Once both Houses have reached an agreement, the Bill will receive Royal Assent (the King’s signature that turns it into law). The next key milestone is commencement, when the main provisions of the Act take effect. This is when Section 21 will be abolished, ending “no-fault” evictions. However, there is no set timescale for this – commencement may be immediate, or it could be months after Royal Assent.
The UK Government has promised to allow sufficient time for the sector to adapt. However, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government also needs time to prepare – drafting secondary legislation, creating standard forms and notices, issuing guidance, launching publicity, consulting on the decent home standard, building a national database, and setting up the PRS Ombudsman.
Timothy Douglas, Head of Policy & Campaigns at Propertymark, will host a webinar on 27 August 2025 where he will discuss the outstanding amendments, how agents can influence them by writing to their MP, and the anticipated timelines for what happens next.
Renters' Rights Bill – Ping Pong Parliamentary stage
In our continued quest to support agents, Timothy Douglas will cover the latest amendments and timelines for the Renters' Rights Bill.
Tenancy reform
It has been made clear that the new tenancy system will be implemented in a single stage, with the move to periodic tenancies, the abolition of Section 21, and the reformed grounds for possession, putting all tenancies on the same footing immediately.
These are likely to be the first changes enacted by the UK Government; however, no dates have been confirmed. Therefore, we do not yet know if, or for how long, landlords will be able to rely on Section 21 notices served before the enactment of the Bill.
Once Section 21 has been abolished, landlords will have to rely on a new-style Section 8 ground for possession to evict a tenant and, as in the current system, will need to go to court if a tenant does not leave and provide evidence that the ground applies.
Student accommodation
Purpose-built student accommodation will be exempt from the legislation if the provider is registered for UK Government-approved codes, because these tenancies are not assured. This means they will still be able to offer fixed-term tenancies.
Landlords renting houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) to full-time students will be able to use the new mandatory Ground 4A, which enables them to regain possession to relet the property to full-time students. Importantly, landlords and agents must ensure that, before granting the tenancy, the tenants are given written notice of the landlord’s intention to use this ground for possession.
Propertymark successfully advocated for an amendment extending the eviction ‘Ground 4a’ to cover one- and two-bedroom student properties, not just HMOs; however, it remains uncertain whether this will be retained when considered by the Commons.
Rent in advance
The Bill restricts advance rent payments to one month, despite arguments for exceptions for tenants who lack income, credit history, or guarantors.
Rental bidding
Landlords and agents will be required to publish an asking rent for their property, and it will be illegal to accept offers made above this rate.
New and revised possession grounds
Notice periods for eviction notices will increase – agents and landlords can expect, in most circumstances, notice periods to be either 4 weeks or 4 months, depending on the possession ground being relied upon.
The Bill gives tenants more time to find a home if landlords evict to move in (Ground 1) or sell (Ground 1A). Evidence in support will be required to prevent misuse.
The Bill contains a 'no reletting period' which prevents landlords, who say they're evicting to move into the property or sell it, from putting the property up for rent again afterwards. It aims to deter landlords from evicting tenants under false pretences for the sole purpose of finding a new tenant or to let at a higher rent. An amendment was passed by the House of Lords to reduce this period from 12 to 6 months; however, the change has not yet been agreed by the House of Commons.
Download our member fact sheet for details of the possession grounds →
Rent reviews and appeals
Rent increases are limited to once a year, and will need to be communicated to tenants using a standard template form, which the UK Government will provide once the Bill has passed.
As now, landlords will still be able to increase rents to market price for their properties, and an independent tribunal will make a judgment on this, if needed.
Proposed amendments, such as linking increases to inflation or making exceptions for senior living/BTR schemes, have been rejected so far.
Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman
All private sector landlords in England with assured or regulated tenancies will be required to join, regardless of whether they use a letting or managing agent. Tenants will be able to access this free service, and the Ombudsman will have powers to compel landlords to provide information, take remedial action, and/or pay compensation.
Local councils will be able to act against landlords who fail to join, or against agents who market and manage PRS properties where the landlord is not registered.
The UK Government has stated that the Ombudsman will be introduced ‘as soon as possible’ after Royal Assent, and landlords will be given sufficient notice of the date by which they need to sign up. There is likely to be an annual fee to help cover the operating costs.
Private Rented Sector Database
All landlords of assured and regulated tenancies will be legally required to register themselves and their properties on the database, and could be subject to penalties if they market or let out a property without registering it and providing the required information. There will be a fee to register.
Landlords will need to be registered on the database to use any possession grounds, except those for anti-social behaviour (7A and 14).
The design of the database, including information that will be collected and made publicly available, is still under discussion and will require secondary legislation to be enacted before it can be introduced.
Decent Homes Standard and ‘Awaab’s Law’
The DHS sets the minimum standards for the condition of rented homes, and Awaabs Law requires landlords and agents to address hazards, such as damp and mould, within a specified period. Both already apply to the social rented sector, and the Bill proposes to extend these standards to homes in the private rented sector.
Parliament is holding a separate consultation on the DHS, which indicates that it will be fully implemented by either 2035 or 2037.
Strengthened rights to request a pet
Landlords must consider requests to keep a pet in the rented property and cannot unreasonably refuse.
The original plan to require pet insurance has been dropped, and an amendment was passed in the Lords to allow landlords to request an extra three weeks' rent as a pet deposit. This has yet to be accepted by the Commons.
Making it illegal to discriminate against prospective tenants
This is the only part of the legislation which will extend to England, Scotland, and Wales.
The Bill will outlaw blanket bans in new and existing mortgage or lease agreements which restrict letting to families with children or people in receipt of benefits. Landlords and agents will need to be able to evidence legitimate reasons for refusing a tenancy on a case-by-case basis. For example, overcrowding would be a legitimate reason if a parent with two teenage children applied to rent a one-bed flat.
The same ban will apply to restrictive terms in insurance contracts that commence after the legislation comes into force.
Local authority enforcement and rent repayment orders
Civil penalties will be extended, and a package of investigatory powers will be given to local authorities, along with a new duty to report on enforcement activity.
Rent repayment orders will be extended to superior landlords, doubling the maximum penalty and ensuring repeat offenders must repay the highest amount. Penalties for non-compliance range from fines of up to £7,000 for initial breaches to fines of £40,000 for repeat or significant breaches, rent repayment orders, or even a criminal conviction.
The evidence bar for issuing fines to landlords was increased during the Lords Committee Stage. If this change is included in the final Bill, local authorities will have to prove 'beyond a reasonable doubt' that a landlord had broken the rules before imposing a fine.
UK Government guidance on the Renters’ Rights Bill →
Renters' Rights Bill
The Renters’ Rights Bill was introduced to the UK Parliament on 11 September 2024, will ban Section 21 evictions, and introduce a new tenancy regime and new requirements for property standards and rent increases.
