The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025, and its main Phase 1 tenancy reforms came into force on 1 May 2026.
It is one of the biggest changes to the private rented sector in a generation, and if you’re a landlord in Solihull, Birmingham, or anywhere across the two areas’ rental markets, the new rules are already affecting how most assured tenancies are managed.
Whether you own a single buy-to-let in Shirley or a portfolio of properties across Erdington and Edgbaston, the tenancy framework has changed.
Here’s exactly what’s different and what you need to do now.
What the Renters’ Rights Act actually changed
The first phase of the Act introduced several major changes simultaneously on 1 May 2026.
Section 21 is gone
Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions have been abolished for private assured tenancies.
You can no longer use Section 21 simply to regain possession without relying on a statutory ground.
If you need to regain possession of your property, you generally need to use one of the reformed Section 8 grounds.
These include circumstances such as serious rent arrears, anti-social behaviour, or where the landlord genuinely intends to sell or move themselves or qualifying family members into the property.
Each ground has its own requirements, evidence and notice period.
That means landlords need to understand the correct process before taking action rather than assuming the same procedure applies in every case.
Most assured tenancies are now periodic
Most existing assured shorthold tenancies automatically became assured periodic tenancies on 1 May 2026.
Most new assured tenancies also operate on a periodic basis rather than using the traditional fixed-term AST model.
What this means in practice:
- Traditional fixed-term ASTs have largely been replaced by assured periodic tenancies.
- Tenants can generally end their tenancy by giving two months’ written notice.
- Landlords need to rely on the appropriate statutory possession ground if they want the property back.
If you already had a written tenancy agreement before 1 May 2026, you did not necessarily need to replace the whole contract.
Instead, landlords with qualifying existing written tenancies were required to provide tenants with the government’s Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet by the relevant deadline.
Rental bidding is banned
If you advertise a rental property in writing, you need to state a specific asking rent.
You cannot ask or encourage prospective tenants to offer more than the advertised amount. You also cannot accept an offer above the advertised rent.
This means setting an evidence-based asking rent from the outset has become even more important.
The latest ONS figures show that average private rents reached £1,279 per month in Solihull in August 2026, up 3.2% year-on-year.
In Birmingham, the average reached £1,099 per month, up 3.0% over the same period.
Those are local-authority averages rather than valuations for individual homes, but they provide useful context when reviewing a property’s asking rent.
Rent in advance is restricted
The rules around rent in advance also changed from 1 May 2026.
A landlord or letting agent cannot ask for, encourage or accept rent before the tenancy agreement has been signed.
After the agreement has been signed and before the tenancy begins, the landlord can generally require no more than one month’s rent in advance for a monthly tenancy.
This means asking a tenant for several months’ rent upfront is no longer a standard lawful alternative to referencing under the new rules.
The PRS Database is coming
The new Private Rented Sector Database is part of Phase 2 of the government’s implementation programme.
Regional rollout is expected to begin from late 2026.
Once the relevant regulations take effect, registration will become mandatory for private landlords and landlords will need to provide information about themselves and their properties.
Government plans indicate that this will include:
- Landlord contact details.
- Property details.
- Gas safety information where applicable.
- Electrical safety information.
- Energy Performance Certificate information.
However, universal registration is not yet a completed Phase 1 requirement in September 2026.
Landlords should prepare for rollout and follow the government’s implementation guidance as it becomes available.
The PRS Landlord Ombudsman comes later
The Landlord Ombudsman is also part of the Renters’ Rights Act reforms, but it does not become mandatory alongside the first database rollout.
The government currently expects mandatory landlord membership of the Ombudsman in 2028, after the scheme has been established and scaled up.
The Ombudsman will provide tenants with an independent route for resolving certain disputes and complaints without immediately going to court.
For now, landlords should be aware that the requirement is coming rather than treating membership as an existing September 2026 obligation.
What you need to do right now
Don’t wait for later phases of the Act before reviewing the parts that already apply.
Review your tenancy management approach
With Section 21 gone, tenancy management needs to be proactive and well documented. That means:
- Keeping clear records of important communication with tenants.
- Documenting property condition at the beginning of a tenancy and during relevant inspections.
