Renters Rights Act 2026: London Landlords, Tenants and Section 21 in September 2026

Last updated: September 28, 2026

Quick Answer

Section 21 no-fault evictions ended across England, including London, on 1 May 2026, when the Renters' Rights Act 2026 came fully into force. Every assured shorthold tenancy converted automatically to an assured periodic tenancy that day, landlords must now use Section 8 grounds to regain possession, and any Section 21 notice served before 1 May 2026 loses all legal effect if court proceedings were not issued by 31 July 2026. London landlords also face an extended Decent Homes Standard, tighter rent-increase rules and a new ombudsman route for disputes.

Key Takeaways

• Section 21 "no fault" evictions are abolished in London and across England as of 1 May 2026.
• Assured shorthold tenancies no longer exist; nearly all private tenancies are now assured periodic tenancies with no fixed term.
• Landlords must use one of the Section 8 grounds, each with its own notice period, to seek possession.
• Section 21 notices served before 1 May 2026 only remain usable if court action started by 31 July 2026.
• Rent can only be increased once every 12 months, using a Section 13 notice, with tenants able to challenge increases at a First-tier Tribunal.
• The Decent Homes Standard now applies to private rented homes across London, not just social housing.
• A new Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman and property portal are rolling out to handle complaints and enforcement.
• Purpose-built HMOs and build-to-rent blocks in London face the same abolition of Section 21, with practical knock-on effects for tenant turnover and void periods.

What Is Section 21 and What Does the Renters Rights Act 2026 Abolish?

Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 previously let landlords end a tenancy without giving any reason, provided they gave the correct notice. The Renters Rights Act 2026 London landlords tenants section 21 reforms remove that power entirely from the private rented sector.

Alongside Section 21, the Act abolishes the assured shorthold tenancy itself. Every private tenancy in London is now an assured tenancy running on a rolling, periodic basis. There is no fixed term to expire and no automatic right to regain a property simply because a contract period has ended.

When Did the Renters Rights Act 2026 Take Effect in London?

The Act's main private rented sector provisions commenced on 1 May 2026 across all of England, including every London borough. There was no phased regional rollout and no separate London start date.

This is why September 2026 marks roughly five months of live enforcement. Landlords who have not yet adjusted tenancy agreements, rent-review letters or eviction procedures are now operating outside the law, not simply behind schedule.

How Does Section 21 Abolition Affect Existing Tenancies?

Every assured shorthold tenancy live on 1 May 2026 converted automatically into an assured periodic tenancy on that date, with no paperwork required from either party. Existing fixed terms simply stopped applying; tenants can now stay indefinitely unless a landlord proves a valid Section 8 ground.

For London landlords, this means:

• Old fixed-term clauses (break clauses, end dates) are no longer enforceable in the way they once were.
• Deposit protection and prescribed information rules still apply and must be re-checked against the new periodic status.
• Tenancy agreements drafted before May 2026 should be reviewed, even though a new contract is not legally required.

What Notice Periods Apply Now, and Can Landlords Still Evict Without a Reason?

No, landlords cannot evict London tenants without a stated legal reason after 1 May 2026. Every possession claim must rely on a specific Section 8 ground, each carrying its own minimum notice period, typically ranging from two weeks to four months depending on the reason given.

Common notice periods include:

Mistake to avoid: issuing a generic "end of tenancy" letter without naming a ground. Courts will reject it, and the tenant can report the attempt as unlawful harassment.

What Are the Grounds for Eviction Under the Renters Rights Act 2026?

Landlords can still recover possession, but only under one of the defined Section 8 grounds now expanded within the Act. These cover sale, landlord occupation, redevelopment, arrears, anti-social behaviour and breach of contract, among others.

Rent arrears remain a valid and commonly used ground. A landlord can seek possession where a tenant owes a set amount of rent, though the threshold and notice period are stricter than under old Section 8 rules, and courts still expect evidence of genuine, sustained arrears rather than a single late payment. For a deeper look at how these grounds interact with dispute evidence, see this guide to Section 8 eviction and ombudsman expert witness roles.

