Section 21 gets the headlines, but several other changes in the Renters' Rights Act matter just as much day to day — and a couple of them are easy to misjudge in either direction, either ignored entirely or assumed to be further along than they actually are.
Pet Requests: A Real Process, Not Landlord Discretion
A tenant or prospective tenant can make a written request to keep a pet, and the landlord must consider it and cannot unreasonably refuse — current GOV.UK guidance requires a written response within 28 days, extendable when further information is genuinely needed. Blanket ‘no pets’ policies are exactly what this rule targets: the decision needs to be case-specific and evidence-based, considering the individual pet, the property, and other relevant facts, rather than a standing refusal applied to every request regardless of circumstances.
Rent in Advance and Holding Deposits Are Genuinely Restricted
A landlord or agent must not ask for, encourage, or accept rent before the tenancy agreement has been entered into. Once signed and before the tenancy starts, a monthly-paying tenant can be asked for up to the first month's rent — not six months upfront as a condition of granting the tenancy, and not a larger sum volunteered by an applicant hoping to improve their chances. Once the tenancy has started, rent cannot be required before its agreed due date either.
Property Standards: Real, But Further Out Than Some Coverage Suggests
Worth being precise here rather than overstating it: a January 2026 government policy statement confirms a new Decent Homes Standard for social and privately rented homes, but the main decency requirements are intended to apply from 2035, not immediately. Private landlords must continue meeting existing repair, fitness, safety, and Housing Act obligations in the meantime. A separate, nearer-term date does apply to energy efficiency specifically: the policy states a 2030 compliance date for the planned EPC C dual-metric MEES requirement. Awaab's Law, which currently operates in phases in social housing, is provided for extension to the private rented sector too, but its PRS implementation timetable remains subject to consultation — do not copy social-housing timescales into a private-landlord procedure as though they already apply.
The Sensible Move Now
None of the property-standards timeline being further out is a reason to ignore it — inspecting for serious hazards, keeping repair evidence, and having a real process for hazard reports and pet requests now puts you ahead of requirements that are coming, on a timeline that is honestly still partly unconfirmed.
Where to Go From Here
The Complete Renters' Rights Act 2025 Compliance Blueprint covers pet requests, rent-in-advance compliance, and property standards readiness in full, alongside the complete possession framework and every other operational change already in force.
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This article is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Implementation timelines for property standards and Awaab's Law extension are not yet finalized — confirm current status directly on GOV.UK.