The Renters Right's Act & upcoming changes 🏡

As your letting agent, our goal is to keep you informed and make sure your home remains a great place to live. You may have heard about the Renters’ Rights Act in the news, this is a major piece of legislation that updates the rules for everyone in the rental market.
 
May 1st 2026 is when the first phase of the act kicks in. We’ve put together this quick guide to show you what’s changing and how we’ll be working together to transition to the new system.

1. A simple transition for your tenancy
On May 1st, the way tenancies are structured across England will change. Fixed-term tenancies (like a standard 6-month agreement) are being replaced by "Assured Periodic Tenancies".

What exactly is an Assured Periodic Tenancy?
Essentially, it’s a rolling monthly agreement with no fixed end date. Instead of being locked in for a set year and then having to renew, your tenancy continues automatically month-to-month. It offers you more flexibility to move if your circumstances change, while still providing long-term security in your home.

• If you are already living in one of our properties, you don’t need to worry about moving out or signing a whole new tenancy agreement. Your current agreement will automatically roll over into this new periodic format.
• We may be in touch over the coming weeks to discuss your current agreement. The government is also releasing a standard Information Sheet, which we will provide to you by the end of May to ensure you have all the official details.

2. Requesting a pet
The new act introduces a formal process for pet requests.

• If you’d like to request permission to keep a pet, you’ll just need to send us a request in writing.
• We will then work with the landlord to review the request fairly. While we can’t always say yes (for example, if the building's lease forbids pets or the property isn't suitable), we will provide a written decision within 28 days.
• To protect the property, landlords can now ask that you have insurance in place to cover any potential pet-related damage.

3. More stability and clarity
The act aims to make the rental process more transparent for everyone.

• If you decide it's time to move on, the standard notice period for tenants will be two months.
• Any changes to rent will now happen through a standardised statutory process and can only occur once a year. We will always provide you with at least two months' notice of any proposed changes.
• When we list new properties, the price you see is the maximum price. We are no longer allowed to accept 'bidding' offers above the advertised rent, keeping things fair for all applicants.

What happens next?
For now, there is nothing you need to do. We are currently updating our systems and training our team to make sure the transition on May 1st is as smooth as possible for you.
 
We value having you as a tenant and want to make sure you feel supported through these changes. If you have any questions about how this affects your specific home, please don't hesitate to reach out to our team using the live chat function.