Renting comes with rights and responsibilities on both sides, and the law is changing significantly. Knowing where you stand helps tenants feel secure and helps landlords stay on the right side of the rules.
Deposits and repairs
If you rent privately with an assured shorthold tenancy, your deposit must be protected in a government-approved tenancy deposit scheme within 30 days, and you should be given the scheme details. When it comes to repairs, the landlord is responsible for the structure and exterior and for keeping the heating, hot water, gas, electrics and sanitation in working order — that duty is set by the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 and can’t be signed away in the tenancy agreement.
The Renters’ Rights Act 2025
The Renters’ Rights Act became law in October 2025 and brings the biggest shake-up of private renting in decades. From 1 May 2026:
- Section 21 “no-fault” evictions are abolished. Assured shorthold tenancies end, and all private tenancies become periodic assured tenancies with no fixed end date.
- A landlord who wants possession must use a Section 8 notice and prove a valid ground (for example serious rent arrears, or wanting to sell or move in).
- Tenants can leave by giving two months’ notice, and rent can normally be increased only once a year.
Wider reforms also extend a “Decent Homes Standard” and Awaab’s Law (strict timescales for dealing with hazards like damp and mould) to the private sector.
Eviction must be lawful
However a tenancy ends, a landlord can only evict through the proper legal process — serving the correct notice and, if needed, getting a court order and using bailiffs. Changing the locks, cutting off services or pressuring a tenant to leave is illegal eviction and harassment, a criminal offence councils can act on.
What to do next
Tenants worried about their home should get free advice from Shelter or Citizens Advice; for help with the rent itself, see our housing and rent support page. If the property is in disrepair, our housing disrepair guidance explains how to claim.
Sources
GOV.UK (Renters’ Rights Act 2025; tenancy deposit protection; evicting tenants); Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, s.11 (legislation.gov.uk); Shelter England. Reviewed: 3 September 2026.