What the Renters' Rights Act Means for Managing Agents in 2026

A new era for tenant rights

The Renters' Rights Act represents the most substantial overhaul of tenant protections since the Housing Act 1988. For managing agents, the changes affect everything from tenancy agreements to maintenance response times, and the penalties for non-compliance are significant.

Phase One, which came into effect in May 2026, abolished Section 21 'no-fault' evictions for new tenancies and introduced a new Ombudsman for all private landlords. But the implications go far beyond eviction rules.

Key changes affecting managing agents

• Abolition of Section 21 — No-fault evictions are no longer available. All evictions must now use reformed Section 8 grounds with strengthened evidence requirements.
• Decent Homes Standard — The private rented sector must now meet the same Decent Homes Standard as social housing, including minimum safety and repair requirements.
• Landlord Ombudsman — All private landlords must register with the new Ombudsman, giving tenants a free route to resolve disputes without court proceedings.
• Rent increase limits — Rent increases are now restricted to once per year via a formal Section 13 notice, with tenants able to challenge excessive increases.
• Pet-friendly provisions — Landlords cannot unreasonably refuse requests to keep pets, though they can require pet damage insurance.

How property management software helps

The new requirements create a significant administrative burden. Modern property management platforms like WiseBlock help by automating compliance tracking, generating the correct notices, and maintaining an auditable trail of all tenancy actions.

With WiseBlock, managing agents can track Decent Homes compliance per property, automate rent increase notifications within the new legal framework, and maintain the documentation that the Ombudsman will expect if a dispute arises.

The agents who thrive under the new regime will be those who invest in systems that make compliance automatic rather than manual.

What to do now

Review all existing tenancy agreements against the new requirements. Update your processes for handling evictions under the reformed Section 8 grounds. Register with the Ombudsman if you haven't already. And critically — ensure your property management system can track and evidence compliance with the Decent Homes Standard across your entire portfolio.