u/asmarino24

Something that keeps catching landlords out. Protecting the deposit and serving the prescribed information are two separate legal obligations, both within 30 days of receiving the deposit. A lot of landlords protect promptly and assume the scheme confirmation email covers everything. It doesn’t. The prescribed information has to be served separately.

Before 1 May that was mainly a financial risk — 1 to 3 times the deposit amount as a penalty. Since Section 21 went, missing either obligation now blocks Section 8 possession on all grounds except anti-social behaviour. So it’s gone from being an annoying fine to potentially being unable to recover your property at all.

One other change a lot of people haven’t clocked — since 1 May you can’t take more than one month’s rent in advance. Even if the tenant offers more voluntarily you can’t accept it. The old workaround of asking for three or six months upfront as an informal credit check is now a prohibited payment.

Anyone had experience with deposit disputes going through ADR? Curious whether adjudicators are applying a stricter standard since the Renters Rights Act came in.

Section 21 was abolished on 1 May 2026. You cannot serve one. If you served one before that date, you have until 31 July 2026 to apply to court — after that it’s gone for good.

What I’m seeing landlords get wrong is thinking they’ve lost the ability to get their property back. You haven’t. Here’s what actually changed:

Section 8 is now your only route — but it’s been expanded. The grounds for possession have more than doubled. Selling, moving back in, housing a family member — there are legal grounds for all of it. You just need to use the right one.

Your tenancy agreements already changed. Fixed-term contracts automatically converted to rolling periodic tenancies on 1 May. You didn’t need to sign new contracts — but you were supposed to give tenants a government information sheet by 31 May. Missed that? You’re already in breach.

Deposit protection is now a condition for possession. If the deposit isn’t properly protected, a court can refuse your Section 8 claim. Sort this before you ever need to use it.

Happy to answer questions below.

Started something small to help people find daily work in Addis Ababa — would love your feedback

Flagging this because it keeps coming up and a lot of landlords still don’t know.

Since 1 July 2021 an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen cannot prove their right to rent with a passport or national identity card alone.

EU tenants must generate a share code through their UKVI account. You then verify it at gov.uk/landlords-online-right-to-rent using the share code and their date of birth.

Accepting an EU passport without the share code check does not give you a statutory excuse — meaning if that tenant later turns out not to have the right to rent, you have no defence against the civil penalty.

The fines:
— £10,000 per tenant for a first breach
— £20,000 per tenant for a repeat breach within 3 years
— Criminal prosecution for knowingly letting to someone without the right to rent — up to 5 years imprisonment

The other change a lot of landlords missed — BRP cards (Biometric Residence Permits) are no longer valid for manual checks from 31 December 2025. Anyone who previously held a BRP now has an eVisa and must verify via share code.

Three valid checking methods in 2026:
1. Manual — original documents in person, copy and date
2. Online share code — gov.uk service for digital immigration status
3. Certified IDSP — digital check for British/Irish passports, around £3-£8

One thing worth knowing — the clock for a follow-up check on time-limited tenants (List B) runs from either 12 months after the initial check OR 1 month before their leave expires, whichever is earlier. Missing a follow-up check breaks your statutory excuse for the period after it should have been done.

Anyone else noticed landlords are still running these checks the old way?

Quick summary of where landlords are going wrong on Right to Rent checks in 2026:

EU passports — not valid alone since July 2021. EU tenants need a share code.

BRP cards — not valid since December 2025. eVisa holders verify online.

Missing a follow-up check on a time-limited tenant — you’re exposed for the gap period.

Accepting photocopies for manual checks — doesn’t count, original documents only.

The fines:
£10,000 first breach per tenant
£20,000 repeat breach per tenant
Unlimited fine or 5 years imprisonment for knowingly letting to someone without the right to rent

With Section 21 gone landlords need every compliance box ticked properly — Right to Rent failures now can’t be papered over by serving notice and starting again.

Anything else people have seen trip landlords up on this?

For tenants and landlords both — Awaab’s Law is currently social housing only but is confirmed to extend to private rentals through the Renters Rights Act.

No firm date yet but a consultation is expected shortly. When it arrives:

Emergency hazard — landlord must investigate within 24 hours
Significant hazard — investigate within 10 working days
Can’t fix in time — landlord pays for your alternative accommodation

The Day Zero rule is the one most people don’t know about. The clock starts when the landlord becomes aware of a potential hazard — not when you formally report it. A text message counts. A verbal mention counts. An inspection where the landlord sees it themselves counts.

This matters for tenants because it means keeping a paper trail of every communication about repairs — dates, what was said, how the landlord responded. That trail becomes evidence if enforcement action is ever needed.

Already in place right now — the HHSRS changes from 23 June mean councils can issue £7,000 per hazard on the spot. Damp and mould is the most commonly identified Category 1 hazard.

