youngsRPS Renters Rights Guide - Flipbook - Page 5
Tenancy Agreements
Guidance continued...
2026 Onwards
¯All tenancies will have to have a written tenancy
agreement
¯Landlords do not need to change or re-issue existing
tenancy agreements
¯Draft tenancy agreement to be published in January
2026
¯Information sheet to be published in March 2026
¯All tenants will need to be provided with a copy of a
government-produced information sheet before 31 st
May 2026
¯All new tenancy agreements will need to contain
specific information which will be set out in secondary
legislation
A tenant cannot be asked to pay rent before a tenancy
¯
agreement is signed
Possession through the courts
2026 Onwards
¯New digital end-to-end service being developed for
resolving all possession claims in the Count Courts in
England and Wales
¯Service to be rolled out in stages with a first release
in 2026
¯First-tier Tribunal being prepared for reforms to ensure
sufficient capacity
Tenancies and Evictions
Prior to 1 May 2026
¯Up to the date of implementation of the new rules on
1 May 2026 (or unless otherwise advised). New
tenancies will still be offered as an Assured Shorthold
Possession Notices
Tenancy agreement
Up to the date of implementation of the new rules on
May 2026 Onwards
¯
1 May 2026 Section 21 8no fault9 eviction notices can
be served
Section 21 notices will lapse and become time-barred
¯
three months after the new rules are implemented, if
the landlord has not instructed the courts
¯Possession notices can only be served using a Section 8
Notice, using a new form (3A)
¯Possession grounds are either Mandatory or Discretionary
¯If a ground is mandatory, this means that the judge must
give you a possession order if satisfied that the ground is
made out
¯If a ground is discretionary, this means that it is up to the
Rent arrears
May 2026 Onwards
¯Landlords retain the right to eviction on the grounds
of rent arrears
¯There is one mandatory ground (8) and two
court to decide whether it is reasonable to give you a
possession order - even when you have shown that there is
evidence to prove the possession ground
¯Failure to issue mandatory information to a tenant regarding
deposit protection will mean a tenant can only be evicted
using grounds 7a or 14 (anti-social behaviour)
discretionary grounds (9 & 10) as shown on page 5
GUIDANCE CONTINUED | 3
