What the Renters' Rights Act Means for Landlords in the North West | SOLM Property

The Renters’ Rights Act is the biggest change to renting in England in more than thirty years, and it is no longer something on the horizon. The core rules came into force on 1 May 2026, and they apply to almost every private tenancy at once, new and existing. Whether you own a single flat you fell into letting or a small portfolio built up over years, the way you let and manage property has changed.

This is a plain-English guide to what the Act means for landlords across the North West. If your property is in North Wales, there is an important difference at the end that you need to know.

Section 21 is gone

The headline change is the end of Section 21, the old no-fault eviction. Landlords can no longer end a tenancy simply by giving notice without a reason. Alongside that, fixed-term assured shorthold tenancies have disappeared. Every tenancy is now an assured periodic tenancy, which rolls on month to month until the tenant chooses to leave or you have a valid legal reason to take the property back.

To regain possession, you now have to rely on one of the grounds set out in Section 8 of the Housing Act 1988, and you have to be able to evidence it. The government’s guidance on evicting tenants sets out how the process works.

The grounds that matter most

Three of the possession grounds come up again and again for the landlords we deal with.

If you want to sell, there is now a specific ground for it, but you must give four months’ notice and you cannot use it during the first twelve months of a tenancy. If you want to move back in yourself, or move in a close family member, there is a similar route with its own restrictions. And if a tenant falls behind, the rent arrears must now reach at least three months before you can start possession proceedings on that ground, up from two.

The practical point behind all of this is that possession now runs through the courts, and court timescales are not quick. That means a difficult tenancy can take longer to resolve than it used to, so getting the tenant selection and the paperwork right at the start matters more than ever.

Rent increases are now controlled

You can still increase the rent, but only once a year, and only by following the revised Section 13 process. You have to give at least two months’ notice of any increase, and the tenant now has the right to challenge it at the property tribunal if they think it is above the market rate.

The Act also stops rental bidding wars. You can no longer invite or accept offers above the advertised rent, and there are new limits on how much rent you can ask for up front. In short, the rent you market the property at is the rent you should expect to get.

Pets, and who you cannot turn away

Tenants now have a statutory right to request a pet, and you cannot unreasonably refuse. You can still say no where you have a genuine, defensible reason, and you are allowed to require pet damage insurance to protect the property, but a blanket no-pets policy is no longer enough on its own.

Separately, it is now unlawful to discriminate against tenants because they receive benefits or because they have children. The old “no DSS” and “no kids” approach is out.

What you should already have done

Two things applied straight away. For any new tenancy, you must provide a written statement of the tenancy terms and certain required information. For tenancies that were already running before 1 May 2026, you were required to give every tenant an official information sheet explaining the changes by the end of May 2026. Failing to provide the required written information can carry a penalty of up to £7,000 per tenancy, so if you have let a property yourself and are not sure you did this, it is worth checking now.

Good record-keeping is the other quiet priority. Because possession now depends on proving a ground, your paperwork, from the tenancy agreement to rent records and safety certificates, is what a claim will stand or fall on.

What is still coming

Not everything landed on day one. The Act is being rolled out in phases, and a few of the bigger obligations are still ahead:

A new Private Rented Sector database is being rolled out from late 2026 into 2027. Landlords will have to register themselves and their properties on it, and it will be open for tenants to check. A new landlord ombudsman is expected in 2028, offering tenants free dispute resolution, with sign-up mandatory for private landlords, including those who manage their own properties. And a Decent Homes Standard for the private rented sector is due later still.

On top of all this sits the separate energy efficiency timetable. The minimum EPC rating to let is still E for now, but the government has confirmed it intends to raise that to band C by 2030, which is worth planning for on any older property. The House of Commons Library briefing and the NRLA’s landlord guide both track the timeline as dates are confirmed.

If your property is in North Wales

This is the difference to hold onto. The Renters’ Rights Act applies to England only. Rented homes in Wales sit under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act, which has its own tenancy types, notice rules and landlord duties. If you let a property over the border, do not assume the English rules apply. Get advice specific to Wales before you make any decisions, and we can point you in the right direction.

What it all means in practice

None of this makes letting a bad idea, but it does make it a more considered one. There is more admin, more compliance to stay on top of, and less ability to get your property back at short notice. Letting has become more of a long-term commitment than a quick way to hold a property, which is exactly why it is worth being clear about your reasons before you start. If you are still weighing that up, our separate guide on whether to sell or let is a useful next read.

For landlords who would rather not carry all of this themselves, this is where a good managing agent earns its fee. Keeping tenancies compliant, handling notices correctly, staying on top of the database and the coming ombudsman, and getting the paperwork right first time is now a real job, not an afterthought.

How SOLM Property can help

We offer lettings and property management across Chester, the Wirral, North Wales, Liverpool and Manchester, and staying on the right side of the new rules is part of what we do for our landlords. Whether you want us to take a property off your hands entirely with full management, or simply want a straight opinion on where you stand under the new Act, we can help.

If you are a landlord trying to make sense of the Renters’ Rights Act, get in touch and we will talk it through with you.