both at the time the notice is served and at the court hearing. The notice period increases from two weeks to four weeks.

What is Ground 1A and when can I use it?

Ground 1A is a new ground introduced by the Renters Rights Act, allowing landlords to seek possession where they genuinely intend to sell the property. Like Ground 1 (landlord moving in), it carries a four-month notice period and cannot be used within the first 12 months of a tenancy. After obtaining possession under Ground 1 or 1A, landlords are restricted from re-letting or remarketing the property for 12 months.

Does the Renters Rights Act affect my tenancy agreements?

Yes. Several clauses become invalid or unenforceable from 1 May 2026. Rent review clauses for periodic tenancies are void. Any clause allowing landlords to require more than one month's rent in advance is unenforceable. Clauses banning pets outright may fall foul of the new rules if the landlord does not consider pet requests on their merits. Fixed-term provisions are effectively abolished for new tenancies.

Renters Rights Act: Your Pre-May 1 Compliance Checklist

One month. That is what is left before the Renters Rights Act changes the way private renting works in England.

The Act received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025. Phase 1 commences on 1 May 2026. For landlords who have been half-watching from the sidelines, that timeline is now very short.

Most of the coverage so far has focused on what the Act does: Section 21 gone, periodic tenancies only, new grounds for possession. What has been covered less clearly is what you, as a landlord with existing tenants, actually need to do before the date arrives.

This is that list. Nine items, roughly in order of urgency. Work through them and you will be compliant. Miss them and the penalties start at £7,000 per breach.

1. Deliver the RRA Information Sheet to Every Existing Tenant by 31 May 2026

This is the one with the hardest deadline. The government published an official Renters Rights Act information sheet on 20 March 2026. Every landlord with an existing written assured or assured shorthold tenancy that was created before 1 May 2026 must provide this sheet to every tenant named on that agreement.

The deadline is 31 May 2026, not 1 May. You have slightly more time on this one than the commencement date itself.

Delivery requirements are specific and matter. You must either:

Print the sheet and give or post it to the tenant
Send the PDF as an email attachment

Sending a link to the PDF is not valid. The sheet itself must be delivered. A verbal mention is not valid. A text with a URL is not valid.

The PDF is published at: gov.uk/government/publications/the-renters-rights-act-information-sheet-2026

If your property is managed by a letting agent, the agent must also provide the information sheet. Both of you are obligated to do so, even if one has already acted.

Verbal tenancies with no written record fall outside this requirement. If you have no written agreement at all, you do not need to serve the information sheet, but you will need to provide a written statement of the key terms of the tenancy instead.

Missing this deadline carries a fine of up to £7,000 per tenancy. There is no grace period beyond 31 May.

2. Accept That All Fixed-Term Tenancies Convert on 1 May 2026

If any of your tenants are currently on a fixed-term tenancy that has not yet expired, that fixed term ends on 1 May 2026. From that date, the tenancy automatically becomes an assured periodic tenancy governed by the new rules.

Nothing is required from you to make this happen. It happens by law.

What changes from that point:

You cannot renew on a fixed-term basis. The Act abolishes new fixed-term assured tenancies for private lets. All new tenancies from 1 May 2026 are periodic from the outset.
Rent can only be increased via the Section 13 process using Form 4A, with two months' notice, once every 12 months.
Section 21 is not available.
Possession must be sought under the updated Section 8 grounds.

The practical adjustment for most landlords is largely administrative. Your existing tenants stay in the property. The terms remain broadly the same. What changes is the legal framework governing how you manage the tenancy going forward.

3. Switch Your Rent Increase Process to Section 13 via Form 4A Only

From 1 May 2026, the only lawful route to increase rent on an assured periodic tenancy is the Section 13 statutory process using Form 4A. All other methods become invalid on that date.

What stops working:

Rent review clauses in tenancy agreements become unenforceable for assured periodic tenancies from 1 May 2026, regardless of what the agreement says. Informal agreed increases without formal notice do not work. The old Form 4 cannot be used after 30 April 2026.

How the new process works:

Download Form 4A from GOV.UK on or after 1 May 2026
Complete and serve it on the tenant with the proposed new rent and a start date
The start date must be at least two months after the tenant receives the notice
Rent can only be increased once in any 12-month period