Renters’ Rights Bill Becomes Law
We previously produced an article on The Renters’ Rights Bill. As of 27 October 2025, the Renters Rights Bill received Royal Assent and is now an Act of Parliament which means it is Law. We will now see a rebalance of landlord-tenant relations across England once it comes into force. No date has been set for when the Act will come into force.
It is important to note that the changes are retrospective, and they will apply to existing and new tenancies.
We summarise below the 13 key changes that both Landlord and Tenant should know.
13 Key Changes
- The Renters Rights Act delivers its promise to end ‘no-fault evictions’ by removing Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 entirely. Landlords will now have to rely on Section 8 notices when regaining possession.
- Landlords will no longer be able to engage in fixed-term tenancies, even if this is preferred by the tenant. Tenancies will now be automatically rolling (periodic) e.g. on a month to month basis.
- The Act has put a stop to being tied into a tenancy for a year or longer. Tenants will be able to end tenancies with two months’ notice whilst landlords will have strengthened and extra grounds for possession.
- Tenants will be better protected against backdoor evictions by being able to challenge rents above market rate. There will only be one way to legally increase rent which is by using the procedure set out under Section 13 Housing Act 1988.
- The Act introduces the Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman to implement and uphold the upcoming changes. Tenants will be able to bring their complaints to the Ombudsman. We do not yet know when this will be rolled out.
- The Act introduces the Private Rented Sector Database. Both the landlord and their property will be required to register. Tenants will be able to access this to find out whether their landlord has received financial penalties or whether they have been subject to regulatory action. We do not yet know when this will be rolled out.
- Tenants will now have stronger rights to request a pet in the property. The landlord cannot unreasonably refuse.
- Decent Homes Standard is now applicable to the private rented sector with the hope to eliminate poor-quality homes
- Awaab’s Law now also applicable to the private rented sector. Landlords must deal with hazards such as damp and mould in a suitable and timely manner.
- The Act now makes it Illegal for landlords to discriminate against prospective tenants in receipt of benefits or with children. Everyone must be treated fairly when being considered for a property.
- The Act prohibits Rental bidding. Landlords and agents will be required to publish an asking rent for their property and cannot accept offers made above this rate.
- The Act introduces stronger local authority enforcement by expanding their investigatory powers and civil penalties.
- The Act strengthens rent repayment orders by extending them to superior landlords, doubling the maximum penalty and ensuring repeat offenders have to repay the maximum amount.
What the future holds
We do not yet know when these changes will be come into force but we do know that there is no going back. The Secretary of State Steve Reeve said that the act is “levelling the playing field between renters and landlords,” but that remains to be seen.
At Kitson Boyce, our specialist property dispute resolution team is well-versed in the upcoming changes. If you require any assistance or legal advice on the Renters’ Rights Bill, please contact Fiona Hannaford on 01803 206209 or [email protected].
