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Effective 1 May 2026

Renters' Rights Act Compliance Built Into Your Software

The biggest change to UK tenancy law in a generation. Section 21 abolished. Rent increases restricted. Pet rights enforced. Discriminatory listings banned. LettingGuru handles it all — so you stay compliant without thinking about it.

Implementation Timeline

27 Oct 2025

Royal Assent

1 May 2026

Phase 1: Core changes effective

Late 2026

Phase 2: PRS Database, Ombudsman

2027+

Phase 3: Decent Homes Standard

Built-In Compliance

6 compliance modules that protect your agency

Every rule in the Renters' Rights Act is enforced at system level. Not warnings — actual blocks. If it's illegal, you simply can't do it.

No-fault evictions are over

Section 21 Abolished

The Renters' Rights Act abolishes Section 21 'no-fault' evictions entirely. Landlords can only recover possession using Section 8 with valid statutory grounds.

  • Section 21 notices blocked at system level — cannot be issued
  • Eviction Decision Engine validates Section 8 grounds against live tenancy data
  • 12-month protected period enforcement for landlord possession grounds
  • Automatic arrears calculation to check Ground 8 eligibility (3+ months)
  • Full legal process guidance with notice period calculations
  • Every action logged to the Legal Proof Vault for court evidence
Section 21 notices blocked at system level — cannot be issued
Eviction Decision Engine validates Section 8 grounds against live tenancy data
12-month protected period enforcement for landlord possession grounds
The only legal way to raise rent

Section 13 Rent Increases

Under the RRA, rent can only be increased via a formal Section 13 notice. LettingGuru enforces every rule automatically.

  • Rent increases ONLY through Section 13 workflow — direct editing blocked
  • 12-month cooldown enforced — system prevents increases within 12 months
  • 2-month minimum notice period calculated and enforced
  • Effective date aligned to rent period automatically
  • Tenant challenge tracking (First-tier Tribunal workflow)
  • Full audit trail: draft → served → accepted/challenged → applied
Rent increases ONLY through Section 13 workflow — direct editing blocked
12-month cooldown enforced — system prevents increases within 12 months
2-month minimum notice period calculated and enforced
28-day deemed consent built in

Pet Request Management

Tenants have the right to request pets. Landlords must respond within 28 days with a valid statutory reason — or the request is automatically approved.

  • 28-day response deadline tracked per request
  • Deemed consent: auto-approved if landlord fails to respond
  • Only statutory refusal reasons allowed (property size, freeholder prohibits, etc.)
  • 'I don't want pets' is NOT a valid reason — system prevents it
  • Request additional info (pauses timer) → 7-day deadline after info provided
  • Complete pet register with type, breed, vaccination records
28-day response deadline tracked per request
Deemed consent: auto-approved if landlord fails to respond
Only statutory refusal reasons allowed (property size, freeholder prohibits, etc.)
Scan listings before they go live

Anti-Discrimination Listing Checker

Discriminatory phrases in property listings are illegal. Our scanner catches them before they reach Rightmove or Zoopla.

  • 30+ discriminatory patterns detected: 'No DSS', 'Professionals only', 'No children'
  • Income source, family status, age, nationality, disability, gender, religion categories
  • BLOCK severity prevents publishing; WARN severity flags for review
  • Bulk scan all active listings in one click
  • Live text checker for real-time scanning while writing
  • Compliance log entry created for every blocked listing
30+ discriminatory patterns detected: 'No DSS', 'Professionals only', 'No children'
Income source, family status, age, nationality, disability, gender, religion categories
BLOCK severity prevents publishing; WARN severity flags for review
Fixed-term tenancies abolished

Periodic Tenancy Conversion

From 1 May 2026, ALL tenancies become periodic. LettingGuru handles the conversion automatically.

  • Fixed-term option removed from tenancy creation after RRA date
  • All existing tenancies treated as periodic automatically
  • Renewal workflow disabled (periodic tenancies don't renew)
  • Minimum 2-month tenant notice / 4-month landlord notice enforced
  • Move-out checklist calculates earliest legal end date
  • API blocks any attempt to create fixed-term tenancies
Fixed-term option removed from tenancy creation after RRA date
All existing tenancies treated as periodic automatically
Renewal workflow disabled (periodic tenancies don't renew)
Rent cannot exceed advertised price

Rental Bidding Ban

Landlords cannot accept rent above the asking rent. LettingGuru captures the asking rent at listing time and blocks higher offers.

  • Asking rent recorded on property listing
  • Tenancy creation blocked if rent exceeds asking rent
  • Advance rent capped at 1 month maximum
  • Deposit limits enforced (5 weeks for rent under £50k/year)
  • All checks logged to Legal Proof Vault
  • Government info sheet auto-sent to every new tenancy
Asking rent recorded on property listing
Tenancy creation blocked if rent exceeds asking rent
Advance rent capped at 1 month maximum

Blocking, Not Warning

Most compliance tools show you a yellow warning and hope for the best. LettingGuru is different. If an action is illegal under the Act, the system prevents it from happening. No "are you sure?" dialogs. No override buttons. The illegal option simply does not exist.

Fixed-term creation

BLOCKED

Rent above asking

BLOCKED

Invalid refusal reason

BLOCKED

S21 notice

BLOCKED

Court-Ready Evidence

Legal Proof Vault

Every compliance action — every Section 13 notice, every pet request response, every listing check — is logged to an append-only audit trail that cannot be edited or deleted. When you need evidence, it's already there.

  • Append-only logs — no editing, no deleting, ever
  • Timestamped with actor, role, and action details
  • CSV export for solicitors and tribunals
  • Per-tenancy evidence bundles
  • Compliance timeline with deadline tracking
  • 12 categories, 16 action types, unlimited entries
14:32SectionSection 13 notice servedAgent
14:28PetPet request approvedAgent
13:45ListingListing discrimination blockedSystem
11:20InfoInfo sheet sent to tenantAgent
09:15TenancyTenancy created (periodic)Agent

Don't wait for 1 May 2026 to find out you're not compliant

Book a free compliance demo. We'll show you exactly how LettingGuru keeps your agency on the right side of the Renters' Rights Act — automatically.