The Renters' Rights Act: What Letting Agents Need to Know About Property Reporting

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 is the biggest change to the private rented sector in England for a generation. Its main reforms came into force on 1 May 2026, and five months on most agents have worked through the new notices, tenancy terms and rent rules.

What gets less attention is what the Act means for property records. It doesn't add a single new reporting obligation, but it changes how much your inventories, inspections and check-outs are worth when something goes wrong.

In this guide we cover what changed, what didn't, and how to make sure your records stand up.

The Act applies to England only. Scotland and Wales have their own rental legislation.

What changed on 1 May 2026

• Section 21 is gone. "No-fault" evictions have ended. To regain possession, a landlord must now rely on one of the grounds in Section 8 of the Housing Act 1988.
• Tenancies are periodic. Most existing assured shorthold tenancies became rolling assured periodic tenancies, and new tenancies start that way. Tenants can end a tenancy with two months' notice.
• Rent increases are limited. Rent can rise once a year, with at least two months' notice, using the Section 13 procedure.
• Rental bidding is banned, and landlords and agents can't ask for more than one month's rent in advance.
• Discrimination is banned against renters who have children or receive benefits.
• Pet requests must be considered within 28 days, and can only be refused for a valid reason.
• Enforcement is tougher. Councils gained new investigatory powers in December 2025, including a stronger ability to inspect properties. Civil penalties now reach £40,000 for the most serious breaches, and rent repayment orders can cover up to two years' rent instead of one.

What's still to come

The government's implementation roadmap sets out later phases:

• a private rented sector database with mandatory landlord registration, rolling out from late 2026
• a landlord ombudsman, with mandatory membership expected in 2028
• the Decent Homes Standard and Awaab's Law extended to private rentals, with dates still to be confirmed

What the Act didn't change

The Act doesn't require monthly inspections, or inspections at any set frequency. How often you visit is still down to your management policy, the property and the tenancy agreement, and you still need to give the tenant proper notice before you visit.

The deposit rules haven't changed either. Deposits still go into a government-approved scheme, and when you propose a deduction it's still for the landlord or agent to show it's justified.

What has changed is how much rests on your evidence.

Why your records now carry more weight

Possession now depends on evidence

Without Section 21, a landlord who needs a property back has to prove a ground in court. Several of the grounds are about the property itself. For example, Ground 13 covers the condition of the property deteriorating through the tenant's neglect or default, and Ground 15 covers damage to furniture provided with the tenancy.

Both are discretionary: the court decides whether it's reasonable to grant possession. A dated, photographed inventory at the start and a record of inspections since give the court something firm to go on. A vague report and a few undated photos don't.

Tenancies have no end date

A fixed term used to give everyone a natural point to check the property and reset. Under periodic tenancies, a tenant can stay for two, five or ten years before giving notice. By then, the check-in inventory is a long way back.

The longer the gap, the harder it is to tell fair wear and tear from damage, and to show when a problem first appeared. Regular inspections fill that gap with a dated record of the property's condition over the life of the tenancy.

Damp and mould will be under the spotlight

With Awaab's Law and the Decent Homes Standard heading for the private rented sector, and councils already able to inspect, it makes sense to record damp, mould and disrepair consistently now: what you found, when you found it and what was done about it.

What makes a property record stand up

Deposit adjudicators see the same weaknesses again and again: generic check-in reports, nothing on record between check-in and check-out, undated photos, different wording at check-in and check-out, and reports the tenant never saw. Here's how to avoid each one.

Start with a detailed baseline

A detailed inventory records the condition, cleanliness and contents of each room at the start of the tenancy, backed by clear photographs. Alongside it, a check-in report captures the practical details on move-in day: meter readings, the location of the stopcock, fuse box and boiler, keys handed over, alarms, bins and parking.

Give the tenant a say

A report the tenant has reviewed carries more weight than one they never saw. It also answers the usual worry about bringing reports in-house: that a report written by the agent isn't impartial.

With HelloReport's tenant portal, tenants review the inventory in their browser and agree or disagree with each item. If they disagree, they add a comment and their own photos. They then sign the report, and you keep a record of exactly what they said.

Inspect at sensible intervals

There's no legal frequency, so set one that fits the property and record every visit consistently. Routine inspections help you:

• spot maintenance issues before they become expensive
• track how the property's condition changes over time
• pick up possible breaches of the tenancy early
• keep landlords informed
• build the dated record that a possession claim or deposit dispute may later rely on

Compare like with like at check-out

When the tenant leaves, the check-out should follow the same structure and wording as the inventory. HelloReport builds a check-out from the completed inventory, showing the previous and current condition, cleanliness and photos side by side for every item. If you copy the inventory's defects across, any defect found since is labelled as new.

Follow up on maintenance

Finding a problem is half the job. HelloReport records defects with photos and sorts them into general, cleaning and maintenance. For agencies using Fixflo, maintenance defects can be sent to Fixflo so the maintenance team can pick them up without anyone retyping them.

Don't forget safety assessments

The Act sits alongside the safety rules you already follow. Legionella risk assessments, electrical appliance testing and fire door checks still apply where they're relevant, and they're easier to manage when they sit on the same property record as your inventories and inspections.

HelloReport includes Legionella, PAT and Fire Door Risk Assessment reports, so you can complete and store them with everything else.

Questions to ask about your process

The Act is a good prompt to review how your team works:

• Are your inventories detailed enough to compare against at check-out?
• Can tenants review reports and respond easily?
• Does everyone on the team record inspections the same way?
• Can maintenance issues reach the right people without being re-entered?
• Could you find a property's full history quickly if a court or adjudicator asked for it?
• Are you paying for outsourced reports you could complete in-house?

How HelloReport helps

HelloReport is property inventory and inspection software for letting agents and property managers. It covers check-in, inventory, inspection and check-out reports, plus Legionella, PAT and Fire Door Risk Assessments. Every plan includes unlimited users and reports, and HelloReport connects with Reapit, Street, SME Professional and Fixflo.

See how it works for inspections and for check-ins and check-outs.

Final thoughts

The Renters' Rights Act hasn't made monthly inspections compulsory, and it hasn't changed your safety obligations. What it has done is take away the fallback of Section 21 and the reset point of a fixed term. That leaves your records doing more of the work.

Clear, consistent, dated reports that tenants have had the chance to review are the best way to be ready for whatever comes up during a tenancy.

Book a guided demo to see the reporting workflow, or start your 14-day free trial with full access to every feature.

This article is general information, not legal advice. For a specific possession case or dispute, take advice from a qualified professional.