What Happens to Section 21 Notices Issued Before the Act Came In?

Section 21 notices served before 1 May 2026 only remained valid if the landlord issued court proceedings by 31 July 2026. Any notice not acted on within that window is now dead and cannot be revived.

London landlords sitting on an old, unused Section 21 notice from earlier in 2026 must start again using a Section 8 ground. There is no transitional loophole beyond that 31 July cut-off, and courts have been instructed to reject late applications relying on expired notices.

Are There Exceptions to the Section 21 Ban for Certain Landlords?

There is no blanket exemption for London landlords, but the practical impact differs by property type. HMOs, build-to-rent blocks and small private landlords are all bound by the same abolition, though enforcement pressure varies.

• HMOs: Room-by-room tenancies within licensed HMOs still convert to periodic assured tenancies; landlords must track individual notice periods per occupant rather than one block tenancy end date.
• Build-to-rent (PRS): Large institutional operators face the same ground-based possession rules, but higher turnover models mean rent-increase timing and arrears grounds are used more frequently than sale or occupation grounds.
• Company lets and agricultural tenancies: Certain non-assured arrangements sit outside the Act, but genuine residential lets rarely qualify for this carve-out, and misclassifying a tenancy to dodge the rules invites legal challenge.

What Should Tenants Do If Served a Section 21 Notice Now?

Any Section 21 notice dated after 1 May 2026 is invalid and tenants do not need to leave because of it. A tenant receiving one in September 2026 should not move out, should keep the notice as evidence, and should report it to their local council's private housing enforcement team.

Steps for tenants:

1. Do not vacate based solely on a Section 21 notice dated after 1 May 2026.
2. Check the tenancy start date; if it began before May 2026, confirm it has converted to periodic status.
3. Contact the borough's tenancy relations or private sector housing team.
4. Seek advice from a local advice service or solicitor before responding in writing.
5. Keep all correspondence, including texts and emails, as evidence for any tribunal or ombudsman complaint.

How Does the Renters Rights Act 2026 Compare to the Old Tenancy System?

The core shift is from time-limited, no-reason tenancies to open-ended, reason-based tenancies. Landlords lose the automatic right to reclaim a property at the end of a fixed term, while tenants gain security but also take on clearer, enforceable obligations around arrears and conduct.

Tenants gain long-term stability and a formal complaints route. Landlords gain a clearer, if slower, legal process, but lose flexibility to end a tenancy simply because a fixed term has run out.

Decent Homes Standard, Rent Increases and Dispute Resolution in London

The Decent Homes Standard, previously limited to social housing, now applies to privately rented homes in London, requiring properties to be free of serious hazards, in reasonable repair and reasonably modern in facilities. Rent can only rise once every 12 months via a Section 13 notice, and tenants can challenge an increase they consider above market rate at the First-tier Tribunal.

This changes how rent reviews are evidenced. Landlords need comparable market evidence, not just a percentage uplift, and surveyors are increasingly asked to provide valuation evidence for tribunal cases; see how this plays out in rent review disputes and surveyor valuation evidence. Disputes over repairs, harassment or unlawful eviction attempts can also now go to the new Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman, which sits alongside, not instead of, the county court route.

London Specifics: HMOs, Build-to-Rent, Borough Enforcement and Property Values

London's dense HMO stock and growing build-to-rent sector make enforcement more complex than in most regions, because boroughs must track licensing, periodic tenancy conversions and Decent Homes compliance across a much larger, denser rental market. Some boroughs have added dedicated enforcement officers focused solely on Renters' Rights Act compliance since the May rollout.

Practical effects for London portfolios:

• HMO licensing renewals now require evidence that each room's tenancy has correctly converted to periodic status.
• Build-to-rent operators face reputational risk from ombudsman complaints, given their scale and brand visibility.
• Borough enforcement teams are prioritising landlords with a history of complaints or unlicensed HMOs, rather than blanket inspections.
• Property values for tenanted buy-to-let stock have shifted, since a sitting tenant now represents a longer, harder-to-remove commitment; valuation approaches are covered in this analysis of valuation impact when Section 21 evictions end.

