Reviewed by Bradley Askew, Solicitor (non-practising), England & Wales. Reviewed 21 June 2026.
RRA 2025 Update
What changed under the Renters' Rights Act 2025
Section 21 abolished. Fixed-term assured tenancies abolished. Ground 8 threshold raised to 3 months. Information Sheet required for every tenancy by 31 May 2026. Read the full guide.
The Housing Act 1988 is the foundational statute governing private renting in England. It introduced the assured tenancy regime and has been amended many times — most recently and most significantly by the Renters' Rights Act 2025. This page sets out how the Act works, what the 2025 amendments did, and the key sections every landlord should know.
Why the Housing Act 1988 still matters
The Housing Act 1988 is the foundational statute for private renting in England. It introduced assured tenancies and assured shorthold tenancies, and it has governed the legal framework around possession, rent, and tenant rights for nearly four decades. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 did not replace the Housing Act 1988 — it amended it. Every reference to "the Act" in modern landlord guidance is, in substance, the Housing Act 1988 as amended.
How the 2025 amendments work
The Renters' Rights Act 2025 is a textual amending statute. It works by inserting, deleting, and modifying sections of the Housing Act 1988. The amendments include:
- Sections 1–7 (the foundational definitions of assured tenancies) — amended to remove the assured shorthold subcategory; all assured tenancies are now assured periodic tenancies.
- Section 5 (security of tenure) — amended to abolish fixed-term tenancies and to provide that all assured tenancies are periodic.
- Section 8 and Schedule 2 — substantially amended; the grounds for possession expanded from 17 to 37, with new grounds and revised notice periods.
- Section 13 (rent increases) — amended to require Form 4, two-month notice, and once-a-year frequency; contractual review clauses now void.
- Section 21 and the accelerated procedure — repealed.
- New provisions on the written statement of terms, the Information Sheet, the rent in advance cap, the right to request a pet, and anti-discrimination measures.
Key sections to know
Section 1 — meaning of an assured tenancy
A tenancy is an assured tenancy if it satisfies the conditions in Schedule 1: a single dwelling-house let as a separate dwelling, the tenant being an individual occupying it as their only or principal home, and the tenancy not being one of the excluded categories (high-rent, lodger, business tenancy, etc.).
Section 5 — security of tenure
Provides that an assured tenancy can only be ended by the landlord through a court order under Section 8. From 1 May 2026, Section 5 also provides that fixed-term tenancies are no longer permitted.
Section 7 — orders for possession
Sets out the court's powers to grant possession. The court must grant possession if a mandatory ground is proved; may grant possession if a discretionary ground is proved and it considers it reasonable.
Section 8 — notice of proceedings
Requires the landlord to serve a notice in the prescribed form, specifying the grounds, before issuing possession proceedings.
Section 13 — rent increases
From 1 May 2026, the only mechanism for rent increases on an assured periodic tenancy. Form 4, two-month notice, once every 52 weeks. Tenant can challenge at First-tier Tribunal.
Schedule 1 — exclusions
Lists categories of tenancy that are not assured tenancies — high-rent (over £100,000/year), lodger arrangements, holiday lets, lettings to students by educational institutions, company lets, and several others.
Schedule 2 — grounds for possession
The substantive list of 37 grounds, each setting out the condition to be proved and (in some cases) the procedural requirements for relying on it.
What the Housing Act 1988 does NOT cover
- Wales — Welsh lettings are governed by the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, not the Housing Act 1988.
- Scotland and Northern Ireland — separate jurisdictions with their own statutes.
- Lodger arrangements — sit under the Protection from Eviction Act 1977.
- Repairing obligations — sections 11–17 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 (incorporated by reference into assured tenancies).
- Deposit protection — Housing Act 2004, Part 6.
- Right to rent / immigration checks — Immigration Act 2014.
Reading the Act post-RRA
The full consolidated text of the Housing Act 1988 (as amended) is available on legislation.gov.uk. The amendments take effect from 1 May 2026; older versions of the Act remain available for reference but no longer reflect the law as it now stands. When reading the Act:
- Use the consolidated version dated post-1-May-2026.
- Be alert to references to "assured shorthold tenancy" — these provisions are largely repealed.
- Pay particular attention to the revised Schedule 2 (grounds for possession) — the change in this schedule is the most consequential element of the 2025 amendments.