Renters' Rights Act Timeline: Every Key Date Landlords Need to Know

What are the key deadlines and compliance requirements I need to meet under the Renters' Rights Act from May 2026 onwards?

Since 1 May 2026, every private landlord in England must comply with Section 8-only possession (no Section 21), Section 13/Form 4A rent increase notices, the bans on rental bidding, upfront rent in advance and discrimination against tenants on benefits or with children, and the duty to consider pet requests. The 31 May 2026 deadline to issue the Information Sheet and the 31 July 2026 cut-off for court claims under old notices have both passed, so if you haven't done either, do it now rather than wait. The next live compliance task is PRS Database registration, which opens region by region from 15 December 2026 (West Midlands first) and must be completed within three months of your region's start date, with a hard final deadline of 14 November 2027 for every landlord still letting in England — for example, a landlord with a single flat in Leeds (Yorkshire and the Humber) must register between 15 April and 14 July 2027, not wait for the national deadline.

Every date below was checked against legislation.gov.uk and GOV.UK on 25 September 2026. The status column tells you how firm each date is:

• In force: brought into force by legislation that has been made.
• Announced: the government has published a specific date, but the regulations are still in draft or have not been made yet.
• Expected: the government has given a year or said "in due course", with no fixed date.

Most compliance guidance stops at listing the dates. What trips landlords up in practice is sequencing: a landlord who served a Section 21 notice in March 2026 but didn't issue court proceedings by 31 July 2026 lost the right to rely on that notice entirely and now has to start again under a Section 8 ground — there is no extension or grace period written into the regulations.

The complete timeline

Date	What happens	Status	Source
27 October 2025	Renters' Rights Act 2025 receives Royal Assent	In force	legislation.gov.uk
27 October 2025	Awaab's Law phase 1 begins for social landlords only (not private)	In force	GOV.UK Awaab's Law guidance
27 December 2025	Enhanced council investigatory powers begin	In force	Commencement No. 1 Regulations
1 May 2026	Phase 1: Section 21 abolished; assured shorthold tenancies abolished; existing ASTs become assured periodic tenancies; Section 13 / Form 4A rent rules; bans on rental bidding, rent in advance and discrimination; right to request a pet; new Section 8 grounds on Form 3A	In force	Commencement No. 2 Regulations; GOV.UK roadmap
1 May 2026	Maximum civil penalty for Housing Act 2004 offences rises from £30,000 to £40,000; rent repayment orders double to up to 24 months' rent	In force	GOV.UK roadmap
31 May 2026	Deadline to give existing tenants the Information Sheet, or a written summary of terms if the tenancy was only verbal	Passed	GOV.UK Information Sheet
31 July 2026	Last day to ask the court to issue a possession claim using a Section 21 or Section 8 notice served before 1 May 2026	Passed	GOV.UK
15 December 2026	PRS Database ("Register your rental property") opens in the West Midlands	Announced (draft regulations)	GOV.UK news, 9 September 2026; draft regulations
14 November 2027	Final registration deadline: all landlords actively letting must be registered	Announced (draft regulations)	GOV.UK news
October 2027	Tenancy reforms apply to social housing assured tenancies from private registered providers	Announced (month only)	GOV.UK social housing policy paper
2028	Mandatory PRS Landlord Ombudsman membership	Expected	GOV.UK roadmap
2035	Reformed Decent Homes Standard applies to private and social rented homes	Announced (year only; regulations to follow)	Decent Homes Standard policy statement
No date	Awaab's Law extended to private rented homes	Expected (consultation first)	GOV.UK roadmap
No date	First decisions on rent challenges move from the First-tier Tribunal to HMRC's Valuation Office	Announced, no date (legislation needed)	GOV.UK news

PRS Database: when does your region register?

Registration dates run on a nine-month regional rollout, not a single national start, so your deadline depends entirely on where your property sits. The government announced the schedule on 9 September 2026. Once your region starts, you have three months to register yourself and every property you let on an assured or regulated tenancy. The fee is £65 per property per year, reduced pro rata during the roll-out, and you need a GOV.UK One Login (Housing Hub: get ready to register). These dates are announced: the regulations were still in draft when we checked.

Region	Registration opens	Deadline to register
West Midlands	15 December 2026	14 March 2027
East of England	15 January 2027	14 April 2027
East Midlands	15 February 2027	14 May 2027
South East	15 March 2027	14 June 2027
Yorkshire and the Humber	15 April 2027	14 July 2027
North West	15 May 2027	14 August 2027
North East	15 June 2027	14 September 2027
London	15 July 2027	14 October 2027
South West	15 August 2027	14 November 2027

Source: Housing Hub (GOV.UK campaign site). Once a region's deadline passes, councils there can start enforcement. Our registration guide covers what to gather beforehand.

What each passed date means now

Each passed deadline carries its own ongoing compliance obligation, not just a one-off task. 1 May 2026. Terms that set a fixed term have no effect (Housing Act 1988, s4A). Most existing ASTs became assured periodic tenancies on that date and did not wait for their fixed term to end (GOV.UK tenant overview). Possession now needs a Section 8 ground; see how to end a tenancy after Section 21 and the Section 8 grounds list. Rent increases go through Section 13 on Form 4A, and all tenancies are now periodic.

31 May 2026. Missing the Information Sheet deadline can bring a civil penalty of up to £7,000. The sheet has to be the exact GOV.UK PDF, on paper or attached to an email. A link does not count (GOV.UK). If you missed it, serve it now and keep evidence.

31 July 2026. Section 21 claims issued on or before this date continue to a conclusion. Any notice served before 1 May 2026 that was not used by then can no longer support a possession claim (GOV.UK).

What about Awaab's Law and the Decent Homes Standard now?

Neither Awaab's Law nor the reformed Decent Homes Standard currently creates a legal duty for private landlords — both remain social-sector-only or future obligations. Neither applies to private landlords yet. Awaab's Law timescales, such as investigating significant hazards within 10 working days and emergency hazards within 24 hours, currently bind social landlords only (GOV.UK). The government will consult on timescales for private rentals first. Councils can already act against serious damp and mould in private lets under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System in the Housing Act 2004. See Awaab's Law for private landlords and the Decent Homes Standard.

Frequently Asked Questions

Further Reading

• Renters' Rights Act 2025: What Landlords Need to Know: the overview of the Act for landlords in England
• How to End a Tenancy After Section 21 Is Abolished: your options for regaining possession
• The PRS Landlord Ombudsman: What Landlords Must Do