Landlord Preparation for the Renters' Rights Act: A Checklist by Phase

Landlord preparation for the Renters' Rights Act is no longer about one date. The first phase has been in force in England since 1 May 2026, the landlord database starts rolling out in December 2026, and the ombudsman and new housing standards follow later. This checklist takes each phase in order, then covers the questions landlords ask most: notice periods, inspections, fines and costs.

This is general information, not legal advice. It covers private assured tenancies in England, reflects official sources checked in September 2026, and does not cover every exception. Dates for later phases can change; each one below is linked to where the government states it.

The phases and their dates

Sources: the government's roadmap (gov.uk, implementing the Renters' Rights Act 2025: our roadmap, checked September 2026) and its database announcement (gov.uk, stronger protections and greater confidence for renters, 9 September 2026, checked September 2026).

Phase 1 checklist: already in force

Everything here applies now. If you have not done it, it is overdue.

1. Tenancy agreements. All assured shorthold tenancies became assured periodic tenancies on 1 May 2026, and a tenancy can no longer have an end date. Retire templates with fixed terms and break clauses (gov.uk, Renters' Rights Act: an overview for landlords, checked September 2026).
2. Information sheet. For tenancies with a written agreement that existed before 1 May 2026, the government's Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 had to be given by 31 May 2026; for oral tenancies, a written summary of the main terms by the same date. Check you can prove when and how you sent it (gov.uk, written information you need to give your tenant, checked September 2026).
3. New tenancies. Give the required written information before the tenancy starts.
4. Adverts. One stated rent, no inviting or accepting higher offers, no wording that excludes people with children or on benefits. See writing lettings adverts under the Renters' Rights Act.
5. Rent in advance. Nothing before signing; at most one month after signing and before the start date.
6. Rent increases. Once a year, never in the first year of the tenancy, on Form 4A with at least 2 months' notice. A rent review clause agreed before 1 May 2026 does not apply to an increase that would take effect after it (gov.uk, rent increases, checked September 2026).
7. Pets. A process for written requests and a written reply within 28 days. See the Renters' Rights Act and pets.
8. Possession. Section 21 is gone. Learn the section 8 grounds you might rely on and their notice periods (table below).
9. Deposits. Still protected within 30 days. The overview for landlords says a court will only give a possession order where the deposit rules have been followed, such as protecting it in an approved scheme, so check every existing deposit.
10. Records. One folder per property: agreement, written information, certificates, deposit protection, and a log of what was sent and when.

Phase 2 checklist: database and ombudsman

The database. The government says it launches on 15 December 2026, starting in the West Midlands and moving to other areas over 12 months. When your area is called forward, you have three months to register, and not registering risks a fine. Draft regulations published on legislation.gov.uk set out a region-by-region order through 2027 and leave the fee to the database operator (legislation.gov.uk, Private Rented Sector Database Regulations 2026, draft, checked September 2026). They are a draft, so the order could change.

The roadmap says you will need to provide your contact details, the property's full address, type and number of bedrooms, and gas, electrical and EPC safety information. So, now:

1. Collect every property's current gas safety record, electrical report and EPC in one place.
2. Note each expiry date and book renewals before they lapse.
3. Make sure joint owners know who will register.
4. Watch for your region's announcement if you let outside the West Midlands.

The ombudsman. Membership will be compulsory for private landlords; the roadmap expects this in 2028, funded by landlords. Nothing to join yet. What helps now is a written complaints process, so a dispute has a record before it reaches anyone else.

Phase 3: standards to plan for

• Decent Homes Standard. The government plans to apply it to private rentals. The roadmap says the consultation proposed 2035 or 2037 and that the timeline will be confirmed.
• Awaab's Law. The Act allows regulations requiring landlords to fix hazards such as damp and mould within set times. The government has said it will consult on details and timing for private rentals.
• Energy efficiency. The legal minimum today is EPC E. The government's guidance says it aims for as many privately rented homes as possible to reach band C by 2030 (gov.uk, minimum energy efficiency standard guidance, checked September 2026). If your EPC is D or below, get a quote for improvements now, before any deadline creates a queue for contractors.

