By Debbie Franklin, Director of Tax and property tax specialist The Renters' Rights Act received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025. Key measures in the Act are: Abolition of Section 21 evictions and a move to a simpler tenancy structure where all assured tenancies are periodic. To ensure possession grounds are fair to both parties, giving tenants more security, while ensuring landlords can recover their property when reasonable. To provide stronger protections against backdoor eviction by ensuring tenants can appeal excessive above-market rents, which are purely designed to force them out. Introduction of a new Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman that will provide quick, fair, impartial and binding resolution for tenants' complaints about their landlord. Creation of a Private Rented Sector Database to help landlords understand their legal obligations and demonstrate compliance (giving good landlords confidence in their position), alongside providing better information to tenants to make informed decisions when entering into a tenancy agreement. To give tenants strengthened rights to request a pet in the property, which the landlord must consider and cannot unreasonably refuse. To apply the Decent Homes Standard to the private rented sector to give renters safer, better value homes and remove the blight of poor-quality homes in local communities. To apply Awaab's Law to the sector, setting clear legal expectations about the timeframes within which landlords in the private rented sector must take action to make homes safe where they contain serious hazards. To make it illegal for landlords and agents to discriminate against prospective tenants in receipt of benefits or with children - helping to ensure everyone is treated fairly when looking for a place to live. To end the practice of rental bidding by prohibiting landlords and agents from asking for or accepting offers above the advertised rent. Landlords and agents will be required to publish an asking rent for their property and it will be illegal to accept offers made above this rate. To strengthen local authority enforcement by expanding civil penalties, introducing a package of investigatory powers and bringing in a new requirement for local authorities to report on enforcement activity. To strengthen rent repayment orders by extending them to superior landlords, doubling the maximum penalty and ensuring repeat offenders have to repay the maximum amount. The timetable for the measures contained in the bill has yet to be finalised, however, the industry should be prepared for the ending of section 21, the abolition of assured shorthold tenancies and changes to rent increases as soon as Spring 2026.