What the “Renters’ Rights Act” Means for Tenants in Wales
You may have been hearing a lot this spring about big changes under the “Renters’ Rights Act 2025” in England on the 1st May 2026 - things like ending “no-fault” evictions, monthly rolling tenancies, limits on rent increases, and stronger pet rights.
If you live in Wales, there’s good news and some clarification: most of these changes do not apply here. Wales has already undergone it’s own private renting law overhaul in 2022 where the Welsh Government introduced the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, and so the majority of England’s reforms won’t actually affect Welsh tenants in the coming months.
Important Notice for Student Tenants in Wales
We’ve received a number of questions about the new “Renters’ Rights Act” changes being introduced in England, particularly around the requirement for tenants to give 2 months’ notice.
We’d like to reassure our student tenants in Wales that these changes do not apply in Wales. If your occupation contract has a fixed end date, you are not required to give 2 months’ notice in order to leave at the end of your agreed contract term.
If you are unsure about your individual contract or move-out date, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help.
So, what is changing for tenants in Wales?
New Anti-Discrimination Rules
From 1 June 2026, new rules come into force that make it illegal for landlords and letting agents to refuse tenants just because they:
Have children
Receive benefits
Landlords can still carry out affordability checks and make sure tenants can pay the rent, but they cannot apply blanket bans based on family status or benefit receipt.
Why this matters:
It makes it easier for families and benefit claimants to access rental housing
It protects tenants from unfair discrimination, giving everyone a fairer shot at finding a home
Why Wales is Different
Since 1st December 2022, Wales has operated under the newer Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 - which already provided a strong overhaul to the framework for renters’ rights in Wales. Instead of copying all of England’s reforms, Wales is choosing to continue with the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 and only adopt specific changes - currently, this means focusing on anti-discrimination protections.
So for the time being, there will be no further changes in Wales around:
Eviction rules (“no-fault” evictions)
Rolling monthly tenancies
Limits on rent increases
Pet rights
So, if you’ve been following news from England, don’t worry - most of it won’t affect you, but the new anti-discrimination protections are still an important step forward for Welsh tenants.
