Renters’ Rights – latest updates for landlords

23rd July 2025

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by David Moulton, Property Litigation Specialist

Legal changes governing the relationship between landlords and tenants are imminent, mainly aimed at protecting tenants and therefore putting new burdens onto landlords. The implementation of the Renters’ Rights Bill is being staggered, with some aspects being due in 2025 and others not until 2026.  David Moulton, who specialises in property litigation at Fraser Dawbarns, outlines key points for landlords to consider.

Fixed term tenancies to end

The new Renters’ Rights legislation is expected to become law in September 2025.  It will then be implemented in stages, beginning in late 2025, according to current projections.

Among the first changes will be fixed term tenancies coming to an end. All tenants will have periodic tenancies but will then have to give two months’ notice if they plan to move out.  This will be a change for both landlords and tenants as most will be used to the traditional approach of signing up for either six or 12 months initially and then extending the lease as required.

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Getting a tenant to vacate

Under the new regime, a landlord wishing a tenant to vacate a property will lose the option to serve a “no fault” Section 21 notice. There will however be other situation-dependent alternatives.

  • If a landlord wishes to sell a property, this will become a justifiable reason to ask tenants to vacate. However, the landlord will need to give the tenant four months’ notice. A landlord will then be unable to re-let the property for at least six months after the tenant has vacated.
  • Tenants who breach the terms of their tenancy, for example by failing to pay the rent or exhibiting antisocial behaviour, will still be able to be evicted using a section 8 Notice. Landlords will generally find this a more drawn-out process than proceedings based upon a Section 21 Notice.  A section 8 Notice process also affords the tenant the opportunity to raise complaints about the state of the property and use this as a defence to a claim for non-payment of rent.
  • Students occupying Houses in Multiple Occupation can be forced to move out at the end of the academic year. An eviction notice can be used to achieve this. 

 

Rent increases

Under the new Renters’ Rights regime, the standard notice period for increasing a tenant’s rent will be two months rather than one. This is already good practice but will become compulsory.  It supports the aim of outlawing unreasonably large rent increases in general, or as a means of trying to get tenants to depart.

Tenants will also have new rights to challenge rent increases imposed by their landlords if they disagree with them.  This will be done through the First-Tier Property Tribunal.  Where a tenant appeals but the court rules in favour of the landlord, there is no plan to enable the rent increase to be backdated to the time that the landlord tried to introduce it.  Instead, it will be effective from the time at which the Property Tribunal made its decision.  Some landlords are expressing concern that this will encourage more tenants to appeal against increases.

Letting to new tenants

Changes are also planned to the process of attracting new tenants in the first place. There are several measures which aim to discourage discrimination and there will potentially be fines for non-compliance.

  • Stricter action against stipulations such as no pets or children is in the pipeline. However, it will remain possible to reject applicants where a property is genuinely unsuitable for a particular type of tenant, for example a two-bedroom property for a family of six, provided it represents a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim.
  • The rent at which a landlord advertises a property will have to be the amount that it is let for – this is to stop those who can afford to do so paying above market rate to secure a property. It is feared that this will potentially result in higher rents being charged in the first place, making more properties unaffordable for tenants.
  • The option currently used by some of paying six months’ rent in advance to secure a property will no longer be available. This may cause genuine issues for those moving to the UK from overseas if they are unable to satisfy the usual financial requirements.

Pets

Pet owners will be afforded some protection under the new Renters’ Rights regime.  Not only will landlords no longer be able to stipulate ‘no pets’, they will also be unable to withdraw their consent for pets part-way through a tenancy, unless the pet exhibits a serious behavioural issue which justifies this.

From a landlord’s perspective, there is a continuing concern about the fact that there is no comprehensive pet-damage insurance policy on the market which could leave a property exposed to damage and a tenant being unable to afford to repair it. The solution being proposed to this relates to a pet damage deposit, which in reality is an approach some landlords have used for many years.

Decent Homes Standard

There are plans to extend to the private rental sector similar standards of repair which already apply to social housing. There are provisions around general state of repair and facilities such as heating.  The introduction of ‘Awaab’s Law’ is also planned to create clear timeframes for landlords to deal with serious health-concerning hazards.

Local Councils will be given greater powers than ever before to take action to force landlords to carry out necessary repairs to ensure that these standards are met.

However, none of these changes will be part of the first tranche of legislation.  There are concerns in some quarters that when these changes do come into force, some private landlords will be unable to afford to make the improvements that are required without dramatically increasing the rent they charge to tenants to cover their costs.

Other Proposed Changes

Landlords will eventually need to be registered on a new private rented sector database, although no date has yet been set for this. Likewise, they will also need to sign up with the private rented-sector Ombudsman.

There is a whole raft of further detail which will be of interest and importance to some landlords but of relatively little significance to others.  Landlords should consider reviewing their current tenancy arrangements now and discussing their future plans with their property agents if they have one.

The Wider Impact of the Renters’ Rights legislation

The general view is currently that the combination of this regime and tax changes will make buy-to-let a far less attractive option than previously.  There will still be landlords with existing larger portfolios of properties who feel that they can adapt to the new legislation, with the help where needed of their letting agents and solicitors.  The incidence of landlords with one or two properties is expected to decline over time, potentially leaving a hole in the private rental market which will need to be filled by social housing.

Getting Ahead of the Renters’ Rights Changes

If you are having trouble securing possession of an existing property and wish to try to do this before the rules change, please contact us.

 

How To Contact Us:

To contact a member of our team, you can fill in our online enquiry form, email info@fraserdawbarns.com, or call your nearest office below. If you’d like to speak to a member of our team at one of our offices across Norfolk and Cambridgeshire, visit our offices page.

Wisbech: 01945 461456
March: 01354 602880
King’s Lynn: 01553 666600

Ely: 01353 383483
Downham Market: 01366 383171

 

This article aims to supply general information, but it is not intended to constitute advice. Every effort is made to ensure that the law referred to is correct at the date of publication and to avoid any statement which may mislead. However, no duty of care is assumed to any person and no liability is accepted for any omission or inaccuracy. Always seek advice specific to your own circumstances. Fraser Dawbarns LLP is always happy to provide such advice.

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