Section 21 Has Ended: Renters’ Rights Act Timeline for Landlords and Tenants

Last updated: 4 November 2026. This timeline is based on the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 and its commencement regulations on legislation.gov.uk, the government’s implementation roadmap, GOV.UK guidance for landlords, Ministry of Justice possession statistics and law firm briefings. It covers the private rented sector in England only. Wales and Scotland have separate systems. Future dates are the government’s plans and can move.

Short answer: Section 21 has already gone. No-fault notices stopped on 1 May 2026, and 31 July 2026 was the last day to issue a court claim on an old notice. Landlords in England now need a section 8 ground, and tenancies run on rolling terms. Next comes the landlord database, which opens on 15 December 2026 at £65 a property.

Key takeaways

• The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025. Its main private rented sector changes began on 1 May 2026, when assured shorthold tenancies became assured periodic tenancies.
• An old section 21 notice can no longer start a claim. Cases issued by 31 July 2026 carry on until they conclude.
• Landlords selling or moving in must give four months’ notice, cannot use those grounds in the first 12 months of a tenancy, and face a 12-month ban on re-letting afterwards.
• Still to come: database registration region by region to 14 November 2027, social housing changes in 2027, a landlord ombudsman in 2028 and the Decent Homes Standard in 2035.

Has section 21 ended?

Yes. Before the Act, section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 let a landlord end an assured shorthold tenancy without giving a reason. The government’s roadmap fixed 1 May 2026 as the date it would stop, and the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 was brought into force for the private sector on that date by commencement regulations (SI 2026/421). So 30 April 2026 was the last day a section 21 notice could be served.

The rules did not end every old notice overnight. Schedule 6 to the Act kept valid notices alive for a short period, and GOV.UK’s guidance on notices given before 1 May 2026 explains how:

• A claim on a section 21 notice had to start before the notice ran out, and in any case by 31 July 2026. Section 21 notices normally lapse six months after they are given.
• A claim on an old section 8 notice had to start within 12 months of the notice or by 31 July 2026, whichever came first. An exception can extend this for rent arrears grounds where the tenant is in a debt respite “breathing space”.
• Claims issued in time continue until proceedings conclude.
• If a claim is dismissed, the tenancy becomes an assured periodic tenancy from the date of dismissal.

Anyone who missed the deadline must start again with a new notice and a new ground. The guidance was updated on 1 August 2026 to say so.

What did the Renters’ Rights Act change on 1 May 2026?

The government describes this as the biggest increase in renters’ rights in over 40 years, affecting 11 million private tenants. For most people, these are the changes that matter:

• Tenancy type: fixed terms went. Tenancies now roll on periodically. Existing written agreements did not need replacing, but landlords had to give tenants the government’s Information Sheet by 31 May 2026.
• Leaving: tenants can end a tenancy at any time on two months’ written notice.
• Rent increases: once a year, on Form 4A, with at least two months’ notice. Rent review clauses no longer work. Tenants can challenge an increase above open market rent at the First-tier Tribunal.
• Rent in advance: capped at one month. Landlords cannot take rent before the tenancy agreement is signed.
• Bidding: adverts must show an asking rent, and landlords cannot invite or accept offers above it.
• Discrimination: refusing tenants because they have children or receive benefits is unlawful.
• Pets: landlords must consider a request within 28 days and can refuse only for a valid reason, given in writing.

If you read about tenancy law from the United States, it helps to remember that England has one national system. In the US, by contrast, eviction rules are a patchwork that varies by state, and our guide to tenant rights and landlord responsibilities covers that position.

How can a landlord get a property back now?

Only by proving a ground for possession. The landlord serves a section 8 notice on Form 3A, setting out the ground and why it applies, gives the correct notice period and then applies to court if the tenant stays. Mandatory grounds mean the judge must order possession if the ground is proved. On discretionary grounds, the court decides whether eviction is reasonable. Here are the main ones, from GOV.UK’s guidance for landlords:

Some conditions catch people out. Grounds 1 and 1A cannot take effect in the first 12 months of a tenancy. A notice may be served during that time, but it cannot expire before the 12 months end. Ground 8 arrears must exist both on the day of notice and at the hearing, so a tenant who pays down the debt can defeat this ground. The deposit must also be protected for most grounds.

The court fee for a possession claim rose from £404 to £415 on 13 July 2026, and a warrant costs a further £148. Tenants have 14 days to file a defence, and an order on a mandatory ground usually gives them 14 days to leave, though a judge can allow up to six weeks for extreme hardship.

What are the penalties for getting it wrong?

This is where the new system has teeth. GOV.UK’s enforcement guidance separates breaches from offences. Councils can fine up to £7,000 for breaches such as ending a tenancy verbally, pretending a tenancy is a fixed term, or relying on a ground without a reasonable belief that a court would grant possession on it.

