Landlords may have only just finished preparing for the new rental reforms introduced in May but there are plenty of other deadlines to be aware of in 2026 and you could be fined up to £40,000 for failing to comply.
The buy-to-let sector has faced numerous shakeups in recent years, with extra stamp duty charges, the end of mortgage interest relief and changes to capital gains allowances.
The most recent overhaul came last month when the Renters’ Rights Act was introduced, ending no-fault evictions and making tenancies more flexible.
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Landlords had until the end of May to provide tenants with an information sheet of changes.
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That is just the beginning though and there are still other changes that landlords need to prepare for and failure could result in hefty fines.
Jack Malnick, managing director of property information website Landlord Resource, said: “While there isn’t another major deadline associated with the new Renters’ Rights Act that you need to consider this year, there are a lot of ongoing aims you should be taking into account each month to meet future regulations and avoid additional fines.”
Here are some of the other major rental dates and deadlines for landlords to be aware of.
23 June 2026: The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) changes
Updated health and safety rules mean landlords must ensure their properties are maintained to a good standard for tenants or face penalties of up to £40,000 under the new Housing, Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) coming into force on 23 June.
Local authorities use the HHSRS to look into potential health and safety risks in homes in England and Wales. Changes introduced under the Renters’ Rights Act are intended to make the rules easier to understand and enforce.
The current more complicated A-J rating system is being replaced, under the changes. From 23 June, any hazard discovered in a landlord’s property during a local authority inspection will be categorised as high, medium or low.
High risk hazards (known as Category One) will continue to trigger councils' duty to take action against the landlord. The council will still be able to use its discretion when it comes to dealing with medium or low risk issues (known as Category 2).
Under the updated HHSRS, the ‘risk of harm’ rating has also changed, from the existing ‘one to four’ levels to new ‘extreme, severe, serious, and moderate’ categories. Again, the bandings haven’t changed, just the descriptions.
The advice from the National Residential Landlords’ Association (NRLA) is that if landlords are complying with all current health and safety guidance under the HHSRS they don’t need to do anything differently.
“However it is vital that you continue to carry out regular inspections of your properties to make sure they are hazard free and safe for your tenants to live in,” the NRLA said.
The revised HHSRS will affect homes in England only. Wales has different regulations and will need to adopt the guidance separately, so will be using the existing HHSRS until further notice.
31 July 2026: Final court date for section 21 notices
Any section 21 notice or section eight eviction notices filed before the Renters’ Rights Act came in must hit court by this date or they will lapse.
Late 2026: Regional rollout of Private Rented Sector database
The government’s Private Rented Sector (PRS) database is due to launch later this year in the next stage of the rental reforms. It will be gradually rolled out in different regions.
Landlords will be required to register themselves, their properties, and their compliance status on an area-by-area basis.
2027: PRS database becomes mandatory
No precise date has been given but it will be mandatory for landlords to be on the PRS database at some point in 2027.
This is supposed to make it easier for tenants to identify who their landlord is.
End of 2028: New Landlord Ombudsman
By the end of 2028, it will be mandatory for landlords to be members of a new Landlord Ombudsman and to be on the PRS database before they can even list a property for rent.
Failure to register to the new PRS Database and ombudsman could lead to an up to £7,000 civil fine, or up to £40,000 repeat fine.
1 October 2030: EPC changes
Currently, landlords can only rent out a property if it has a minimum Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of E.
This will rise to C from 1 October 2030, meaning landlords have four years to start looking into energy efficient measures.
2035: Decent Homes Standard
The full Decent Homes Standard will be introduced in 2035.
Under the standard, properties must be free from hazards, in a reasonable state of repair and with reasonable services such as a kitchen and bathroom and free from damp or mould.
Landlords can be fined up to £30,000 if their rental properties are found to be below the Decent Homes Standard. The HHSRS remains the statutory framework for hazard assessment under the Housing Act 2004, enforced by local authorities. The DHS complements rather than replaces the HHSRS.
