Government tells landlords to “discuss” rent rises with tenants

The government is telling landlords to discuss rent rises with their tenants as part of the Renters Rights Act.

In a long and densely-written guide to help landlords prepare for the Act – much of which comes into effect on May 1 – the government goes over how the legislation restricts rent rises in future.

It says landlords should “Fix a rent increase routine “ and then states: “The Renters Rights Act is crystal clear that from 1 May any rises you’re planning to make must be:   

“Once every 12 months (max)  

“Made with at least two months’ notice  

“Made formally through Section 13 only (even if you’ve discussed it with your tenants first, as you should) .”

The guide outlines six tasks landlords should undertake now to prepare for the Act and claims they are “quite simple”.

The guide is reproduced in full below.

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Read up on the rules & sign up to gov alerts  

Familiarising yourself with the changes is the best place to start. You might have read about it in the news or from expert organisations, but on gov.uk, you can access information easily and quickly anytime. See the government’s official guidance especially for landlords.  

  

Understanding the changes will help ensure you’re compliant from 1 May 2026, saving you time and money in the long run. We recommend you sign up here to receive updates from the government.  

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Get vital paperwork ready  

You need to share some important paperwork with your tenants by certain dates.   

These are one-off tasks – but we’d advise that you get these done as they’re legal requirements.   

Emailing or giving a hard copy is fine, just make sure you can prove you’ve given these documents to your tenants in time.   

For your existing tenants, whose tenancies are in writing, you must give them:  

• The government’s information sheet by 31 May: This explains how the Renters’ Rights Act affects their tenancy. The government has written it so everyone gets the same vital info but it’s your duty as a landlord to share it with all those renting your property. 

• You can download it from gov.uk in just a few days when it’s published (you will get an alert if you sign up on gov.uk). You will need to give it to your tenants when the government publishes it.   

For all new tenancies starting on or after 1 May, you must provide:  

• Written information for your tenant: From 1 May 2026, you will need to give new tenants certain written information about the key terms of the tenancy - info like your name and address, rent amount/due date, deposit amount, repair responsibilities and what bills your tenant must pay.  

• This will ensure that tenants and landlords have a clear, written record of the key terms of the tenancy, helping them to understand their rights and responsibilities and assist in avoiding or resolving disputes.  

• You will need to give this information when you create a new tenancy on or after 1 May 2026 and before you agree the tenancy. You may include this information in a written tenancy you can give it separately.  

• See more guidance here on how to write this.  

Important side note - if you have a verbal tenancy agreement with a renter, you will now need to formalise it by giving them a written record explaining the specific terms of the agreement as above. You must provide this by 31 May.   

And remember: From 1 May, you will need to use a Section 8 notice to get your property back if there are serious issues with your tenant – like antisocial behaviour or rent arrears.   

From 1 May, Section 8 will also be a route to regain possession for other valid reasons, say you need to move in or sell the property.  From 1 May, Section 21 will not exist. 

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Fix your rent increase routine   

The Renters’ Rights Act is crystal clear that from 1 May any rises you’re planning to make must be:   

 Once every 12 months (max)  
 Made with at least two months’ notice  
 Made formally through Section 13 only (even if you’ve discussed it with your tenants first, as you should)    

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Check your ads are compatible with the Act  

With only a few weeks until the changes kick in, now is a good time to ensure any new adverts for properties you’re planning to rent out are compatible with the Renters’ Rights Act. For example, from 1 May, you must make sure you’re meeting the following rules:  

• No bidding wars - you must publish an asking rent in any written advert and not accept an offer above this price i.e. no wording that says ‘or offers above £x’  
• No more than one month’s rent upfront - and you can only accept the rent once all parties have signed the tenancy agreement  
• No tenant discrimination - you can’t refuse prospective tenants because they have children or receive benefits  

Clean up your listings, emails and agent scripts ASAP so you don’t accidentally slip up. And if you’re a bigger landlord, you might have a tenant-facing website so it’s important you also check it’s compliant with the Renters’ Rights Act.  

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Keep proper trail of your due diligence   

This is a given for any business but now is a reminder to keep a clear record of your due diligence as a landlord.   

Councils have beefed up powers to investigate where renters’ rights are not being met, so it’s important you keep your records safe.   

You might want to keep a digital record for every property, including safety certificates, EPC, deposit docs, licences, right to rent checks and logs of repairs.  

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Student landlords, write to tenants by 31 May  

If you’re a student landlord, you have until 31 May this year to formally write to your tenants that end the tenancy using Ground 4A of the new Renters’ Rights Act.   

Once you’ve told them, from 1 May 2026 to 30 July 2026, you can then give them two months’ notice to end the tenancy using Ground 4A.  

Don’t delay it, as it’s temporary. This short-term change is to help continue the normal flow of student properties coming onto the market for new university students starting in September.   

After 30 July 2026 you will need to give at least 4 months’ notice. See more guidance here.  

This article is taken from Landlord Today