Renters’ Rights Act: What’s Changed for Spalding Landlords

Five months on: where Spalding landlords stand

The main tenancy reforms in the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 came into force on 1 May 2026. If you let a house in Spalding, a flat in Holbeach or rooms in Boston, the rules you work under today are not the ones you started the year with.

Most landlords we speak to know that section 21 has gone. Fewer are sure about the detail: how rent increases work now, what to say when a tenant asks for a dog, or what the new landlord database will mean when it reaches Lincolnshire early next year.

Section 21 has gone

Since 1 May 2026, private landlords in England can no longer serve a section 21 “no-fault” notice. The transitional window has closed too: where a valid notice was served before 1 May, court proceedings had to be issued by 31 July 2026.

To recover a property now, you need one of the grounds for possession in Schedule 2 of the Housing Act 1988, as amended by the Renters’ Rights Act, and you need to be able to prove it. The grounds local landlords are most likely to use are:

• Ground 1 (you or close family moving in) and Ground 1A (selling the property): four months’ notice, and neither can be used during the first 12 months of a tenancy.
• Ground 8 (serious rent arrears): the threshold is now three months’ rent unpaid (13 weeks where rent is paid weekly or fortnightly), with four weeks’ notice. The arrears must be at that level both when the notice is served and at the hearing.

The practical point is evidence. A rent ledger that is kept up to date, written records of complaints and copies of every letter matter far more than they did when a section 21 notice needed no reason.

Every tenancy is now periodic

Fixed terms have ended for private lets. On 1 May, existing assured shorthold tenancies became assured periodic tenancies automatically, and new lets start that way. The tenancy rolls on monthly until the tenant leaves or you obtain possession on one of the grounds.

Tenants can end the tenancy at any time by giving two months’ notice. For room lets around Spalding and Boston, where many tenants work in food processing, packing and logistics and plans can change at short notice, that means the old six-month minimum is no longer something to rely on.

Did you send the Information Sheet?

Landlords with a written tenancy that began before 1 May 2026 had to give each tenant the government’s Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet on or before 31 May 2026. Where the tenancy was only ever verbal, a written summary of the main terms was required instead. If this was missed, sort it out now and keep proof of how and when it was sent. Councils can issue civil penalties of up to £7,000 for breaches of the new rules.

Rent: increases, advance payments and bidding

Three changes here affect almost every letting.

• Increases: rent can go up once a year only, using the section 13 notice procedure under the Housing Act 1988, with at least two months’ notice. Rent review clauses in old agreements no longer have effect. A tenant who thinks the new rent is above the market rate can challenge it at the First-tier Tribunal.
• Rent in advance: you cannot ask for or accept more than one month’s rent in advance. Six months up front from an applicant with a thin credit history is no longer an option, which makes proper referencing and guarantors more important.
• Bidding: a property must be advertised at a set rent, and neither landlords nor agents can invite or accept offers above it.

Pets, children and benefits

Tenants now have a right to ask to keep a pet. The request should be in writing, you have 28 days to respond, and you cannot unreasonably refuse. If you say no, you need to give a reason.

It is also unlawful to refuse or deter applicants because they have children or receive benefits. Adverts saying “no DSS” or “no children” have to go.

Tougher enforcement from the councils

South Holland District Council, Boston Borough Council and South Kesteven District Council all have wider investigatory powers under the Act. The maximum civil penalty for the most serious housing offences rose from £30,000 to £40,000, and rent repayment orders can now cover up to two years’ rent instead of one. Our post on South Holland HMO licensing explains what that means for shared houses.

What’s coming next: the landlord database

The second phase of the Act starts this winter. The Private Rented Sector Database, a national register of landlords and rented homes, opens region by region. Under the schedule the government announced in September 2026:

• The rollout starts in the West Midlands on 15 December 2026.
• The East Midlands, which includes Lincolnshire, opens on 15 February 2027, with a deadline of 14 May 2027 to register.
• The fee is £65 per property per year, and you will need to confirm your gas safety certificate, electrical report (EICR) and EPC for each property.

The new Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman follows later, with mandatory membership expected in 2028.

Five things to do before Christmas

A tidy file for each property is most of the job:

• Checking the Information Sheet went to every tenant who was in place before May, and keeping the proof.
• Putting each property’s next rent review in the diary, allowing for the two months’ notice.
• Getting gas, electrical and EPC certificates in date and in one place, ready for the database.
• Reading through your adverts and application forms for anything that could be seen as discriminatory.
• Keeping written records of arrears, complaints and repairs as you go.

How Property Panda can help

We have been letting and managing homes in South Lincolnshire since 2015, from our office on Westlode Street in Spalding. For managed landlords we handle the notices, the record keeping and the compliance diary, and we will deal with database registration when it opens for Lincolnshire. Have a look at our landlord services, or read the fuller Renters’ Rights Act guide for Lincolnshire landlords.

If you are not sure whether your tenancies are set up correctly under the new rules, call the Spalding office on 01775 666585, message us on WhatsApp on 07399 474491, or get in touch through our contact page.

This article is general guidance, not legal advice. Check the current position on GOV.UK or with a solicitor before acting on it.