Renters' Rights Act 2025: what changes for landlord safety

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 did not change how often you need a gas safety check, an EICR or an EPC. What changed on 1 May 2026 is enforcement. Section 21 was abolished, civil penalties rose to £40,000 and rent repayment orders doubled to 24 months' rent. A landlord database follows under draft regulations.

This guide picks out the parts of the Act that touch safety, repairs and certificates. It leaves possession grounds and rent rules to the legal guides. It is part of our landlord safety certificates checklist. We are EliteShires Property Services in Kenton. We carry out landlord certificates and the repairs that follow them across Harrow, Kenton, Stanmore and Edgware, through our property maintenance service for landlords and agents.

What changed on 1 May 2026 for landlord compliance?

Section 21 was abolished, every assured tenancy became periodic, civil penalties rose to £40,000 and rent repayment orders to 24 months' rent (GOV.UK overview for landlords). Councils' new investigatory powers started earlier, on 27 December 2025, and a £7,000 penalty for Category 1 hazards followed on 22 June 2026. The certificate rules underneath them are the same as before.

Renters' Rights Act changes that affect safety and repairs (checked October 2026)

Did the certificate rules themselves change?

No. Gas checks are still annual, EICRs are still needed at least every five years, and an EPC still lasts ten years. The minimum EPC rating is still E. The smoke and CO alarm rules are unchanged. One change came separately. The maximum EICR penalty rose from £30,000 to £40,000 on 1 November 2025, through SI 2025/1043, not through the Act.

The certificate rules after the Act (checked October 2026)

Our table of renewal dates sets out the intervals side by side.

Why does losing section 21 change how you handle repairs?

Because the tenant now usually stays while the work happens. Possession is only available on section 8 grounds, and many need four months' notice. The selling and moving-in grounds can't be used in the first 12 months of a tenancy. A repair, a failed EICR or a damp problem has to be solved with the tenant in place.

In our view, three habits matter more now:

1. Act on repair reports quickly, and in writing. Acknowledge the report, book the visit and note what was done and when. Councils have new investigatory powers, and a dated record is your evidence.
2. Log access attempts. For gas checks, HSE says its inspectors look for at least three attempts to get access. For EICRs, the regulations give a defence where you took all reasonable steps. Keep letters, texts and missed-appointment notes. Never force entry.
3. Plan works around the tenancy, not a void. With periodic tenancies, voids arrive with notice rather than on a fixed date. Book EICRs and gas checks on their own cycle rather than waiting for a gap.

If you want, we arrange access with the tenant directly and report back to you. Our guide to what to do when a tenant refuses access covers the access log in detail.

What is coming next, and is any of it law yet?

None of what is coming is law yet: the landlord database is in draft regulations, and the ombudsman (2028), EPC C (2030) and the Decent Homes Standard (2035) are only announced. The diagram shows each date with its status as of October 2026. Only the first three rows are in force or done.

• The landlord database. It is due to open on 15 December 2026 under regulations laid in draft on 9 September 2026, which were still awaiting Parliament's approval when we checked on 28 October 2026; our guide to getting ready for the landlord database lists what you will need.
• The landlord ombudsman. Membership is expected in 2028. You don't need to join anything yet.
• EPC C by 1 October 2030. The government decided this in January 2026, with a £10,000 cost cap. Legislation is intended for 2027. Today's cap is still £3,500, and the minimum is still E.

When does the Decent Homes Standard reach private lets?

From 2035, under the government's policy statement of 28 January 2026, so not yet. Two things already apply now:

• Category 1 hazards. These are enforceable under Part 1 of the Housing Act 2004, through the Housing Health and Safety Rating System. Since 22 June 2026 councils can also fine up to £7,000 where a Category 1 hazard could reasonably have been removed (Renters' Rights Act 2025 (Commencement No. 3) Regulations 2026).
• Fitness for human habitation. The Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 applies to private tenancies today.

So a serious hazard, such as dangerous electrics or severe damp, is already your problem, nine years before the standard arrives. Our guide to the Decent Homes Standard for private rentals covers the criteria.

Does Awaab's Law apply to private landlords yet?

No. Awaab's Law for the private rented sector is out to consultation from 8 October to 18 December 2026, and no start date has been set. The next phase for social housing is due to start on 30 November 2026, subject to Parliament's approval, and applies to social landlords only.

The duty to deal with damp and mould exists already, under the Housing Act 2004 and the Fitness for Human Habitation Act. We repair and redecorate once the cause has been dealt with. We don't carry out damp investigations, and we will tell you when you need a damp specialist. Our guide to Awaab's Law and damp for private landlords follows the consultation.

What should a landlord do before the end of 2026?

Get the documents the database will ask for into order, and close any open repairs. None of the items below depends on a law that isn't yet in force.

1. Check every certificate date. Look at the gas record, the EICR and the EPC for each property, and diary the renewals.
2. Close open EICR codes. Any C1 or C2 item, and any further investigation the report requires, must be done within 28 days, or sooner if the report says so. Then you need written confirmation for the tenant and the council.
3. Test the alarms and log the test. At the very least, do this at the start of each new tenancy. If one is missing or faulty, we fit sealed or mains-interlinked alarms.
4. Check your licence position. Harrow licenses six wards, Brent covers its Kenton ward, and Barnet licenses HMOs borough-wide. If you let a house to three or four sharers in Harrow, its new additional HMO scheme starts on 6 January 2027, and Harrow accepts applications before then.
5. Set up a repairs log. Record each report, your reply, the visit and the outcome.
6. Set up GOV.UK One Login ready for the database.

For a booking near you, use our pages for property maintenance in Harrow, landlord repairs in Kenton, maintenance in Stanmore and Edgware property maintenance. Book an EICR for a rental or a landlord gas safety check directly. The full certificates checklist covers every check a let needs.