Renters' Rights Act notice periods

For a landlord seeking possession, the government's grounds guidance gives these periods (gov.uk, grounds for possession: guidance for landlords, checked September 2026):

If you use ground 1 or 1A, the Act stops you re-letting or marketing the property to let from when the notice is served until twelve months after the earliest date the notice gives for starting proceedings (Housing Act 1988, section 16E, inserted by the Renters' Rights Act 2025, legislation.gov.uk).

Tenants can end the tenancy with 2 months' notice at any point, unless you agreed a shorter period (gov.uk, ending a tenancy, checked September 2026). Rent increases need at least 2 months' notice on Form 4A.

Renters' Rights Act and landlords' inspections

Two different things get called inspections.

Your own visits. You have a right to enter to inspect or carry out repairs, but you must give the tenant at least 24 hours' notice, except in emergencies, and the tenant has the right to stay in during repairs (gov.uk, making repairs, checked September 2026). Put routine visits in writing with the date and a time window, and note the outcome.

For electrical checks, the regulations say a landlord is not in breach if they took all reasonable steps and a tenant prevented entry, and not bringing court proceedings to get in does not by itself count as failing to take reasonable steps (legislation.gov.uk, Electrical Safety Standards Regulations 2020, regulation 3, checked September 2026). Keep every access request you send.

Council inspections. Since 27 December 2025, councils have had stronger powers to inspect properties, demand documents and access third-party data, according to the roadmap. The government's guide says those include powers of entry, with residential entry available in more limited circumstances (gov.uk, guide to the Renters' Rights Act, checked September 2026). The practical preparation is the folder from the Phase 1 checklist: if a council asks for documents, you can send them the same day.

Renters' Rights Act fines

Only what the government and the Act state:

The £7,000 limit for the bidding rules is in section 57 of the Act (legislation.gov.uk, Renters' Rights Act 2025, section 57, checked September 2026). Penalties are imposed by the local housing authority, which decides the amount up to the maximum.

Renters' Rights Act landlord costs

No figures here, because the government has not published most of them yet. What to budget for, with your own numbers:

• Database fee. An annual registration fee, to be confirmed closer to launch. Budget per property once announced.
• Ombudsman fee. The government expects a small annual fee per property, expected from 2028.
• Paperwork. Updating tenancy agreement templates and possession paperwork, whether you do it yourself or pay someone.
• Cash flow. At most one month's rent in advance, so plan for the gap if you used to take more.
• Property standards. EPC improvements, and later Decent Homes and Awaab's Law work. Get quotes now.
• Voids. Possession on ground 1 or 1A carries the twelve-month re-letting restriction, so factor that into any plan to sell or move in.

A simple way to see the total: list each property, add the known annual costs (certificates, insurance), then add a line for each item above and fill it in as the government publishes the fees.

The whole checklist in one list (England)

1. Periodic tenancy agreements, no fixed terms.
2. Information sheet sent to pre-May tenants, with proof.
3. Written information for every new tenancy.
4. Adverts with one rent and nothing that excludes families or people on benefits.
5. No more than one month's rent in advance.
6. Form 4A for rent increases, once a year.
7. A pet request process with a 28-day calendar reminder.
8. Section 8 grounds and notice periods understood.
9. Deposits protected.
10. Gas, electrical and EPC documents collected for the database.
11. Access requests for inspections sent in writing, 24 hours ahead.
12. A written complaints process.
13. A cost line for database and ombudsman fees.

Where Loftfolio fits

Loftfolio is a lettings website with an applicant pipeline behind it. UK listings get material-information fields built in: price, tenure, council tax band, and the deposit on a letting, and each listing carries one rent figure, not a range. Loftfolio charges applicants nothing. Applicants book viewings from the listing, with email confirmations and a reminder the day before. Only enquiries made through your own Loftfolio site become applications; portal, email and phone enquiries do not, so reply with the listing's link and they apply there.

It does not do referencing, tenancy agreements, deposits or rent, and it does not make a letting lawful. For the duties before any tenancy starts, see how to become a landlord in the UK, and check each advert against the UK material information checklist.

Next step

Work through items 1 to 3 of the list above this week. They are the Phase 1 duties with deadlines already behind them.