Letting a home long-term in England

Plenty of people become landlords without planning to, after a move or a change of plans. In England, the rules for letting a home changed on 1 May 2026. Some of a landlord's duties come before the tenant moves in.

New tenancies now roll on

The government's overview for landlords says the Renters' Rights Act changed how landlords let out private properties, and that the changes came into effect on 1 May 2026. New tenancies are assured periodic tenancies.

The overview says, "Assured periodic tenancies will run on a rolling basis, for example, monthly." It also says, "You cannot have an end date on your tenancy agreement."

A landlord's duties

GOV.UK lists what a landlord must do. A landlord must keep the home "safe and free from health hazards". They must make sure all gas and electrical equipment is "safely installed and maintained".

They must also provide an Energy Performance Certificate, protect the tenant's deposit in a government-approved scheme, and check that the tenant has the right to rent. GOV.UK says the landlord or letting agent must put the deposit in the scheme within 30 days of getting it. Fitting and testing smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms is the landlord's responsibility too.

The energy rating

The government's energy efficiency guidance for landlords covers homes with an Energy Performance Certificate rating of F or G. Where a home is covered by the rules, the landlord needs to improve its rating to E, or register an exemption, before entering into a new tenancy.

The guidance was last updated on 5 May 2026. It says the government aims for as many privately rented homes as possible to reach EPC band C or equivalent by 2030, and will give more information in due course.

Right to rent checks

The Home Office guide for landlords says landlords and letting agents must carry out right to rent checks on people before entering into a tenancy agreement with them. The checks are there to make sure the people are allowed to rent.

Advertising the home and setting the rent

A landlord who advertises a property will need to publish an asking price. The overview says this does not include "to let" signs. It also says, "It is illegal for you to encourage people to bid and offer to pay higher rent for your property."

A landlord cannot accept offers above the advertised rent. They cannot ask for, encourage or accept rent before both sides have signed the tenancy agreement. They cannot discriminate against potential tenants who are on benefits or who have children.

To raise the rent later, the landlord must fill in Form 4A and give it to the tenant with at least two months' notice. The overview says, "You cannot increase rent more than once a year".

Registering as a landlord

On 9 September 2026, the government announced a national service for registering rental property. It said the service would launch on 15 December 2026, starting in the West Midlands and moving to other areas over 12 months.

The government said that when an area is called forward, landlords with property there will have three months to sign up. The government said registering will be a legal requirement, and that all landlords actively letting property will need to have registered by 14 November 2027.

Useful links