What's changing

Tenancy deposit protection: 30-day registration

Protect every deposit in an authorised scheme within 30 days of receipt and serve prescribed information to the tenant.

Tenant can claim 1 to 3 times the deposit; possession blocked until protected

Right to Rent: initial and follow-up checks

Check every adult occupier's right to rent before tenancy start, repeat checks for time-limited statuses, keep evidence for 12 months after tenancy ends.

Civil penalty up to £20,000 per illegal occupier (first breach)

Smoke & CO Alarm Regs: day-one test duty

Test alarms on the day each new tenancy starts; repair faulty alarms reported by tenants 'as soon as reasonably practicable'.

Civil penalty up to £5,000

Mandatory written tenancy information

Any assured tenancy granted on or after 1 May 2026 must be accompanied by mandatory written information. Fixed-term assureds abolished, Section 21 gone.

Possession claims fail without it; civil penalty up to £7,000

Section 13 / Form 4: only route for rent increases

Under the Renters' Rights Act, all rent increases on assured tenancies must use a Section 13 notice on Form 4. Contract-based increase clauses no longer enforceable.

Tenant has 2 months to refer to First-tier Tribunal; invalid notices unenforceable

Renters' Rights Information Sheet: service deadline

Every existing assured shorthold tenancy must receive the unaltered GOV.UK Information Sheet by 31 May 2026.

Civil penalty up to £7,000

Awaab's Law: extension to private rented sector

14 days to investigate hazards, 7 days to begin repairs once a serious issue is identified. Phased extension to PRS expected from October 2026.

Subject to consultation; PRS commencement date TBC

EPC reform: new four-metric certificate from October

New EPCs issued from October 2026 carry four headline metrics (fabric, heating, smart readiness, energy cost) instead of the single overall score.

Existing EPCs remain valid until 10-year expiry; new format not retroactive

Decent Homes Standard: extension to PRS

Reformed Decent Homes Standard extends to private rented homes under the Renters' Rights Act. Minimum baseline for habitability, repair and modern facilities.

PRS commencement date TBC; phased rollout expected from late 2026

MEES: EPC C target for all PRS tenancies

All new and existing domestic privately-rented properties must reach EPC C or equivalent by 1 October 2030, or register a valid exemption.

Up to £10,000 cap on required upgrades; 10-year exemption available if cap exhausted

Day-one employment rights: SSP, paternity, parental

From 6 April 2026: SSP from day one of absence, no Lower Earnings Limit; paternity and unpaid parental leave become day-one rights.

Tribunal claim from day one, no qualifying period

Written statement of particulars: new union notice

Section 1 ERA 1996 statement now includes a mandatory notice of the worker's right to join a trade union. On or before day one of employment.

Up to 4 weeks' pay if missing on a tribunal claim

Holiday pay record-keeping duty

Explicit duty to keep accurate records of annual leave taken and holiday pay paid for every worker, including irregular-hours workers.

Back-pay liability up to two years on a worker claim

Sexual harassment: 'all reasonable steps' uplift

Equality Act 2010 s.40A duty upgraded from 'reasonable steps' to 'all reasonable steps' on 1 October 2026. Tribunal uplift up to 25%.

ECS / Level 3 competency for electrical operatives

From 1 October 2026 every employed and subcontracted electrical operative must hold a recognised Level 3 qualification and ECS card.

No card, no site; principal-contractor liability on-site

IGEM/UP/1B Edition 4: gas tightness testing

From 1 October 2026 the gas tightness test moves from meter-size to Installation Volume basis. Old meter-size limits no longer apply.

Gas Safe Register technical review on breach

BS 7671 Amendment 4: sole edition in force

From 15 October 2026 only A4 (the 'Orange Book') is in force; A2:2022 + A3:2024 retired. New EICRs and certificates must follow A4.

EICR rejected on the old wording; competent-person scheme review

Making Tax Digital for Income Tax: sole traders

Sole traders earning over £50,000 must keep digital records and submit four quarterly updates plus a final declaration each year.

Penalty points; £200 fine on threshold

Companies House identity verification

Existing directors and PSCs must verify identity by 18 November 2026 (or earlier confirmation-statement trigger).

Criminal offence; civil penalty on persistent failure