Abolition of Section 21 — No-Fault Evictions Ended

The most significant change in the Act. From 1 May 2026, landlords will no longer be able to serve a Section 21 notice to evict a tenant without providing a reason. The ‘accelerated procedure’ — which allowed eviction without a court hearing — is also abolished.

Landlords must now use the Section 8 possession procedure, citing a specific statutory ground and providing evidence. In almost all cases, a court hearing will be required.

New & Updated Section 8 Grounds for Possession
Section 8 becomes the only route to possession. The grounds fall into two categories:

Mandatory Grounds (Court Must Grant Possession)

Selling the property: You may use a mandatory ground to sell, but not in the first 12 months of a tenancy. Four months’ notice must be given.
Moving in: If you (or a close family member) wish to move into the property, the same 12-month restriction and 4-month notice period apply.
Serious rent arrears: The mandatory eviction threshold rises from 2 months to 3 months’ arrears.
Major renovation: Possession is available where substantial works require vacant possession.

Discretionary Grounds (Court Weighs Up Circumstances)
Anti-social behavior, persistent minor rent arrears, breach of tenancy terms, and other grounds remain, but a judge will consider all evidence from both sides.

What this means in practice
Landlords should keep thorough records throughout every tenancy — rent payment history, maintenance requests, communications, and inspection reports.

End of Fixed-Term Tenancies — All Tenancies Become Periodic

From 1 May 2026, all tenancies — both new and existing — will automatically become periodic (open-ended, rolling month-to-month or week-to-week). Fixed-term tenancy agreements will no longer be permitted.
Tenants can end their tenancy at any time with two months’ written notice. There is no minimum tenancy period under the Act, meaning a tenant could, in theory, give notice on day one.

New Tenancy Documentation Requirements
From 1 May 2026, prescribed new tenancy documents must be used. Landlords with existing written tenancies must provide tenants with an information sheet detailing the key changes made by the Act.

PRS Database & Ombudsman — Phase 2 (Late 2026)
A second phase of the Act will introduce two new mandatory schemes for all private landlords in England: PRS Landlord Database
All landlords must register themselves and their rental properties on the new national database.

Registration will be a precondition for using most Section 8 possession grounds — you cannot begin possession proceedings if you are not registered.
A fee will be payable for registration.
The database will be rolled out gradually by area across England.
Private Rented Sector Ombudsman
Membership will be mandatory for all private landlords.
Tenants will be able to raise complaints, and the Ombudsman can issue binding decisions, without the need for court proceedings.
This is designed to provide a faster, cheaper resolution process for both parties