Only 25% of landlords are prepared for the introduction of the Renters’ Rights Act and the end of section 21 according to Inventory Base.

The Renters’ Rights Act (RRA) is due to come into force on 1 May 2026 and only 20% of landlords have stated that they are highly confident in understanding how the Act will affect their business, while nearly a quarter say they are not confident at all. 

Sián Hemming-Metcalfe, Operations Director at Inventory Base, said: “Most landlords know the Renters’ Rights Act is coming, but far fewer have grasped what it means in practice. This is not a cosmetic change; it rewrites how possession works, how rent is handled, how tenancies are structured, and what landlords will need to evidence if something goes wrong. 

“The margin for error is shrinking fast and those who wait until spring 2026 will find themselves dealing with delays, disputes, and income risk that could have been avoided with basic preparation now.

“Agents and industry suppliers will be pivotal - not as messengers, but as the ones putting proper systems, documentation and defensible processes in place before the new rules bite.” 

The first phase of reforms, coming into force on 1 May 2026, will abolish section 21 no-fault evictions, replace fixed-term tenancies with open-ended assured periodic tenancies, reform rent increase processes by limiting increases to once every 12 months, cap the amount of rent landlords can request in advance, and require landlords to consider tenant requests to keep pets reasonably. 

92% of landlords aware of the abolition of Section 21. however, only 12% feel prepared to rely on the new possession grounds, while 43% say they are poorly prepared or not prepared at all.