The Renters Rights Bill

The Renters Rights Bill

We reached a milestone this week:  After months of debate, negotiation and revision, the Renters’ Rights Bill returned to the House of Lords on the 14th October for the final, and crucial, consideration of amendments.  With no Lords amendments coming back to the House of Commons, the Bill will soon receive Royal Assent - and transform the experience of private renting for millions of tenants.

Attention will now turn to the detailed rules that will make the new system work in practice. These will come through Statutory Instruments, expected in early 2026, notably:

1          NEW SECTION 8 GROUNDS AND NOTICE PERIODS

This will include clarity on when landlords can regain possession, including the new student Ground 4A and the rules for properties that were up for sale.

2          MODEL CLAUSES FOR PETS IN LETS

Official wording on how to handle pet requests fairly are expected, including what counts as a “reasonable refusal”.

3          DECENT HOMES STANDARD ROLLOUT

The timetable for when the new minimum property standards will extend into the private rented sector are still to be announced.

4         RENT REVIEWS

Updated guidance on using Section 13 notices to propose rent increases, and the steps tenants can take if they wish to dispute them through the First-tier Tribunal, will be produced.

In addition to these reforms, Us, agents,  and landlords now need to be thinking how they will implement:

5          UPDATED TENANCY AGREEMENTS

            ...to accommodate non-fixed term agreements

6          REVISIONS TO PET ACCEPTANCE ADVERTISING, MARKETING ACTIVITY, AND PROCESSES

            ...to ensure compliance with #2 above, any incumbent Head Lease restrictions, and environment suitability assessments

7          MEASURES TO PROTECT THE RISK OF NON-PAYMENT OF RENT

...to overcome increasing possession timelines, and additional rights under defended action by tenants, with additional focus on the use of Rent & Legal Protection insurance and the promotion of Professional Guarantor services, to mitigate loss

8         STAFF AND CLIENT EDUCATION

...to ensure knowledge, understanding, and most of all, compliance, of the provisions within the RRB

This means that there is a lot of work ahead - for both us and landlords - as we head towards a new era.

The Government and its associated bodies also have lots to do too - it’s clear to see already that The National Landlord database has no implementation date, and reforms to court infrastructure & capability are nowhere near ready.

So, the shift to a new compliance framework starts right now!  The tenants that you’re moving in today will likely be the same tenants in-situ when the provisions in RRB hit next Spring.