Yesterday [27th October] the Renters’ Rights Act received royal assent, meaning it was officially passed into law in England.
A landmark reform, the Act formed a crucial part of Labour’s 2024 Plan for Change manifesto. The Act promises to “rebalance the relationship between England’s 2.3 million landlords and 11 million tenants.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “For too long, millions of renters have lived at the mercy of rogue landlords or insecure contracts, with their futures hanging in the balance. We’re putting an end to that.”
What does this Act mean for renters?
Firstly it’s important to note that this Act applies only to England, as housing is a devolved matter. This means that housing comes under the control of regional assemblies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, who are free to set their own laws.
Central to the Act is its provision to abolish Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions, under which private landlords have been able to remove tenants even if they have done nothing wrong.
The government said that these ‘no fault’ evictions have in the past “pushed thousands into homelessness.”
“This seismic shift will empower tenants to challenge poor conditions and unreasonable rent increases without fear of retaliatory eviction.”
According to homelessness charity Shelter, 11,400 households in England were evicted by bailiffs under Section 21 no-fault evictions between July 2024 and June 2025.
The Act also introduces a new Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman, under which renters will be able to take up complaints about landlords, and a Private Rented Sector Database which will help landlords better understand their obligations.
The Act will also, according to Housing Secretary Steve Reed, “tackle discrimination head-on” by banning landlords from refusing tenants that receive benefits or that have children.
Tenancies will change under the new legislation – rather than be fixed-term, all tenancies in England will default to being monthly rolling contracts.
Steve Reed said: “Our historic Act marks the biggest leap forward in renters’ rights in a generation. We are finally ending the injustice overseen by previous governments that has left millions living in fear of losing their homes.”
“This is an historic moment for renters across the country and we’re proud to deliver it.”
What does this mean for landlords?
Landlords will still be able to evict tenants under certain circumstances such as antisocial behaviour, damage to the property, or if they fall three or more months behind on rent.
The ability of landlords to increase rent will be restricted to “the market rate”, and “bidding wars” on properties will be ended, as new tenants can no longer be asked to pay more than the advertised rental price. They will also be banned from asking for more than one month’s rent upfront from tenants.
Landlords will also not be able to unreasonably refuse a tenant’s request for a pet to be kept in the property – good news for England’s furry friends.
Awaab’s Law
The Renters’ Rights Act is not the only change to housing that has come in recent days – just yesterday [27th October], Awaab’s Law came into effect in England.
Under this legislation, passed in July 2023 under the previous Conservative government, social landlords in England will be required to fix damp and mould issues in their properties within set timelines.
Named after Awaab Ishak, who died died at age two in 2020 from a respiratory condition due to exposure to mould in his social housing in Rochdale, the new regulations mean that social landlords must inspect reports of damp and mould within 10 working days, and make properties safe from these within five working days after this.
Landlords will also have to offer alternative accommodation to tenants if they are unable to make their properties safe within the alloted timeframe.
As of yet, Awaab’s Law is only enforced for social landlords, but under the Renters’ Rights Act the government plans to bring it into into force in the private sector as well.
What have reactions been from landlords and campaigners?
The reforms have been welcomed by many, particularly those that have campaigned on the issue.
Tom Darling, Director of the Renters’ Reform Coalition, said that the Act is: “Fantastic news for England’s 12 million renters.”
Sean Palmer, Executive Director of homelessness charity St Mungo’s said that the law was: “A watershed moment for tenants across the country, and welcome news for everyone committed to ending UK homelessness”
Ben Beadle, Chief Executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, which represents landlords, described the changes as “an important milestone for the private rented sector.”
He however asked for further clarity from the government about the implementation of the Act: “The sector needs certainty about the way forward.”
“It is imperative that the new systems work for both tenants and responsible landlords.”
This was backed by Chief Executive of Generation Rent, Ben Twomey, who said: “This new law is a vital step towards re-balancing power between renters and landlords and should be celebrated.”
“The Government must now give clarity to renters and landlords by announcing an implementation date quickly, bringing in renters’ new rights as soon as possible.”
Ministers are set to outline the roll out of reforms in the coming weeks and months.
Featured image via HM Government.
