Blog
Expert guides on tenant rights, rent increases, and the Section 13 process in England.
The new Property Redress Scheme under the Renters' Rights Act: the tenant escalation timeline (RRA Day 6, May 2026)
The Renters' Rights Act 2025 introduced a single mandatory redress scheme for private landlords in England. Every private landlord must join, and tenants can take complaints there for free. This walkthrough is the tenant-side timeline: what the scheme is, the 8-week internal complaint step, when and how to escalate, what evidence to bring, what the scheme can and cannot award, and how it slots in alongside the tribunal, the council, and the courts.
Rent Repayment Orders after the Renters' Rights Act: the expanded grounds tenant claim walkthrough (RRA Day 6, May 2026)
Rent Repayment Orders existed before the Renters' Rights Act but the RRA significantly expanded the grounds and tightened landlord obligations. Tenants can claim back up to 12 months' rent via the First-tier Tribunal where the landlord has committed a qualifying breach. This walkthrough is the tenant-side claim guide: the expanded RRO grounds matrix, the evidence pack you need to gather, how and when to apply, time limits, and what to expect at hearing.
Tenant notice to quit a periodic tenancy after the Renters' Rights Act: the 2-month rule walkthrough (RRA Day 6, May 2026)
Since 1 May 2026, tenants in England can end an assured periodic tenancy by giving 2 months' written notice in line with the rent period (s.11 Renters' Rights Act 2025). Most guidance stops at the headline. This walkthrough is the tenant-side tactical guide: how to time the notice with rent due dates, what counts as written notice, what counts as receipt, what happens if the landlord disputes it, whether you can withdraw, and what to do if you need to leave sooner.
Rent bidding ban: the tenant recognition checklist and report-to-council walkthrough (RRA Day 5, May 2026)
Since 1 May 2026, every advertisement and written offer for a rented property in England must contain a specific asking price, and landlords cannot accept or encourage offers above it. This post is the tenant-side tool for that ban: a recognition checklist for the patterns that count as bidding, a step-by-step report-to-council walkthrough, and what realistically happens after you report.
Pet request template pack: how to ask, the 28-day clock, and the PRS Ombudsman escalation route (post-RRA, May 2026)
Since 1 May 2026, tenants have a new contractual right to request a pet at the rental property under s.16A Housing Act 1988 (inserted by s.11 of the Renters' Rights Act 2025). The landlord must respond in writing within 28 days and cannot unreasonably refuse. This post gives you three plain-text email templates - initial request, 28-day reminder, formal complaint - plus the PRS Ombudsman escalation route if the refusal is unreasonable.
Periodic tenancy default: the tenant transition guide for converted assured shorthold tenancies (RRA Day 5, May 2026)
Most existing assured shorthold tenancies in England converted to assured periodic tenancies at midnight on 1 May 2026. Your fixed term has effectively ended; your notice rights have changed; the landlord's eviction route has changed too. This is the tenant transition guide: what changed at midnight, what your old clauses still mean, the 6-step walkthrough if you want to leave, and the 6-step walkthrough if your landlord wants you to leave.
Section 8 mandatory vs discretionary grounds: the tenant decision tree for the first 30 minutes after the notice arrives (post-RRA, May 2026)
A Section 8 possession notice has landed with a ground number on it - 1A, 8, 12. You need a triage tool, not a 17-article reading list. This post is the triage tool: mandatory vs discretionary in two tables, a 30-minute decision tree, the universal deposit-protection defence, and a worked example. After 30 minutes you will know what your defence shape is.
Form 4A receipt nudge templates: three plain-text emails for the first business week of the Renters' Rights Act (May 2026)
It is the first business day after the Renters' Rights Act took effect. Maybe your landlord mentioned a rent increase verbally, by email, or via a non-prescribed letter. Until a properly-served Form 4A arrives, no rent increase has legal force - you continue at the existing rent. This post gives you three plain-text email templates for the gap-week: acknowledge and request the prescribed form, a gentle chase at week 1-2, and a formal clarification at week 3+.
First-tier Tribunal Property Chamber: the tenant walkthrough for filing a rent increase application (RRA Day 4, May 2026)
Your Form 4A landed and the proposed rent feels too high. The First-tier Tribunal Property Chamber is your route to challenge it - and under RRA 2025 the downside risk is materially lower than under the old regime. This walkthrough takes you from receipt to filed application in an afternoon: the form, the £47 fee, the strict deadline, the evidence pack the tribunal actually wants, and what to expect after you file.
The Information Sheet your landlord owes you by 31 May 2026: what is in it, what the GBP 7,000 fine means, and the tenant tracking checklist
Three days into the new regime, the calmest single thing you can do this week is verify your landlord delivers the Information Sheet by 31 May 2026. It is a government-produced document; failure to deliver attracts a fine of up to GBP 7,000. This post walks through what is in it, why the fine matters even though it does not go to you, and the simple tenant tracking checklist for the next four weeks.