Renting in England has just been rewritten.
On 1 May 2026 the Renters' Rights Act came into force. Eleven million private renters now have rights they didn't have a month ago. This is a pamphlet about what those rights are, what they mean, and how to use them.
11M
private renters in England
30
grounds for possession
0
Section 21 evictions
12mo
minimum between rises
Three guides every renter should read first.
- 01
What changed on 1 May 2026
A complete walk-through of the Act: Section 21 abolished, periodic tenancies for everyone, pet rights, the bidding-war ban, and what's still being phased in through 2035.
- 02
How rent increases work now
Only one route to a valid increase, and three changes that genuinely shift the balance toward tenants — including a tribunal that can no longer raise your rent above the figure your landlord asked for.
- 03
Section 13 notices, decoded
Field-by-field analysis of Form 4A — every required entry, the two date checks that catch most defective notices, and step-by-step how to refer a notice to the First-tier Tribunal.
Has your rent gone up? Run the notice first.
A free, browser-only check against the new Section 13 rules. The figures you enter never leave your machine. About a minute.
- At least 12 months since the last increase
- At least two months' notice before the new rent date
- Served on Form 4A, not a letter or a clause
- How the figure compares to typical market rents
I tried to find a single clean tool, and there wasn't one.
I moved back to the UK in spring 2026, the same month the Renters' Rights Act came into force. As I was setting up a new tenancy, I tried to find one resource that would tell me plainly whether a Section 13 notice was valid or not.
What I found instead: law firm landing pages selling consultations, charity guides written for the old regime and not yet updated, a government information sheet that raised more questions than it answered, and half a dozen Reddit threads where people were giving each other good-faith but legally incorrect advice.
The Act gives 11 million renters real, enforceable rights. The system only works if people know what those rights actually are. This is my contribution to making that happen.
Plain English. Primary sources. No funnels. No paywall.
You shouldn't have to pay or hand over your email address to read what the law already says you're entitled to.