Landlords have less than two weeks to tighten referencing, tenancy paperwork and rent processes before the first phase of the Renters’ Rights Act starts on 1 May, as Propertymark pushes fresh guidance on what still needs fixing.
The trade body has updated its rental reform hub with a clearer breakdown of what changes on day one and what will come later. For landlords, the immediate pressure points are practical rather than theoretical: assured shorthold tenancies will move to periodic agreements, rent in advance will be restricted, rental bidding will be banned, Section 13 will become the route for rent increases, and new anti-discrimination and pet rules will start to bite.
Landlord compliance rush before 1 May
Propertymark says the biggest risk now is not misunderstanding the law in broad terms, but missing the small operational changes that could leave landlords exposed once the Act takes effect. That includes checking how referencing firms deal with affordability if landlords can no longer lean on large upfront rent requests, making sure new tenancy paperwork matches the incoming rules, and deciding whether any existing pipeline cases need to be completed before 1 May.
This follows Landlord Knowledge’s report on the government’s official information sheet, which highlighted the separate obligation to give tenants updated information once the new regime starts. Combined with our recent coverage of repair audit trails, the latest guidance points to the same conclusion: landlords who leave compliance work until the last minute are creating avoidable risk.
In its updated Renters’ Rights Act guidance, Propertymark says phase one is focused on tenancy reform, with the PRS Database and Landlord Ombudsman due later in 2026 and Decent Homes Standard changes not expected until much later. That staging matters because it gives landlords a clearer order for what must be sorted now and what can be planned over the next few months.
Referencing and rent collection need closer attention
One of the more useful warnings in the guidance is around referencing and payment processes. If landlords or agents have relied on rent in advance to make marginal cases stack up, that approach now needs a rethink. Virtual guarantor products, affordability calculations and internal approval steps all need another look before new lets are agreed under the updated regime.
Propertymark also warns members not to take decisions to the wire if they can avoid it. That is sensible advice. The closer a tenancy signing, notice decision or rent review sits to the implementation date, the higher the chance of confusion over which rules apply and whether documents are in the right form.
What this means for landlords
- If you’re agreeing new lets this month: check that tenancy agreements, rent collection processes and referencing criteria all match the 1 May rules.
- Watch for: any dependency on rent in advance, old AST wording or informal pet policies that no longer fit the new framework.
- Bottom line: the legal direction is settled now – the real issue is whether each landlord’s admin is ready.
Editor’s view
There is not much value left in debating whether the Act is fair. For landlords, the useful question is simpler: what could go wrong on 1 May because a process was left untouched? The winners from here will be the landlords who treat reform as an admin project, not a political argument.
Author: Editorial Team – UK landlord & buy-to-let news, policy, and finance
Published: 21 April 2026
Sources: Propertymark, MHCLG
Related reading: Government publishes Renters’ Rights Act information sheet before 1 May
📘 Renters’ Rights Act: Complete Landlord Guide
Everything you need to know about the new rules – 1 May 2026
