The timing of implementation has now been announced. You can access the governments implementation guide here
For ease, the guidance has been summarised below
| Date | Event | What this means for agents |
| 27th October | Royal Assent was achieved | The Bill became an Act, enabling the creation of supporting regulations. However, most provisions of the Act do not take effect immediately. On 13th November, the government released their implementation roadmap explaining the Act will be implemented over three phases. |
| 27th December | Phase 1 – of RRA roll-out begins New investigatory powers for local councils (property inspections, document demands, access to third-party data). | Leases over 21 years will no longer be ASTs. Expect stricter enforcement; ensure records, compliance documents, and property standards are fully in order. Increased scrutiny of management practices. |
| January 2026 (expected) | Wording of tenancy agreements expected to be released. | Agents will have a very short window to update agreements and system templates ahead of 1 May— prepare your resources, IT systems, workflows and staff. |
| March 2026 (expected) | Government information leaflet for all existing tenants expected to be released. | Agents need to be ready to distribute this to tenants within existing tenancies they manage. |
| April 2026 | Government communications campaign for tenants commences. | Agents should expect a surge in tenant enquiries about how the Act will affect their current tenancy. |
| May 2026 | Implementation of key changes: End of fixed terms, all existing ASTs convert to assured periodic tenancies. End of Section 21, new grounds for possession become the only way to end a tenancy. Changes go live for rent increase rules, advance rent, pets, bidding, discrimination. | Main elements of the Act begin to take effect, so agents must understand them fully and be ready to advise both landlords and tenants. New tenancy agreement wording must be used from this date. Any Section 21 or Section 8 notices served before 1 May remain valid until their normal expiry (or 1 August 2026, whichever comes first), but no new notices can be served after 1 May. Staff must also be trained on the new Section 8 eviction grounds. |
| 1 June 2026 (after implementation of S21 changes) | Mandatory date by which tenants must have received the government information sheet. | All existing tenants must be sent a copy of the government-provided leaflet explaining what is changing in their tenancies. All student tenants must be sent a notice of the intention to rely on ground 4A if the landlord wishes to do so. Agents must integrate the information sheet into onboarding processes for all tenancies. |
| 1 August 2026 | Notice service | All possession claims for old Section 8 and Section 21 notices must be issued by this date. |
| Through 2027 (expected) | Implementation of the PRS database. It will initially be rolled out regionally in the first part of 2027 before being made available across England. | There will be an annual fee which landlords need to pay. The database will contain landlords contact information, information about the size and layout of the property, and required safety certificates. Agents must prepare to support landlords with registration; update onboarding and compliance processes. |
| 2028 | Phase 2- Stage 2 Implementation of the PRS Landlord Ombudsman (previously referred to as the Landlord Redress Scheme) | Identity of the Landlord Ombudsman will be announced in 2027 with landlords being required to join in 2028. Update complaint-handling procedures; agents may need to manage communications between landlords and the Ombudsman. |
| 2030 (expected) | Phase 3 – dates TBC Decent Homes Standard for PRS; Awaab’s Law-style requirements. | Significant property condition obligations; agents will need to prepare for enhanced inspection, repairs, and compliance standards. |