Since the Renters' Rights Act received Royal Assent in October 2025, the landlord forums have been full of doom. "Mass exodus of landlords." "End of the PRS." "Tenants can never be evicted."
Some of that is genuine concern from people navigating real complexity. Some of it is people misreading the legislation. And some of it - frankly - is estate agents trying to scare private landlords into selling their portfolios.
This guide cuts through it. Real risks, FUD, and what you can do about each one.
The Real Risks (Take These Seriously)
1. The 31 May 2026 deadlines are real and most landlords don't know about them
This is the clearest and most underreported risk in the Act.
From 1 May 2026, all existing tenancies automatically convert to Assured Periodic Tenancies. The Government requires landlords to serve a Government Information Sheet on all existing tenants by 31 May 2026. Fail to serve it: civil penalty up to £7,000.
For HMO landlords with a student property, there's a second deadline: to use the new Ground 4A for student possession, you must have served a written statement of student occupation before the tenancy was entered into. If you have returning students whose agreements pre-date 1 May 2026, you need to check your position now.
These are not theoretical risks. They're administrative deadlines with financial penalties attached.
What First Door does: Compliance certificate and document tracking with tenant acknowledgement. The tenant portal lets tenants confirm receipt of notices. This creates the audit trail you need if your compliance is ever questioned.
2. Possession without Section 21 requires you to actually know what you're doing
Section 21 was a blunt instrument, but it worked because it was simple. From 1 May 2026, you must use Section 8 and specify a valid ground.
The most relevant grounds for HMO landlords:
- Ground 1A (new) - landlord wishes to sell
- Ground 4A (new) - student property recovery (requires prior written statement)
- Ground 8 - mandatory, serious rent arrears (two months+)
- Ground 10/11 - discretionary rent arrears
- Ground 12 - breach of tenancy obligation
The risk isn't that you can't get possession. The risk is that if you serve the wrong ground, or use incorrect notice periods, or don't have your paperwork in order, the process fails and you're back to square one. Courts will not accept procedural sloppiness.
What First Door does: Maintenance issue tracking, tenancy records, and document pack management all contribute to the paper trail that supports valid possession proceedings. Knowing exactly when rent was due, what was reported, and what was served is what makes Ground 8 and 12 cases stick.
3. Making Tax Digital is coming in April 2026
This one isn't directly part of the RRA but it lands at the same time and is generating similar confusion.
If your rental income plus other self-employment income is over £50,000, you must use HMRC-approved MTD-compatible software for quarterly digital reporting from April 2026. The threshold drops to £30,000 in April 2027.
This isn't optional and it isn't "register when you feel like it." HMRC is enforcing it.
What First Door does: Income and expense tracking tied to your properties, with Xero integration for landlords who want full accounting. This isn't a spreadsheet. It's a proper financial record by property, by room, by period - the kind of structured data MTD software needs to work with.
The FUD (Read These and Relax)
"Tenants can never be evicted now"
False. Section 21 is abolished - the no-fault route is gone. But Section 8 with valid grounds still works. Mandatory Ground 8 (serious rent arrears) still results in a possession order. The process is more demanding, but landlords with legitimate grounds and good records will still get possession.
The landlords who are genuinely at risk are the ones who have been relying on S21 because their documentation isn't good enough to support a Section 8 case. That's a record-keeping problem, not a legislation problem.
"You can't raise rents anymore"
Also false. Rent increases are still permitted via a formal process (Section 13 notice or rent review clause). The Act restricts in-tenancy increases to once per year and creates a route for tenants to challenge excessive increases at tribunal. Reasonable, market-rate increases are not at risk. Landlords trying to double rents mid-tenancy as a back-door eviction mechanism - that's what's being restricted.
"Fixed-term tenancies are just abolished - it's chaos"
Partly true, mostly manageable. Fixed terms disappear - all tenancies become periodic from 1 May. For non-student HMOs, this means annual renewals go away (less admin, not more). The operational complexity is in student HMOs where landlords rely on a fixed year-on-year turnover. Ground 4A is the replacement mechanism specifically designed for this - but you need the paperwork in place before the tenancy starts.
"You have to accept pets now"
Nuanced. The Act creates an implied right for tenants to request permission for pets, and landlords can only refuse on reasonable grounds. You don't have to say yes to every pet. You do have to respond, give a reason if you say no, and not have a blanket "no pets" clause in your tenancy agreement. For HMOs, you can still decline on reasonable grounds (fire risk, other tenants' allergies, property suitability). This is a change, but not an unmanageable one.
The Bottom Line
The Renters' Rights Act adds process requirements - it does not make legitimate landlording impossible. The landlords who are most at risk are those who:
- Miss the May/June 2026 administrative deadlines
- Don't have the documentation to support Section 8 possession if they need it
- Are unprepared for MTD digital reporting requirements
First Door exists to solve all three. Compliance tracking with expiry alerts. Tenancy records and maintenance logs that hold up in court. Financial tracking integrated with proper accounting.
If you want to see how your current setup stacks up, take the free portfolio health assessment. It takes two minutes and gives you a personalised score across compliance, financial tracking, and tenant management.
Key Dates
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| By 30 April 2026 | Last date to serve a valid Section 21 notice |
| 1 May 2026 | Act comes into force. All tenancies become Assured Periodic Tenancies. |
| 31 May 2026 | Deadline to serve Government Information Sheet on all existing tenants |
| 31 May 2026 | Deadline to serve Ground 4A student occupation statement (if applicable) |
| April 2026 | MTD for landlords over £50k income begins |
| April 2027 | MTD threshold drops to £30k |
Last updated: March 2026. Legislation is subject to amendment. Check GOV.UK and MHCLG for the official Government Information Sheet when published.