- Responding to maintenance and safety issues appropriately.
- Keeping evidence required for possession grounds where relevant.
- Understanding which Section 8 ground applies before starting possession proceedings.
Good records are not simply administrative housekeeping. They can become important evidence if a dispute or possession case arises.
Audit your properties for energy-efficiency planning
The government has confirmed a single compliance date of 1 October 2030 for its new higher private rented sector energy-efficiency standard.
The future requirement is more nuanced than simply requiring today’s EPC Band C.
Under the selected dual-metric system, properties will need to meet the required fabric-performance standard and then either a heating-system or smart-readiness standard.
For landlords with older Birmingham terraces or period properties around Solihull, it makes sense to understand the existing EPC and likely improvement needs well before the deadline.
Landlords should also note the government’s planned £10,000 cost cap and transitional recognition for qualifying existing EPC C certificates obtained before 1 October 2029.
Waiting until immediately before the deadline could leave less time to assess the property, obtain quotes and plan appropriate works.
Check your rent is set correctly
Because rental bidding is banned, the advertised rent needs to be realistic from the beginning.
Overpricing may reduce enquiry. Underpricing may mean the property is not achieving what comparable evidence supports.
Use genuinely comparable local properties rather than relying only on broad postcode averages or assumed yield figures.
For example, the latest official data gives a Solihull-wide average rent of £1,279 and Birmingham-wide average of £1,099, but an individual property in Shirley, Edgbaston or Erdington may sit significantly above or below those figures.
A property-specific rental appraisal is therefore more useful than assuming an entire postcode delivers a particular yield.
Prepare for PRS Database registration
Although universal registration is not yet fully live, portfolio landlords should begin organising the information they are likely to need. That may include:
- Details of every rental property.
- Ownership and landlord contact information.
- Current EPC information.
- Gas safety documentation where applicable.
- Electrical safety records.
- Occupancy and property details.
For landlords managing several properties across Solihull and Birmingham, organising this information now can make the future registration process easier.
What happens if you don’t comply
The Renters’ Rights Act significantly strengthened enforcement.
For certain breaches, local authorities can issue civil penalties of up to £7,000.
For specified offences, serious conduct, continuing breaches or repeat breaches, penalties can reach £40,000 as an alternative to prosecution.
The exact penalty depends on the legal duty that has been breached and the circumstances.
For example, breaches relating to rental bidding and some tenancy duties can fall within the £7,000 civil-penalty framework. Repeat or more serious offences can trigger the higher enforcement regime.
Future PRS Database and Ombudsman offences will become enforceable when those respective provisions are brought into force.
Non-compliance can therefore create both financial and operational risk.
That makes it important to distinguish between obligations already in force and reforms that are still being rolled out.
How Hunters Solihull can help
Navigating this level of change is easier with the right support.
Hunters Solihull works with landlords across Solihull and the wider Birmingham area, from single buy-to-lets to larger property portfolios.
The team can help landlords review current rental evidence, discuss management options and understand how day-to-day tenancy processes need to operate under the post-May 2026 framework.
Depending on the service selected, professional management can also help with areas such as tenant communication, rent collection, maintenance coordination and tenancy administration.
Professional management does not remove the landlord’s underlying legal responsibilities. But it can provide a structured way to manage the property and keep important tenancy processes organised.
Whether you’re reassessing your portfolio strategy, preparing for future PRS Database registration, or simply want a clearer picture of where your rents sit in today’s market, Hunters Solihull can help you review your options.
Get your rental strategy right for 2026 and beyond
The Renters’ Rights Act has changed the landscape. But the important thing is to separate what already applies from what is still coming.
Section 21 is gone. Most assured tenancies are now periodic. Rental bidding is prohibited. Rent in advance is restricted.
The PRS Database begins rolling out from late 2026. Mandatory Ombudsman membership is expected later, currently in 2028. And the higher energy-efficiency standard is due from 1 October 2030.
Know your obligations. Act early. Keep good records.
Book a free rental valuation with Hunters Solihull today and get a current, property-specific view of what your property could achieve in the rental market.
Want to talk through your specific situation? Get in touch with the Hunters Solihull team directly.
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