Renters' Rights Act — Supporting agents to adapt

The Written Statement Regulations have been published, and confusion has arisen around Section 21 end dates, rent reviews, and other aspects of the transition. Additionally, the Information Leaflet is due in March 2025. Hear from our experts as they provide clarity and address areas of uncertainty.

The role of letting agents must be valued

The Assured Tenancies (Private Rented Sector) (Written Statement of Terms, etc. and Information Sheet) (England) Regulations 2026 currently do not require the agent's details to be included, which we have flagged with MHCLG. Letting agents are often listed as the contact address for legal notices, especially when landlords are based outside the UK. We have recommended that the agent's name and address be mandatory in the Written Statement to align with the tenancy agreement, and suggested including the landlord’s unique identifier to match the PRS Database.

Further clarity is needed

Following feedback, we are pleased that the UK Government have clarified when and how the information must be provided alongside tenancy agreements. However, the Policy and Campaigns Team have also raised specific points of detail that MHCLG must provide more clarity on to help agents comply. These include the wording around disability adaptations, supported accommodation, the role of permitted occupiers, bills including fair usage, pets, and ending a tenancy.

The new regime

Timothy Douglas, Head of Policy and Campaigns at Propertymark, Valerie Bannister, PPARLA, Lettings Compliance Director at LSL Franchisor Group, and Jan Hÿtch, PPNAEA, FARLA, FNAVA, Member Services Manager, Propertymark, will provide an overview of key developments, Propertymark’s ongoing engagement, insights on how the sector may be affected, next steps and how agents can prepare for the new regime..

Speakers

Valerie Bannister

Regional Executive, ARLA Propertymark

Valerie is Lettings Compliance Director for Your Move and Reeds Rains based in Southampton, ARLA Property Regional Executive and ARLA Propertymark Past President.

Timothy Douglas

Head of Policy and Campaigns, Propertymark

Timothy joined Propertymark in July 2015 and leads on the organisation’s policy and campaigns activity across Westminster, the devolved parliaments, and local authorities. He authored Propertymark’s The Future of Renting position paper and wrote Propertymark’s best practice guidance to help agents operate during the pandemic. Timothy also created the policy proposals for the Leasehold: A Life Sentence research report.

Before Propertymark, Timothy worked as a political advisor in Westminster for a former Business Minister and Government Whip and spent a period of time as a Caseworker and Researcher for Members of the European Parliament.

Janine Hÿtch

Advisory Panel Member and Member Services Manager, Propertymark

Jan is an experienced practitioner in the residential lettings industry with a career spanning over 30 years. She served as a Partner at Norfolk-based Arnolds Keys and led their residential lettings division for many years, contributing significantly to the firm's success.

Holding prominent roles within Propertymark, including a former President and Board member, and now an NAEA Propertymark Advisory Panel Member, Jan continues to contribute to the industry improvement through her educational and advisory/regulatory consultancy roles. More recently, she was instrumental in setting up the Propertymark member helplines and manages member services.