Short answer
Phase one of the Renters' Rights Act 2025 took effect in England on 1 May 2026. For a letting agency website the main changes are: every rental advert must state a specific proposed rent; listings and enquiry forms must not invite offers above it; rent in advance is limited to one month; and nothing in listings or forms should discourage renters because they have children or receive benefits. Tenancy wording also needs updating as most tenancies became periodic.
The Renters' Rights Act 2025 is a major change to private renting in England. Much of it concerns tenancies, possession and landlord obligations rather than websites. But several provisions change how rentals can be advertised, and a letting agency website is where most of those adverts first appear. This guide covers the website-relevant parts. It is not legal advice, and the Act's detail matters, so check specifics with your adviser or professional body.
The timeline
The government's implementation roadmap, published on 13 November 2025, set out the order of changes.[1] The parts most relevant to agency websites are in phase one, which started on 1 May 2026:
- section 21 "no fault" evictions abolished in the private rented sector;
- most tenancies becoming assured periodic tenancies;
- rental bidding and rent in advance banned;
- discrimination against renters with children or who receive benefits made illegal;
- landlords required to consider pet requests within 28 days and give valid reasons for refusing.
Later phases include a private rented sector database, with regional rollout from late 2026, and a landlord ombudsman, with membership expected in 2028.[1]
1. State the rent
Section 56 of the Act is titled "Requirement to state rent and to avoid rental bidding".[2] As quoted by Field Court Chambers, it requires that the rent payable under the letting is a specific amount, the proposed rent, and that the advertisement or offer states the proposed rent.[3] The government's guidance for landlords puts it plainly: when you advertise or offer a property in writing, you must say how much the rent is, and it must be a specific amount rather than a range. Written adverts include online and printed adverts, social media posts and digital messages, while a "to let" sign is not a written advert.[4]
On the website:
- every rental listing shows one specific monthly rent;
- remove phrases such as "offers invited", "rent on application", "from £X" or price ranges on individual listings;
- check that the feed from your CRM always carries a rent figure, and that the template flags a listing with a missing rent before it goes live.
2. Do not invite bids
The same section prohibits rental bidding. The government roadmap describes it this way: landlords and letting agents will not be able to ask for, encourage, or accept an offer that is higher than the advertised rent.[1] Financial penalties are set out in section 57 of the Act.[2] The same government guidance says a landlord may be fined up to £7,000 for a first offence, with a further fine of up to £7,000 for a repeated breach within five years.[4]
On the website:
- remove any "make an offer" or "best and final offers" wording from rental listings and enquiry forms;
- take out form fields that ask applicants what rent they would be willing to pay;
- review automated emails and property alerts for the same wording.
3. Rent in advance
The roadmap says landlords and agents will not be able to request more than one month's rent in advance.[1] Listing templates, tenant guides and fee pages can mention several months' rent upfront as an option for applicants who cannot pass referencing. That wording needs to go.
On the website: search your tenant pages, listing templates and FAQs for "months in advance", "rent upfront" and similar phrases, and replace them with wording that reflects the limit.
4. No discrimination against families or renters on benefits
From 1 May 2026, it is illegal to discriminate against renters because they have children or receive benefits. The roadmap says the ban covers withholding information about a property, including its availability, as well as preventing viewings or refusing tenancies.[1] The Act contains separate provisions for England, Wales and Scotland on this point.[2]
On the website:
- remove phrases such as "no DSS", "no benefits", "no children" or "professionals only" from listing templates and descriptions;
- check search filters, which sometimes include options like "students only" or "professionals preferred" that could exclude people;
- check enquiry forms for questions about benefit status or children that are not needed at the enquiry stage;
- make sure availability information is the same for every enquirer.
5. Tenancy wording
With most tenancies becoming assured periodic tenancies, and tenants able to end them with two months' notice according to the roadmap, website wording about fixed terms needs a review.[1] Phrases such as "six month minimum tenancy" or "12 month fixed term" on listings, and landlord pages promising certainty of a fixed term, may now be misleading.
On the website: review landlord service pages, tenant guides and listing templates for fixed-term language, and update explanations of how tenancies end.
6. Pets
Landlords must now consider pet requests and give valid reasons for refusal.[1] A blanket "no pets" line on every listing sits awkwardly with that. A filter showing where pets have already been agreed can still help applicants, as long as listings do not suggest that requests will be refused without consideration.
A checklist for your rental templates
| Check | Where to look |
|---|---|
| One specific rent on every rental listing | Listing template, CRM feed, portal feed |
| No wording inviting higher offers | Listings, enquiry forms, alerts, automated emails |
| No more than one month's rent in advance mentioned | Tenant guides, fee page, FAQs, listings |
| No discriminatory phrases or filters | Descriptions, filters, form questions |
| Fixed-term language updated | Landlord pages, tenant guides, listings |
| Pet wording reviewed | Listings, filters, landlord pages |
| Fee page reflects current permitted payments | Fee page, rental listing links |
Updating listings in bulk
An agency with a few hundred rental listings cannot review each one by hand every time the rules change. A practical approach is to work in three passes. First, search the listing descriptions held in your CRM for problem phrases, such as "offers", "DSS", "benefits", "children", "professionals only" and "months in advance", and fix the source text, because the website and the portals both read from it. Second, check the website templates themselves, since fixed wording in a template appears on every listing regardless of what the description says. Third, check anything automated that goes out to applicants, such as property alert emails and form auto-replies. Recording what was changed, and when, also gives you a simple audit trail if a listing is ever questioned.
What is still to come
The private rented sector database will require landlord registration, with a regional rollout starting from late 2026, and the landlord ombudsman is expected to take members in 2028.[1] Both may lead to new information that agents and landlords want to show on listings, such as registration details. When the requirements are published, a listing template with clear, structured fields will be straightforward to extend.
Does the Renters' Rights Act apply in Wales or Scotland?
Most of the tenancy reforms apply to England. The Act also contains provisions on discrimination relating to children or benefits status for Wales and Scotland. Check the specific provisions for each nation.
Can we still show "guide rent" or a price range on a development page?
Each rental advert must state a specific proposed rent, so the listing for each individual home should show its rent. How the rule applies to an overview page for a whole development is a question for your adviser.
What about student lets?
Some specialist accommodation is treated differently under the Act. Check whether your student lettings fall inside or outside the new rules before changing templates.
Sources
Checked on 29 October 2026. Each entry says what kind of source it is.
- Implementing the Renters' Rights Act 2025: our roadmap for reforming the private rented sector (13 November 2025), Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (government publication)
- Renters' Rights Act 2025, contents, legislation.gov.uk (legislation)
- Will the prohibition on rent bidding in the Renters' Rights Act 2025 result in more discrimination against prospective tenants? (4 June 2026), Field Court Chambers (secondary source)
- Assured periodic tenancies: a guide for landlords: Rental bidding, GOV.UK (government publication)