Renters Rights Bill: Policy wins to shout from the rooftops about

The government introduced its Renters Rights Bill to parliament last summer in the hope of improving the tenancy system for tenants and landlords. Since housing is a devolved issue, the legislation only applies to the private rental sector in England.

Among the many measures included within the Bill are the abolishment of ‘no fault’ evictions, stronger tenant rights and protections, and simpler regulation for landlords. The intent behind the reforms is not only to improve the quality, affordability and security of the private rental sector, but to help tackle the risk of homelessness and rough sleeping which, as many social workers will know from their everyday practice, causes such devastation to the lives of adults and children every year.

BASW’s manifesto for social work – Time to get it Right – outlined a number of recommendations to the government for addressing the housing crisis, including the need to end the unfair and discriminatory ‘no fault’ evictions rule that can be enforced through a Section 21 notice. While successive governments have supported ending this power, it has never been repealed, leaving millions of families at constant risk of being uprooted from their homes at short notice and with no reason given. 

We’re therefore pleased that the ban on no-fault evictions is finally set to become a reality, as the Bill was voted through the House of Lords on Monday. 

What else does the Bill include?

The Renter’s Rights Bill has been broadly welcomed by housing charities and anti-poverty campaign groups alike. It contains several measures aimed at protecting and strengthening tenant’s rights, enabling them to have access to safer, more secure housing, including:

• Making it illegal for landlords and agents to discriminate against prospective tenants in receipt of benefits or with children
• Removing fixed-term tenancies and replacing them with periodic agreements, offering more flexibility for tenants
• Ending of rent in advance payments, unless specifically requested by the tenant
• Setting clear legal expectations about the timeframes within which landlords must take action to make homes safe where they contain serious hazards
• Prohibiting landlords and agents from asking for or accepting offers above the advertised rent
• Giving tenants the right to appeal excessive above-market rents which are purely designed to force them out
• Introducing a new Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman to resolve complaints made by tenants against their landlord
• A duty on landlords to appropriately consider and not unreasonably refuse requests from a tenant to have a pet in the property

The legislation also seeks to improve the experience for landlords. It will expand grounds of possession where landlords have a good reason to take their property back and creates a new database that supports landlords to better understand their legal responsibilities.

Is there anything missing?

As mentioned above, the general feeling is that the Bill is delivering long-overdue protections for private rental tenants. However, there are fears that not bringing in stricter regulations for rent increases could serve as a back-door way for landlords to force out tenants in the absence of a Section 21 notice.  

While the Bill does give tenants the power to appeal rent rises that are deemed to be above ‘market rate’, some campaigners argue that the government needed to go further, and explicitly cap the rate at which rent can be annually increased. The issue has been debated during the Bill’s passage through parliament, but the government stopped short of agreeing to it.

Another point of controversy has been on the issue of pet insurance. Initially, the government planned to require tenants to take out specific pet insurance to cover any damage to the property as a result of owning a pet. However, Ministers then changed their mind and, while opposition Peers won an amendment to instead allow landlords to request three weeks’ rent as a returnable deposit, it is widely expected that the government will remove it.

When will the Bill come into force?

The government had initially hoped to have the Bill finished by the time parliament rose for summer recess this week. However, a series of lengthy debates in the Lords meant that this wasn't possible.

Instead, the legislation will undergo a final check by the government when parliament returns from recess in September. Ministers will either accept or undo changes made in the House of Lords, in a process known as ‘ping-pong’, since the Bill will be ping-ponging between both houses until the final wording is agreed. 

It should then receive Royal Ascent in the autumn. Once on the statute books, implementation is likely to begin in early 2026.