Renter’s Rights Bill Takes Effect
On 27 October 2025, the Renter’s Rights Bill received Royal Assent. This marked the final stage of the Bill’s progress and effectively made it law.
Its effects on the private rental sector will be far reaching. The legislation will outlaw ‘Section 21’ no-fault evictions, and will impose a cap on rental increases. It will also put an end to fixed-term tenancies and replace them with renewable contracts.
Other notable changes will include:
· Ensuring that rented homes meet higher standards, as defined in the updated Decent Homes Standard;
· Ensuring that private rented properties meet the requirements of Awaab’s Law, which obliges landlords to act within specific timeframes to fix urgent, health-threatening problems such as damp and mould;
· Prohibiting landlords from requesting or accepting offers above the advertised rental value;
· Banning discrimination against prospective tenants who receive benefits or those who have children;
· Giving tenants the right to appeal excessive rental increases;
· Preventing landlords from re-letting a property if they have given notice to sell;
· Enabling tenants to move, subject to giving two months’ notice;
· Introducing a national landlords register;
· Introducing a new private rented sector ombudsman with the power to resolve tenant-landlord disputes quickly and fairly, and to impose binding resolutions;
· Creating a Private Rented Sector Database that a) provides landlords with information about their legal obligations and how to comply with current law; and b) provides support and information for tenants considering new tenancy agreements.
Although the Bill is now law, it will take time for it to be implemented. A precise timetable for this has not yet been published, so landlords will have time to familiarise themselves with the law and to make suitable preparations.
Industry reactions have been predictably varied but one commonly expressed sentiment is that the legislation at least brings some certainty to the market, and provides a place from which landlords can now make plans.
There are, of course, concerns associated with the new rules – not least the possibility that the end of fixed-term contracts and the introduction of a ‘right to leave’ could make it harder for landlords to manage occupancy levels efficiently. Maximising rental returns will demand careful planning and responsiveness, and many investors will doubtless delegate the associated tasks and responsibilities to their letting agents.
More broadly, however, there is a sense that the Bill is not really taking aim at reputable landlords and property businesses. While there will always be rogue traders, most landlords will already have been working to the higher standards that the Bill seeks to uphold, and steering well clear of the practices that it seeks to ban. Consequently, those who have been operating responsibly should see minimal impacts from the new legislation.
Many of the new rules – such as those relating to minimum housing standards and addressing urgent or dangerous problems – are unlikely to affect those who have invested in new-builds, residential conversions and similarly modern developments. Moreover, investors who have the support of a good rental management agency can expect their agent to take a lead on issues such as quality standards, tenant-finding, contracts, administration and disputes. Again, the investor’s day-to-day experience should remain largely unchanged.
In summary, while the long-anticipated Renters’ Rights Bill will bring changes for some – and important protections for many vulnerable tenants – those who invest in good quality housing and a fair, well managed service should find the new rules relatively easy to embrace.
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