Renters’ Rights Act enforcement split into breaches and offences

From 1st May 2026, enforcement of the new Renters’ Rights Act measures will be split into two categories of breaches and offences.

A local authority will be able to impose fines on you, letting agents or anyone acting on your behalf (other than a qualified legal representative) and could be given a financial penalty of up to £7,000 if you have committed one or more of the following breaches:

Claim to let the property on a fixed-term tenancy instead of a rolling tenancy – Claim to end a tenancy verbally – Require a tenancy to be ended verbally – Fail to give a tenant written notice that a specified ground might be used where this is required by law – Fail to give a written statement of terms containing the information required by regulations – Fail to give existing tenants an information sheet which tells them about changes made by the Act – Use a possession ground in a section 8 notice, ‘purported’ notice of possession or claim form when you do not reasonably believe that a possession order will be granted by the court on that ground – Try to end the tenancy using a ‘notice to quit’ or purported notice of possession.

From 1 May 2026, you could be given a financial penalty of up to £40,000 as an alternative to prosecution if you are found to have committed one or more of the following offences:

Relet or remarketed a property within the 12 month no relet and remarketing ‘restricted period’ after using statutory grounds for possession 1 or 1A, unless you took all reasonable steps not to or an exception applies

Knowingly used a ground for possession despite knowing that a court would not order possession on it, or being reckless about that, resulting in the tenant leaving within four months without an order for possession being made

Committed a breach within five years of a previous offence

Committed a breach within five years of receiving a financial penalty for a previous breach that has not been withdrawn

Continued to commit a breach for more than 28 days after receiving a financial penalty for that breach that has not been withdrawn and is not the subject of an ongoing appeal.

The above does not cover all possible breaches and offences.

Judith