Do I need to issue a new tenancy agreement or grant a new tenancy with the enactment of the bill?
No – assured shorthold tenancies will automatically become assured periodic tenancies and any terms that are in contravention of the bill will be unenforceable.
When will the bill become law?
On 22nd October 2025 the Renters Rights Bill completed its final stage before Royal Assent. The government will announce its plans for implementation in the coming weeks after this date. Some elements of the legislation – such as the abolition of Section 21 and the shift to periodic tenancies – will come into force on the commencement date, which will likely be somewhere between April and June 2026.
Does the new law mean I will be changing tenants more often?
Not necessarily. The intent of the law is to provide tenants with greater security with the suggestion that tenants welcome longer term tenancies. The new law does however make it easier for tenants to end tenancies. The law prevents tenants being locked into long-term tenancies in housing that may (for example) be sub-standard so a tenant will be able to end a tenancy without reason by giving just 2 months’ notice (the end date of the tenancy will need to align with the end of a rent period). So it is possible some tenancies will be shorter than the historical average but equally some tenancies will be longer than the historical average.
Further Reading
Guide to the Renters Rights Act – Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government