The Renters' Rights Act 2024, explained for tenants

The Renters' Rights Act 2024 is the biggest reform to private renting in England since 1988. It received Royal Assent in late 2024 and the key provisions came into force in stages through 2025 and into 2026. If you're a tenant, the practical answer to “what does this mean for me?” is: you have a meaningfully stronger hand than you did in 2023.

Here's what actually changed — and what didn't. We've cut the lawyer language and focused on what shows up in your inbox when your landlord proposes a rent increase or asks you to move on.

The four headlines

1. Section 21 no-fault eviction is abolished. A landlord can't end your tenancy just because they want to. They need a reason that fits one of the Section 8 grounds.
2. Assured shorthold tenancies (ASTs) are gone. Most private renters in England are now on a single, open-ended assured periodic tenancy.
3. Section 13 rent increases need 2 months' notice. Up from one month. Still capped at one increase per 12 months.
4. The tribunal can no longer raise your rent. If you challenge a Section 13 notice, the worst outcome is the rent your landlord already proposed. The tribunal can confirm or reduce — never increase.

Section 21: what abolition actually means

Section 21 was the route landlords used to end an AST without giving a reason. As long as the procedural rules were met, the court had no discretion — possession was mandatory. That created the chronic insecurity that defined private renting in England.

Under the RRA 2024, that route is closed. To recover possession a landlord now has to rely on one of the grounds in Section 8 of the Housing Act 1988. These are specific: serious rent arrears, anti-social behaviour, the landlord wanting to sell or move back in, major refurbishment. Each has its own evidence threshold and notice period.

Practically, this means a landlord can no longer issue a possession notice in response to you complaining about disrepair or challenging a rent increase. There's no “just because” route anymore. The Deregulation Act 2015 retaliatory-eviction shield is functionally obsolete — it was a workaround for a problem that doesn't exist post-RRA.

From ASTs to assured periodic

The old system distinguished between fixed-term ASTs (you're locked in for the term) and periodic ASTs (rolling, can end with notice). The RRA 2024 collapses both into one form: the assured periodic tenancy.

There's no fixed term and no end date. The tenancy continues until you give notice or the landlord serves a valid possession ground. You can leave at any time with two months' notice. The landlord can't.

If you signed a contract before the RRA commencement, your tenancy was converted automatically. The piece of paper you have may still say “assured shorthold tenancy” — that doesn't matter. The legal form underneath has changed.

Section 13 — reformed, not removed

This is the bit that's most often misreported. Section 13 of the Housing Act 1988 — the rent increase notice mechanism — is still in force. It was reformed in three important ways.

Combined, these turn Section 13 from a one-way valve into something much more genuinely two-sided. Your landlord still has the right to ask. You now have a real and low-risk way to push back.

The tribunal cap, in detail

Pre-RRA, the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) determined an open-market rent based on comparable evidence. That figure could be higher than the rent the landlord proposed — meaning a tenant who challenged a £1,950 notice could end up paying £2,050.

Post-RRA, the tribunal can only:

• Confirm the proposed rent (if comparable evidence supports it), or
• Set a lower rent based on the evidence.

That changes the decision calculus entirely. If you have decent comparable evidence that your proposed rent is above market, the tribunal route now has only upside. Worst case: you pay what the notice already asked for, after an extra two months of the old rent in the meantime.

Common misconceptions worth clearing up

• “Section 13 has been abolished.” No — that's Section 21. Section 13 was reformed.
• “My landlord can't increase my rent anymore.” They still can, via a Section 13 notice. The reform makes it harder to set the rent above market, not impossible to raise rent.
• “The tribunal will side with the landlord.” The tribunal members are surveyors, not landlords. They decide on comparable evidence. With the tribunal cap, the structural bias toward landlords (the risk of a higher determination) is gone.
• “I'll get evicted if I challenge.” Section 21 is gone. There's no longer a legal mechanism for retaliatory eviction. None of the Section 8 grounds is “challenged a rent increase”.

What you can actually do now

1. Don't panic if a rent notice arrives. You have two months and meaningful options.
2. Check the rent against the local market. Our free rent checker compares your figures to lower/median/upper quartile rents in your postcode.
3. Reply in writing. See our guide on how to respond to a rent increase letter for a template.
4. Escalate if needed. The tribunal route is free and one-way: best case, lower rent; worst case, the proposed rent.
5. Get help. Shelter and Citizens Advice give free housing advice and have specialists who walk through tribunal applications with you.

Frequently asked questions