Offences carry a civil penalty of up to £40,000 as an alternative to prosecution. They include re-letting or re-advertising within 12 months of using ground 1 or 1A, unless an exception applies, and repeating a breach within five years. Separately, the maximum rent repayment order has doubled from one to two years’ rent.

Smaller disputes over money can still go elsewhere. If the issue is a modest sum and not possession, our guide to the small claims court covers the process in England and Wales.

What does the data show since section 21 ended?

Only part of the picture so far. The Ministry of Justice’s latest figures cover April to June 2026, so they contain two months under the new rules and stop before the 31 July deadline:

• Landlord possession claims: 23,635, up 6% on a year earlier.
• Accelerated claims, the fast route used for section 21: 8,569, up 16%, and 36% of all claims.
• Repossessions: 6,560, down 3%.
• Median time from claim to repossession: 27.1 weeks, slightly faster than the 27.9 weeks a year earlier.

The ministry says it is not clear what can be attributed to the Act. Its next update is due on 12 November 2026 and should show the last-minute rush, if there was one. Landlord Action, a possession services firm, reported July instructions 28% higher than a year earlier, with about 30% of new cases using ground 1A. That is one firm’s data, not a national count.

What is the Renters’ Rights Act timeline from here?

The next step is the private rented sector database, called “Register your rental property”. The GOV.UK guidance, published on 29 October 2026, sets a three-month window for each region. Registration costs £65 per property per year, pro-rated during the rollout, so registering on the first day costs £5.34. The enabling regulations were still in draft on legislation.gov.uk when we checked on 4 November 2026.

Two later items are worth a closer look. On damp and other hazards, the government’s Awaab’s Law consultation, published on 9 October 2026, starts from 10 working days to investigate a significant hazard, 5 working days to make it safe and 24 hours for emergencies. Those are proposals, and no start date has been set. On rent, ministers said on 9 September 2026 that HMRC’s Valuation Office will take over first decisions on rent challenges. Until then, tenants still apply to the tribunal and do not pay the higher rent until it rules.

If this phased approach sounds familiar, the Employment Rights Act 2025 timeline follows a similar pattern, and its dates have slipped more than once. Check GOV.UK before relying on anything marked planned.

What should landlords and tenants do now?

Landlords should check that any claim on an old notice was issued in time, review tenancy templates for fixed terms and rent review clauses, and keep evidence for whichever ground they may need. Note your region’s database window, and collect gas, electrical and EPC certificates now. Each joint landlord must register, and landlords must start every property registration themselves, although an agent can then add certain details.

Tenants should treat any “no-fault” demand with suspicion. A notice dated after 30 April 2026 that gives no ground is not a valid route to possession, and a landlord cannot end a tenancy verbally. You do not have to leave just because a section 8 notice expires, since only a court can order that. Free legal advice is available through the Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service, including on the day of a hearing.

Frequently asked questions

Can a landlord still use a section 21 notice?

No. Section 21 notices cannot be given on or after 1 May 2026. A notice given earlier could support a claim only if proceedings started by 31 July 2026 at the latest. Claims issued in time carry on until they end. In every other case, the landlord must use section 8 and prove a ground for possession.

Does the Renters’ Rights Act apply in Wales and Scotland?

The private rented sector changes in this article apply to England. Wales and Scotland have their own housing laws and rental systems, and GOV.UK’s landlord guidance is written for England. Most sections of the Act extend to England and Wales as a matter of legal extent, but that does not mean the tenancy reforms operate in Wales.

What happens to fixed-term tenancies that were running on 1 May 2026?

They became assured periodic tenancies on that date, so the tenancy continues on a rolling basis without a new agreement. Tenants can leave on two months’ notice, whatever the old end date said. Landlords must not suggest that a fixed term still applies, because that can bring a penalty of up to £7,000.

How much notice must a landlord give to sell?

Four months, using ground 1A. The notice cannot expire during the first 12 months of the tenancy. After using ground 1 or 1A, a landlord generally cannot re-let or market the property for 12 months. Doing so can lead to a civil penalty of up to £40,000 as an alternative to prosecution, unless an exception applies.

When do landlords have to register on the database?

It depends on where the property is, not where the landlord lives. The West Midlands window opens first, on 15 December 2026, and the South West closes last, on 14 November 2027. You can register early, from 15 December 2026, but not after your region’s end date. The fee is £65 per property per year.

Can a tenant refuse a rent increase?

A tenant can challenge it. Landlords may raise rent once a year on Form 4A with two months’ notice, and a tenant who thinks the figure is above market rent can apply to the First-tier Tribunal. The higher rent is not payable until the tribunal decides. HMRC’s Valuation Office will take over first decisions, but no start date has been set.

This article is general information about the law in England as of 4 November 2026. It is not legal advice. Commencement dates and draft regulations can change, so check GOV.UK and take advice on your own tenancy or property.