Since the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025, there’s been a lot of noise—especially around “what starts when”.
So here’s the clean, landlord-focused version: a small first wave of provisions is now live from 27 December 2025, but the headline tenancy reforms (including the end of Section 21) are not in force yet.
This post is an update to our earlier coverage of the Act becoming law and the published implementation timeline.
What came into force on 27 December 2025 (and why that date matters)
The Act’s “commencement” section says that the following provisions automatically come into force two months after Royal Assent—i.e. 27 December 2025:
- Chapter 2 of Part 1 (technical changes about tenancies that cannot be assured tenancies)
- Section 59 (removes the “abandoned premises” procedure from the Housing and Planning Act 2016)
- Section 110 (a new duty for councils to report enforcement activity to the Secretary of State)
- Chapter 3 of Part 4 (new investigatory powers for local housing authorities)
Let’s break those down in plain English.
The big practical change: councils now have stronger investigatory powers
The Government’s official guidance is clear: local housing authority officers can use these investigatory powers from 27 December 2025.
In practical terms, these powers cover things landlords and agents will recognise, including:
- requiring information (from a “relevant person” and, in some cases, from others)
- entering business premises (and in some cases residential premises) with the Act setting out conditions and warrant routes
- seizing documents / taking copies / photos / recordings during investigations (as described in the guidance)
- making wider use of certain third-party data sources to support enforcement (again, as described in the guidance)
What landlords should do now (because this is already live)
This is less about “new tenancy rules” and more about enforcement readiness:
- tighten record-keeping (tenancy files, safety certificates, licensing paperwork, deposit documents)
- respond promptly and carefully to council requests (missed deadlines and incomplete replies rarely help)
- if you use agents, make sure responsibilities are clearly documented (councils will look at who did what)
New reporting duty: councils must report enforcement activity to the Secretary of State
Section 110 introduces a straightforward obligation: local housing authorities (and certain county councils) must report to the Secretary of State on the exercise of functions under “landlord legislation”, at the time, in the form, and with the information the Secretary of State requires.
Why landlords should care: more structured reporting generally means more visibility on enforcement, and often (over time) more consistency in how councils approach compliance.
“Technical but real” changes now in force: what can’t be an assured tenancy
Long tenancies and certain financial services arrangements
The Act adds exclusions so that (in summary):
- fixed term tenancies of more than 21 years are excluded from being assured tenancies
- certain 7–21 year tenancies (in defined circumstances) are also dealt with in the new exclusions
- tenancies forming part of a regulated home purchase plan are excluded
Homelessness interim accommodation and student lettings
The Act also updates provisions connected to interim accommodation and amends the Schedule 1 student lettings exclusion framework.
For most day-to-day PRS landlords, these are “edge case” provisions—but they’re part of what has actually commenced.
The abandoned premises procedure is gone
Section 59 removes Part 3 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016 (the “recovering abandoned premises under assured shorthold tenancies” procedure).
This matters mostly because it’s a clean example of something that has definitely changed in law already, even though the main tenancy reforms haven’t yet.
What has not come into force yet (despite what the headlines imply)
As of today (30 December 2025), the “big bang” private rented sector tenancy reforms are still ahead.
According to the House of Commons Library’s timeline and Government announcements, the new tenancy regime for the PRS in England is due to start on 1 May 2026—including:
- ending assured shorthold tenancies and moving to periodic assured tenancies
- abolishing Section 21 for PRS tenancies
- the reformed grounds for possession framework applying
- a package of other PRS measures (rent increase process, rental bidding, rent in advance restrictions, pets, discrimination, etc.)
The Commons Library also flags key transition mechanics—e.g. where a valid Section 21 notice is served before the switch, there’s a deadline for issuing proceedings.
And the Government’s own guide acknowledges that (as of November 2025) a number of measures had not come into force and that implementation would follow a separate timeline.
Bottom line for landlords
What’s live right now (from 27 December 2025) is primarily enforcement infrastructure: councils can investigate more effectively, must report more formally, and a few technical/cleanup provisions have commenced.
What’s not live yet is what most landlords are planning around: the end of Section 21 and the move to the new tenancy regime — currently set for 1 May 2026 for the PRS in England.
If you think you may need possession in 2026, the message is simple: prepare now for a Section 8–first landscape and tighten your compliance file—then, if a tenancy does go off-track, Possession Proceedings can guide you through the right route quickly and correctly.
