The Renters’ Rights Act from Friday 1 May 2026, improves security, fairness and living standards for private renters.
All local authorities have powers to enforce the Act and ensure landlords are complying with the rules.
These apply to:
- all private rented tenancies
- tenancies managed by Council-owned companies (such as Mercury Land Holdings and QLM)
These do not apply to:
- Havering Council tenancies or any social housing association tenancies
- those who are renting in student halls (university owned or private)
- lodgers
- leaseholders
Rules on starting and ending tenancies
Landlords can’t issue a new notice under Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 to evict a tenant.
A landlord can only evict a tenant when they have a specific, legally valid reason, otherwise known as a ‘possession ground’. This includes if they need to sell or move into the property.
Fixed term assured tenancies are banned, meaning all tenancies in the private rented sector will become assured periodic tenancies, or ‘rolling tenancies’.
This means tenants can stay in the property until they decide to end the tenancy, or until the landlord serves a valid notice to end the tenancy or obtains a court/possession order.
Read more about assured periodic tenancies
To report a landlord tenancy breach or an illegal eviction, contact our Housing Solutions Team by emailing housing.solutions@havering.gov.uk or by calling 01708 8432824.
Rent and payments
Rent increases are limited to once per year and a landlord must follow a legal process for increasing the rent by providing tenants with a notice, detailing the proposed rent increase, and ensuring at least two months’ notice before that increase is due to take effect.
Rent increase clauses in tenancy agreements are not valid, and any rent increase must reflect the local market rate.
Tenants can challenge rent increases at the First-tier Tribunal if they seem unfair.
Read more about rent increases
A landlord or letting agent cannot ask or encourage you to pay higher than the advertised rent, known as ‘rental bidding’ and they cannot accept a bid above the advertised rent.
Read more about rental bidding
Before signing a tenancy agreement, a landlord or letting agent can ask tenants for the following deposits.
- Holding deposit (to reserve the property while checks are carried out) which is limited to one week’s rent.
- Tenancy /security deposit which is usually paid before the tenancy starts. The maximum amount is up to five weeks’ rent if the annual rent is under £50,000 and up to six weeks’ rent if the annual rent is £50,000 or more.
The tenants deposit must be protected in a government‑approved tenancy deposit protection scheme and the landlord or letting agent must inform the tenant where the deposit is protected and how it will be returned.
The landlord or letting agent can request the tenant to pay rent in advance before they move in, provided all parties have signed the tenancy agreement.
This rent amount is limited.
- If tenant is paying rent monthly, the maximum amount the landlord can usually ask for is one month’s rent.
- If tenant is paying rent weekly, the maximum amount the landlord can usually ask for is 28 days’ rent.
Read more about deposit and advance payments
To report a landlord breach in relation to rent, deposit or payments, to Havering’s Council’s Trading Standards Team via Citizens Advice Consumer Service by calling 0808 223 1133 (Monday to Friday, 9am–5pm) or by visiting the Advice Guide website.
Removing barriers to renting
Discrimination against any potential tenants who have children or receive benefits is illegal.
A landlord or letting agent, can’t do anything that makes it less likely for a tenant to rent a property because they have children or receive benefits.
This includes withholding information about a property (including its availability), preventing viewings, or refusing to grant a tenancy.
Read more about rental discrimination
To report a landlord or letting agent for discrimination, contact the Council’s Housing Solutions Team by emailing housing.solutions@havering.gov.uk or by calling 01708 8432824.
Requirements for tenancies
Landlords must provide tenants with written information about the terms of your tenancy.
For most tenancies that started before 1 May 2026, landlords need to send tenants a copy of the government-produced Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 by 31 May 2026, either digitally or on paper.
This is a government-produced document which landlords must send to all existing tenants, who already have a written record of the tenancy terms.
For tenancies that start on or after 1 May 2026, or those that started before 1 May 2026 and which don’t have a written record, landlords need to provide tenants with certain information about the tenancy in writing.
Landlords may do this in a tenancy agreement.
Read more about the full tenancy agreements guidance
Tenants can request a pet
Landlords must consider a tenants written request within a set timeframe and should provide valid reasons if they choose to refuse it.
Student tenancies
For tenancies signed after 1 May 2026 to move into purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA – commonly referred to as ‘halls of residence’), the tenancy won’t be impacted by the Renters’ Rights Act. This means, for example, it may remain a fixed term tenancy.
For tenancies in other student accommodation (e.g. a student house share) or for tenants already living in PBSA, from 1 May 2026 the tenant will no longer have a fixed term tenancy.
For 2026 only, existing student tenants in non-PBSA accommodation may be served a notice to end the tenancy between 1 May 2026 and 30 July 2026 and will have a two-month notice period to move out.
This will help facilitate the availability of potential homes for students needing them ahead of the 2026/27 academic year.
From 2027, landlords must provide student tenants with four months’ notice to end a tenancy between 1 June and 30 September.