The Renters' Rights Act 2025 became law in England on 1 May 2026, ending Section 21 'no-fault' evictions and replacing fixed-term tenancies with rolling periodic agreements. It is the biggest shake-up of private renting in many years, and it affects the 11 million renters in the private rented sector.

What Has Changed Since 1 May 2026?

Several changes stand out for renters:

1. No-fault evictions are gone: Landlords must now give a specific, legally valid reason to end a tenancy, using the revised grounds. 
2. Fixed-term contracts have ended: Tenancies are now periodic by default, meaning there's no fixed end date - and tenants can leave with two months' notice whenever it suits them. 
3. Rent increases are capped to once a year:  landlords are required to give at least two months' written notice using a set form, and tenants can apply to the tribunal to challenge a proposed rent increase.
4. Pet requests can no longer be refused outright: Landlords have 28 days to respond to a written request from the tenant and must have a genuine, reasonable basis for any refusal.
5. Bidding wars and large upfront payments are restricted: Landlords must advertise a fixed rent and cannot accept offers above it, and they can ask for no more than one month's rent in advance.

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“Renters have been an afterthought in insurance for years, even though they often have the least to fall back on if something goes wrong. With the Renters' Rights Act making it easier for people to keep pets, we're one of very few providers, possibly the only one, offering cover for pet damage, which can be the thing that makes a landlord comfortable saying yes. It's a small example of building products around how people live now, rather than how the industry wishes they did.” Jimmy Williams - Urban Jungle CEO

Does This Apply to Existing Tenancies?

Yes! Most existing assured shorthold tenancies converted automatically to assured periodic tenancies, aka rolling contracts, on 1 May 2026, but some exceptions and transition rules do apply. 

Main exceptions

These types of tenancies don’t fall into the same categories, so aren’t included in the changes: 

• The landlord lives in the property, so it is a resident-landlord arrangement.
• The property is purpose-built student accommodation and the tenants are university students, meaning that accommodation is covered by the specific student-housing framework rather than the ordinary private-rented rules. 
• The tenancy is for more than 21 years.
• The rent is over £100,000 a year.
• The rent is below £250 a year, or below £1,000 a year in London.
• It is a business tenancy or a tenancy of licensed premises.
• It is a holiday let.

(Source: gov, BCL, ACOP)

Renters don't need to do anything to benefit from these new protections - they apply automatically, and landlords were required to confirm the changes in writing by 31 May 2026.

What About Deposits and Disputes?

The deposit rules themselves haven't changed - deposits still need to be protected in a government-approved scheme, with prescribed information given to tenants within 30 days. 

Where a pet causes damage, the landlord can claim against the deposit. However, landlords cannot recover the same loss twice - they cannot claim against both the deposit and insurance for identical damage. If a landlord attempts to claim against both, the insurance claim may be denied or the deposit claim may be required to be refunded.

What Hasn't Changed Yet?

Some elements of the act are still being phased in. A national database for landlords and an independent Ombudsman service are both expected later in 2026, giving tenants more visibility over who they're renting from and an easier route to resolving disputes without going to court.

For social housing, Awaab’s Law was introduced in October 2025. This forces landlords to adhere to hard deadlines when they are made aware of a problem, like damp.

In 2026, the rules will go beyond damp and mould to include hazards such as excess cold, excess heat, falls, structural collapse, explosions, fire, electrical hazards, and hygiene/food safety hazards. 

And in 2027? They go even further, extending to all remaining hazards under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), except overcrowding.

What Does This Mean for Your Contents Insurance?

Contents insurance isn't directly impacted by the Renters' Rights Act, but the Act changes something that affects it indirectly: how easily you can move. 

With fixed terms gone and two months' notice now enough to end a tenancy, renters have more freedom to relocate when their circumstances change. 

It means many renters may want to think about how their contents insurance fits around moving - as structured yearly tenancies may well become a thing of the past. Urban Jungle's Contents Insurance is available on a monthly rolling plan, with no fees to cancel or make changes. 

If you own pets, Urban Jungle offers optional Domestic Pet Owner Cover as an add-on, which covers accidental damage to your contents and your landlord's property caused by your pet. This is available as a separate optional add on to your policy.

So, in all

Renting in England now looks different than it did a year ago, with renters gaining stability and more freedom to ask for what they need, pets included. 

Whatever else changes, protecting what's actually inside the property, and having proof of what was there if something goes wrong, remains entirely down to tenants themselves. 

If you'd like to find out more, you can read about Urban Jungle's Contents Insurance here.

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