Anyone had experience trying to get a landlord to address damp or mould? Curious how the process actually plays out in practice.

For tenants and landlords both — HHSRS enforcement changes from 23 June.

Councils can now issue £7,000 fines per Category 1 hazard immediately on inspection — previously they had to issue an improvement notice first.

If you’re a tenant with unresolved damp, mould or heating issues — this is worth knowing. Your council’s environmental health team now has faster and stronger enforcement powers.

If you’re a landlord — address any known issues today.

Category 1 hazards: damp and mould, excess cold, electrical hazards, fire risk, falls on stairs, structural issues.

Quick summary of what’s confirmed following January 2026 government response:

Deadline — 1 October 2030
Cost cap — £10,000 per property
Fine — up to £30,000 per property
Spending from October 2025 counts toward cap
52% of rental properties currently below C
Average upgrade cost — £6,100–£6,800

Home Energy Model replaces current SAP methodology from October 2029 — so worth getting an assessment before then if you’re planning upgrades.

Anyone got quotes yet for insulation or heat pumps? Are prices already going up in anticipation?

Quick summary of what’s confirmed following January 2026 government response:

Deadline — 1 October 2030
Cost cap — £10,000 per property
Fine — up to £30,000 per property
Spending from October 2025 counts toward cap
52% of rental properties currently below C
Average upgrade cost — £6,100–£6,800

Home Energy Model replaces current SAP methodology from October 2029 — so worth getting an assessment before then if you’re planning upgrades.

Anyone got quotes yet for insulation or heat pumps? Are prices already going up in anticipation?

For anyone dealing with rent arrears under the new rules — quick summary of what changed on 1 May:

— Threshold: 2 months → 3 months
— Notice period: 2 weeks → 4 weeks
— Arrears must be 3+ months on BOTH the notice date AND the hearing date

That last one is the one to watch. If a tenant makes a partial payment between serving notice and the court hearing that brings arrears below 3 months — Ground 8 fails. Always serve Grounds 8, 10 and 11 together for this reason.

Also check the Breathing Space register before serving — landlords can’t serve notice during a moratorium.

Anyone been through the process yet under the new rules?

Hi! I'm looking for 8 testers for my Android app, Habesha Connect — a community and dating app built specifically for the Ethiopian and Eritrean diaspora.

✅ No phone number required to register
✅ Stable build — sign up and browse profiles in under 2 minutes
✅ I will test your app back within 24 hours, guaranteed

To join:

1. Comment below or DM me
2. I'll send you the opt-in link immediately
3. Install the app and keep it on your phone for 14 days

That's it. Happy to test back any category of app.

Thanks in advance 🙏

Hi! I'm looking for 8 testers for my Android app, Habesha Connect — a community and dating app built specifically for the Ethiopian and Eritrean diaspora.

✅ No phone number required to register
✅ Stable build — sign up and browse profiles in under 2 minutes
✅ I will test your app back within 24 hours, guaranteed

To join:

1. Comment below or DM me
2. I'll send you the opt-in link immediately
3. Install the app and keep it on your phone for 14 days

That's it. Happy to test back any category of app.

Thanks in advance 🙏

Put together a Notion template for UK landlords covering the main compliance headaches — certificate expiry tracking, rent payments, MTD expense categories and the 2026 compliance checklist.

Most Notion templates are US-focused so built this specifically for UK requirements.

£19 on Gumroad — code BRIEF15 for £4 off if anyone wants it.

Happy to answer questions about how it’s set up.

Wanted to put together a plain English breakdown of what the switch to periodic tenancies actually means in practice for landlords — not the legal jargon, just the practical day to day stuff.

Key things most landlords don’t realise yet:

→ Fixed term end dates in existing agreements are now irrelevant — even if your contract says it ends in August 2026, it doesn’t

→ Break clauses are unenforceable — even if they’re written into a tenancy signed before 1 May

→ Rent review clauses in existing agreements are overridden — you must use Section 13 with 2 months notice, once per year only

→ Tenant pet requests must be responded to in writing within 28 days — silence is not an option

→ New tenancies from 1 May cannot take more than one month’s rent upfront

Happy to answer any questions in the comments.

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Quick heads up for any landlords in here —
If you have tenants on a written tenancy agreement that started before 1 May 2026, you legally have to send them the official Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet by 31 May 2026.
Missing that deadline means fines starting at £4,000. And if you ever need to serve a Section 8 notice, not having sent it can make the notice invalid.
It’s just a PDF from gov.uk — takes 10 minutes to sort. Happy to answer any questions if useful.

Quick question for landlords here — has your letting agent confirmed they’ve sent the Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet to your tenants yet?
The deadline is 31 May. Agents are required to send it even if you already have. A lot of landlords are assuming it’s been handled when it hasn’t.
Worth a quick message to check.