Landlord Compliance Checklist for the Renters Rights Act 2026

Choose this checklist as a working baseline if managing London rental property in September 2026, then adapt it to portfolio size and property type.

• Confirm every tenancy has converted to assured periodic status and update internal records.
• Replace any template Section 21 letters or renewal reminders with Section 8-compliant procedures.
• Review rent-increase timing so no Section 13 notice is issued within 12 months of the last increase.
• Book a Decent Homes Standard condition check for each property, particularly older stock and HMOs.
• Register with the new landlord database and property portal once live in your borough.
• Brief managing agents on the 31 July 2026 cut-off for legacy Section 21 cases.
• Keep dated, written records of arrears, complaints and repair requests to support any future Section 8 claim.

How Surveys and Condition Reports Fit the New Regime

Independent condition surveys now do double duty: they support Decent Homes Standard compliance and provide defensible evidence if a possession or repair dispute reaches a tribunal or ombudsman. A dated, photographed schedule of condition at the start of a periodic tenancy is far stronger evidence than a landlord's word alone.

For London landlords, this matters most in three scenarios:

• HMO compliance, where room-level condition evidence supports licensing renewals; see how decent homes checks feed into building survey checklists.
• Institutional and build-to-rent portfolios, where risk assessments feed lender and investor reporting, detailed in this buy-to-let building survey risk assessment guide.
• Ongoing periodic tenancies, where surveyors increasingly handle notification and record-keeping tasks previously tied to fixed-term renewals, covered in this periodic tenancy survey and landlord database guide.

What Are Common Mistakes Landlords Make With the Renters Rights Act 2026?

The most frequent error is assuming an old Section 21 notice still has some legal weight after 31 July 2026; it does not. Other recurring mistakes include increasing rent more than once a year, skipping a formal Section 13 notice, and failing to document arrears with enough detail to satisfy a court.

Edge case worth flagging: landlords who inherited a tenancy through a property sale sometimes assume the clock resets. It does not. The periodic tenancy and its history transfer with the property, including any prior rent-increase timing and arrears record.

FAQ

Is Section 21 completely banned in London now?
Yes. Since 1 May 2026, Section 21 no-fault evictions cannot be used anywhere in England, including London, for new or existing tenancies.

Can a landlord still ask a tenant to leave if they want to sell the property?
Yes, using the sale ground under Section 8, which requires notice, typically four months, and genuine evidence of an intention to sell.

Do tenants automatically get a new tenancy agreement after May 2026?
No new paperwork is legally required. The conversion to an assured periodic tenancy happened automatically, though many landlords issued updated agreements for clarity.

What if a landlord already went to court using an old Section 21 notice?
The claim is only valid if court proceedings started on or before 31 July 2026. Cases filed after that date using a Section 21 notice will be struck out.

Does the Decent Homes Standard apply to all private rentals in London?
Yes, it now covers the private rented sector across London, requiring homes to be free of serious hazards and in reasonable repair, not just social housing stock.

Can rent be increased whenever a landlord chooses?
No. Rent increases are limited to once every 12 months and must go through a formal Section 13 notice, which tenants can challenge at tribunal.

Conclusion

Five months into enforcement, the Renters Rights Act 2026 London landlords tenants section 21 changes have moved from legislative headline to daily operating reality. Section 21 is gone, periodic tenancies are the norm, and Decent Homes compliance now sits alongside licensing as a core landlord duty. London's density, HMO stock and build-to-rent growth mean enforcement and valuation effects are sharper here than in most regions.

Landlords should audit tenancy status, rent-review timing and condition records this quarter, not wait for a borough inspection to force the issue. Tenants facing an invalid Section 21 notice should hold their ground and report it. Both sides benefit from a documented, dated condition survey, which is fast becoming the strongest form of evidence under the new regime.

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