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The Renters Rights Bill 2025: A real game-changer

For landlords and renters, the new Renters Rights Bill 2025, is a landmark piece of legislation, likely to be passed in the next few months and which will transform the rental housing market.

The Bill is designed to redress what the government believes has been an imbalance between tenants and landlords and as such will give tenants more protection and require significant changes for landlords.

While we appreciate the new legislation is quite daunting, our dedicated lettings team undergo regular training on the changes and can guide you through the new regulations.

We’ll keep you informed on the progress of the Bill and ensure that all our landlords are fully compliant once the law is passed.

So what are the key points?

Tenancies

Assured Shorthold Tenancies (AST) are being abolished and replaced with ‘Assured Tenancies’. Instead, all tenancies will be periodic, with tenants able to stay in their home until they decide to end the tenancy by giving two months’ notice.

Possession

Landlords will need valid grounds for possession and will no longer be able to use the Section 21 notice. Possession can be gained through a Section 8 where there are 36 grounds to choose from. However, these are very specific and evidence will need to be provided in some cases.
If you wish to sell your property, move back in or move a family member into the property, you will need to allow your tenants 12 months in the property and only then can you give your tenants four months’ notice.
If you want you evict your tenants, for example for rent arrears, you will need to apply to the court for possession after three months’ worth of arrears have been accrued and then you must give four weeks’ notice.
A tenant will have to give two months’ notice to vacate and this can be given at any time.

Rents

Landlords will only be able to accept rental payments of 28 days or one month. Charging rent in advance (quarterly, six monthly or yearly) will no longer be permitted.
Rent increases will only be permitted once a year using the Section 13 notice and it must be a fair, market rent. They cannot be written into agreements and tenants will be encouraged to appeal and take the proposed increase to a tribunal should they think it is above the market rent. Encouraging bidding wars or accepting higher offers will be illegal.

Pets

Landlords will no longer be able to simply refuse a request for a pet. They will need a good reason for not accepting a pet. For example, where the head lease doesn’t allow them or when a landlord is moving back to the property in the future and has proof of pet allergies.
The Tenant Fee Act 2019 will be amended to enable landlords to request tenants buy pet insurance to cover any pet damage and it is likely that landlords will be able to take out their own insurance which they can ask the tenants to pay for, so long as it is reasonable.
There will be time limits for agents and landlords to respond to any request from a tenant who wishes to have a pet.

Discrimination

To ensure that no-one suffers discrimination when looking for a place to live, it will be illegal for landlords to refuse tenants:

Receiving benefits, although you can take into account affordability.
With children, however the property will have to be suitable for children for example, a one-bedroom flat will not be suitable for a parent with three children.

Private Rented Sector (PRS) database

The new Bill will introduce a PRS database to ensure tenants, landlords and local authorities have access to critical information. This will help:

Landlords to be better able to understand their responsibilities and demonstrate compliance.
Tenants to be able to access information to make informed choices.
Local councils to have access to better data to target enforcement where needed.

Landlords will have to register their rental properties on the database prior to advertising as it will be an offence to let a property that is not on the database.

Redress

All landlords will have to become members of a redress scheme which will provide fair, impartial, and binding resolution to both landlords and tenants and reduce the reliance on using the court system.

The penalty for not becoming a member will be £7,000 with a further £40,000 penalty if you fail to comply within 28 days.

Awaab’s Law

Under new legislation in memory of Awaab Ishak, a toddler who died from a respiratory condition caused by “extensive” mould in the flat he was living in, there will be a crackdown on damp and mould. A landlord must investigate a reported issue within 14 days and the law will enable tenants to sue the landlord for compensation should they not comply.

Decent Homes Standard

Privately rented homes will need to meet the DHS to ensure renters will have safe, secure and hazard-free homes. The property must be in a reasonable state of repair with the Bill bringing in the Housing Health & Safety Rating System (HHSRS) which identifies potential hazards within housing.

Statements

All tenants will have to be given the terms and conditions of their tenancy. These will have to be issued within 28 days of the tenancy starting and issued retrospectively for existing tenancies.