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The Renters' Rights Act has applied to private tenancies in England since 1 May 2026. Section 21 has gone, every assured tenancy is now periodic, and a landlord can only recover a let property on a legal ground. For a landlord in Bournemouth, Christchurch or Poole the point that matters is this: there is no ground for "I want to run it as a holiday let", so a switch is realistic only when the property is already empty or the tenant chooses to leave.
This post sets out what is in force, what the Act means for a change of use, and what to weigh before you make one. It is not legal advice: confirm your own position with a solicitor.
What is in force, and since when
The dates below come from the government's implementation roadmap and its landlord guidance on GOV.UK.
- 27 December 2025. Councils gained new investigatory and enforcement powers.
- 1 May 2026. Section 21 "no fault" notices were abolished. Existing assured shorthold tenancies became assured periodic tenancies and fixed terms ended. A tenant can leave on two months' notice. Rent can rise once a year, through the section 13 procedure, with at least two months' notice. Landlords cannot ask for more than one month's rent in advance, accept bids above the advertised rent, or turn tenants away because they have children or receive benefits. A request to keep a pet must be answered within 28 days.
- 31 July 2026. The last date on which a section 21 notice served before 1 May could be used to start court proceedings, according to GOV.UK's guidance on notices given before that date. That route is now closed.
Still to come is the private rented sector database. The government's Housing Hub says it rolls out by region from 15 December 2026 and lists the South West last: registration opens on 15 August 2027, the deadline is 14 November 2027 and the annual fee is £65. The landlord ombudsman is expected in 2028.
Why you cannot end a tenancy to go short let
Since May, possession needs one of the grounds in the Housing Act 1988. Two are open to an owner who wants the property back with no fault on the tenant's side: ground 1, where you or close family will live there, and ground 1A, where you intend to sell. GOV.UK's grounds for possession guidance says both need four months' notice and neither can take effect in the first 12 months of a tenancy.
Neither is a route to a holiday let. Once either ground has been used, section 16E of the Housing Act 1988 bars the landlord from letting or marketing the property for a restricted period that runs until 12 months after the notice expires. The wording covers tenancies and paid licences to occupy, so on our reading a short let is caught as well. Breaches carry financial penalties and rent repayment orders of up to two years' rent.
That leaves three lawful routes to a vacant property:
- The tenant gives notice.
- The tenant agrees to surrender the tenancy, freely and in writing.
- The property is already empty, or becomes empty between tenancies.
Pressing a tenant to leave is not a fourth route. It risks a harassment or illegal eviction claim, and councils now have stronger powers to investigate.
What the Act does not reach
A genuine holiday let is not an assured tenancy. Schedule 1 of the Housing Act 1988 excludes a tenancy granted for the purpose of a holiday, and the Renters' Rights Act left that exclusion in place. Guests on a week by the beach do not acquire a periodic tenancy.
The line is the purpose of the stay, not the platform it was booked on. Someone who books for four months and lives in the flat as their only or main home may be an assured tenant whatever the listing called the stay, and since 1 May that tenancy has no fixed end. Winter mid-term lets therefore need care over who is staying and on what agreement. Take advice before you accept one.
Short lets have their own rules, and those are moving too. GOV.UK's guidance for self-catering owners says a mandatory national registration scheme for short-term lets in England is expected to begin in 2026; at the time of writing it has not opened. Locally, BCP councillors were reported to have backed a motion in May 2026 asking the council to gather evidence on short lets and to look at tighter planning control. Our guide to holiday let regulations in England covers the safety and planning duties that apply today.
What to weigh before you switch
If the property is empty, or soon will be, the decision is commercial.
- Income. A long let pays a known rent every month. A short let pays more per night and less predictably, with a strong summer and a thin January.
- Costs. The owner, not a tenant, pays utilities, broadband, cleaning, linen, platform fees and management. Management with us is a flat 16% of booking revenue.
- Permission. The lease, the mortgage and the insurance must all allow short stays.
- Flexibility. A short let can be blocked for your own use, sold with vacant possession or returned to the long let market once the bookings have run off. A periodic tenancy cannot be ended on your timetable.
Our comparison of a holiday let and a long-term rental sets the two side by side. The choice does not have to be all or nothing: our short let management service mixes short, mid-term and long lets by season, and the page on holiday let management in Bournemouth describes the local market.
The quickest test is a number. Put the property through the holiday let income calculator and set the result against the rent you receive now.
