A tenant’s guide to the Renters’ Rights Bill

The Renters’ Rights Bill has taken another step towards becoming law. With no major amendments expected, it’s now that tenants should take notice of the Bill’s contents.

The Bill seeks to reform the private rental sector to give tenants more power. The legislation should help make tenants feel more secure in a rental home, create safer living environments and help eradicate so-called ‘rogue landlords’. Although most of the Bill applies exclusively to English tenants, there is one clause that will also apply in Scotland and Wales, as detailed below.

Expect changes between October 2025 & January 2026

The Renters’ Rights Bill is expected to gain Royal Assent and become an Act (when the contents are legally enforceable) in July this year (subject to summer recess) but not all of the changes will happen overnight. We should see a staggered introduction of new laws between October 2025 and January 2026, although the Government hasn’t ruled out immediately implementing some of its headline reforms.

Changes you will notice

• The incoming rental reforms will affect existing tenants and new renters, so it’s worth knowing what to expect. The headline reforms will have the following impact:

• You will feel more secure in your home: it will become much harder for landlords to evict tenants if they don’t have good reason because the Renters’ Rights Bill will abolish Section 21 notices – also known as ‘no fault evictions’. There will be a revised list of reasons a landlord can ask tenants to leave, which should reduce the risk of eviction without qualifying grounds.

• The advertised price will be the price you pay: bidding wars between tenants trying to secure the same property will be banned. Instead, landlords and letting agents will only be allowed to accept offers that reflect the asking price, ending the practice of tenants forcing the rent up by outbidding each other. 

• A new body will mediate if there’s a dispute: a new landlord ombudsman will be created. If you have a dispute with your landlord, you can take it to a new impartial resolution service aimed at keeping disagreements out of court. 

• You’ll be able to look up landlords before you sign a tenancy agreement: a new private rented sector database will hold details of landlords and their properties. Tenants will be able to search the database to help them make better informed decisions.

• The quality of rental properties will improve: a new Decent Homes Standard will be introduced to the private rental sector. It will set out minimum habitable standards, and detail new timeframes for landlords to respond to issues such as damp and mould (Awaab’s Law).

• You’ll be treated more fairly if you have children or receive benefits: it should become easier for Welsh and Scottish tenants - as well as English – to secure a rental property. Why? Landlords and letting agents will be banned from discriminating against those with children and who receive benefits, such as universal credit. 

• You’ll stand a better chance of keeping a pet: the law will change so landlords ‘must consider and cannot unreasonably refuse’ a request by a tenant to keep a domestic animal in a rental property. This differs from the current situation, where a landlord can implement a blanket ban, without reason, on pets. 

• You’ll have more control of when you end your tenancy: it will be easier to move out of a rental property due to personal circumstances or a poor state of repair as all fixed-term tenancies will automatically switch to rolling periodic ones. Tenants can then end the tenancy by giving two months’ notice at any time, rather than wait until the end of a fixed term or when a break clause is applicable. 

• You’ll never be asked to pay a large sum upfront: the practice of landlords requesting large sums of money ahead of a tenancy – known as rent in advance – will be banned.  What will be permissible is the payment of one month’s rent (or 28 days’ rent for tenancies with rental periods of less than one month) once a tenancy agreement has been signed and before commencement. Rent rises will also be limited to once a year and to the market rate. 

If you’d like to know more about the Renters’ Rights Bill and how it may affect your tenancy, please contact our lettings department.