Three Things Landlords Can't Do Any More Under the Renters' Rights Act

Most of the Renters' Rights Act coverage looks forward — the coming database, the ombudsman, dates years out. But a set of rules is already in force and governs how you let a property today. These aren't future obligations to plan for; they changed the day-to-day of letting from spring 2026, and they're the ones catching landlords out right now — often without them realising they've broken a rule. Here are three of the most common, what each one actually means, and how to stay on the right side of them. As always, the detail is set by government and can be refined, so verify the current position on GOV.UK before you rely on any of it.

1. You can't accept offers above the advertised rent

"Rental bidding" is out. When you advertise a property, you now have to state a proposed rent — and you can't invite, encourage or accept offers above that figure. The days of listing low, letting applicants bid each other up, and taking the highest offer are over. If you'd genuinely undervalued the property, the answer is to advertise it at the right price in the first place, not to run an auction once the viewings start. Set your asking rent deliberately, because that number is now the ceiling for that advertisement.

2. You can raise the rent only once a year — and only the right way

For an ongoing tenancy, rent increases are now standardised: broadly, once in any 12-month period, using the proper statutory process — a formal notice (the Section 13 route) giving the required notice period before the new rent takes effect. A tenant who thinks the increase is above market rate can challenge it at the First-tier Tribunal — and because the tribunal can no longer set the rent above your figure, challenges have become low-risk, so doing it right and evidencing your figure matters more than ever. The practical trap is procedural: increase the rent too often, or serve the wrong notice with the wrong notice period, and the increase can be invalid — meaning the tenant doesn't owe the new amount, and you have to start again. Getting the timing and the paperwork right matters as much as the figure. It also means you can't simply raise the rent to offset rising costs whenever you like — worth bearing in mind alongside the confirmed and rumoured tax changes squeezing margins from the other side.

3. You can't turn tenants away for having children or claiming benefits

Blanket "No DSS" or "no children" policies are unlawful. You can't refuse to let to someone, or treat them less favourably, simply because they receive benefits or because they have children — whether that's stated in an advert, applied informally at the viewing stage, or built into how you screen enquiries. You can still assess whether a tenancy is affordable and sustainable for a given applicant on legitimate grounds; what you can't do is apply a category ban. The safe approach is a consistent, criteria-based process applied to everyone — which also protects you from discrimination complaints more broadly.

The through-line: it's about process, not just intent

What connects all three is that they're judged on what you did and can show, not what you meant. An advert priced correctly, a rent increase served on the right date with the right notice, a screening process applied consistently — each is a small piece of evidence that you followed the rules. Keep those records and most of the risk disappears. The same logic drives other in-force changes: with large sums of rent in advance now banned, your referencing and tenant-selection trail is the risk buffer that upfront cash used to be — and with tenants now able to request a pet you can't unreasonably refuse, a written, reasoned response is what makes your decision defensible.

• Advertise at a realistic rent — you can't take more than the advertised figure.
• Increase rent no more than once a year, using the correct notice and notice period.
• Diarise the date of each rent review so you don't breach the 12-month rule by accident.
• Screen every applicant on the same legitimate, affordability-based criteria — no category bans.
• Keep dated copies of adverts, notices served and your screening process.

What landlords should do now

1. Review your adverts and listing habits — set the asking rent carefully and drop anything that invites bidding or excludes benefit claimants or families.
2. Standardise your rent-increase routine — one review a year, correct notice, correct form, logged with the date.
3. Write down your tenant-selection criteria and apply them to everyone the same way.
4. Keep the evidence — the advert, the notice, the dates — so you can show you complied if it's ever questioned. The same goes for the Information Sheet you had to serve existing tenants: serve it if you haven't, and record that you did.
5. Check GOV.UK for the current detail — notice periods and forms are set by government and can change.

These in-force rules sit alongside the bigger changes people talk about more — the end of no-fault eviction and the phased reforms still to come. If you want the full picture, see how possession works now Section 21 is gone and our Renters' Rights Act timeline for what's confirmed and when. And because every one of these rules is proven by your paperwork, the same airtight records that win a possession case are what keep you compliant day to day. To pressure-test your own process against everything now in force, run the Renters' Rights Act compliance check.

General guidance for UK landlords, not legal advice. The Renters' Rights Act rules described here are in force in England but the detail — including notice periods, the correct forms and how each rule is applied — is set by government and can change. Always confirm the current requirements at GOV.UK and take professional advice on your specific situation.