Comprehensive Guide to The Renters’ Rights Bill

This article was written in October 2025, prior to Royal Assent; the final version of the bill is subject to change. I’m not a lawyer, and this is not legal advice. It is, however, the best advice I’ve been able to put together to help make sense of the new regulations from a practical perspective.

The Renters’ Rights Bill represents the most significant shake-up of England’s private rental market in decades Aimed at improving tenant security and housing standards, this legislation proposes sweeping reforms that will affect all landlords, especially those in the student lettings sector. In this article, we’ll break down the Bill’s background, key provisions, special implications for student properties, and what to expect as it progresses into law.

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** TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read) Version: A Practical Guide for Landlords**

I know, even the TLDR version is long, but, it’s a big piece of legislation with wide-ranging consequences. 

When will the Renters’ Rights Bills come into effect?

It is expected to have Royal Ascent in Autumn 2025, with implementation in early 2026.

What’s the biggest change?

Tenancy agreements will no longer have an end date, and landlords will no longer be allowed to evict tenants without a valid reason (no more Section 21 notices). New grounds for eviction have been added, ensuring landlords can still regain possession if they want to move in themselves or sell the property.

Will it effect my tenancies?

Yes, existing and new tenancies will be covered by the new law from day one of its implementation.

What do a I need to do now?

It’s a good idea to add a clause to your tenancy agreements notifying tenants of your intention to use Ground 4A to potentially end their tenancy. You will be able to serve notice of your intention to use this ground within one month of the legislation’s implementation. Under specific conditions, landlords will be able to evict student tenants using this new ground.

What is the new Ground 4a for serving notice on student tenants?

This new ground allows landlords to serve notice on, and evict tenants if they meet the following criteria:

– The tenant is a full-time student when they sign the tenancy, or your reasonably believe they will become one during the tenancy.
– You give written notice to the tenant that you plan to use Ground 4A during their tenancy (we have includes this in our tenancy agreements for 25/26).
– You intend to let the property to another full-time student after the tenancy ends.
– The tenancy must be signed less than six months before the tenant moves in.
– The end date of the novice must fall between 1 June and 30 September.

Does this apply to all student properties?

Originally, this ground was only applicable to HMOs (3+ occupants), but the House of Lords have been pushing hard on an amendment to make sure it is applicable to all properties let to students.

Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSAs), has its own exemptions, and will still be able to rely on fixed term tenancies.

Will I be able to use this ground to ensure my property is available for new tenants in 2026?

Most of the conditions above will be met for most 2025/26 tenancies. Even if you haven’t yet served notice on your tenants that Ground 4A may be used, you will have a one-month window to serve this notice once the legislation is enacted.

What may be an issue is that many tenancy agreements were entered into more than six months in advance of their start date. By the letter of the law (which wouldn’t have been passed at that time), a landlord wouldn’t be able to rely on Ground 4A in court. There may be more guidance or transitional arrangements on this. However, if a landlord were to serve the notice to coincide with the previously agreed end date of the fixed-term tenancy, it’s very unlikely to be disputed by tenants.

Advertising for 26/27 Academic Year

What Start Date to Advertise?

When the bill comes into force (likely in early 2026), all tenancies will become periodic tenancies without a fixed end date. Your tenants will be able to serve two months’ notice at any point, allowing them to end their tenancy early or stay indefinitely unless you serve notice under the new Ground 4A.

This makes advertising for the 2026/27 academic year tricky. If you can use Ground 4A, you can ensure your property is vacant for a start date between 1st June and 30th September. However, tenants could still serve their own two months’ notice once the legislation is in place, potentially moving out before your expected end date and leaving you with a void period.

Despite this, the only sensible course of action seems to be to advertise as usual and serve a Section 8 notice using Ground 4A, hoping your tenants don’t decide to move out earlier.

When To Advertise?

Hopefully we will be able to issue notice to tenants under Ground 4a, however many tenancies for 25/26 will have been signed earlier than 6 months prior to the start of the tenancies. This is a grey area, as the bill will not have been law at the time the landlord entered into the tenancy agreement, it’s hard to say how the courts, or further guidance might deal with this.

Practically, landlords will want to be advertising their properties to re-let from October/November this year, as most other landlords and agents will be, so to delay, would be to miss out on the peak time of the letting season.

When the law is actually implemented, in the new year, landlords and agents will have a different decision to make. Those properties with July start dates, will be less than 6 months away, so fine to advertise, but those with September start dates, should not be advertised, (or contracts entered into) until 1st March, if landlords want to rely on Ground 4a.

Advertising for 27/28 Academic Year

This seems so very far away in the future, but, it will come around quicker than we’d like.

We need two make sure of two things to start advertising; first, is a date the property will be available, and second, to make sure we’re not entering into a tenancy more than six months in advance of it starting.

What Available Date?

With 2025/26 tenancies, tenants have at least agreed to an initial end date. Many tenancies for 2026/27 will never have had one.

Our suggestion is to ask your tenants just before the Christmas break to give notice of their intended move-out date. You can advise them that if they do not choose a date, you will have to choose one for them and issue notice under Ground 4A. This will hopefully lead to tenants confirming a move-out date, allowing you to start advertising (while remembering not to enter into a contract more than six months before the start date).

Even if your tenants don’t respond and you serve your four months’ notice, they can still issue their own two-month counter-notice for an earlier date. However, at least you will have a confirmed date from which you can advertise the property as being available.

What does enter into a contract mean?

Landlords wanting to use Ground 4A must not enter into a contract more than six months from its start date. As far as I can tell, the parties have not entered into a tenancy until both the landlord and tenant have signed. Theoretically, landlords could have tenants sign an agreement at any point, but then only sign it themselves within the six-month window.

Can tenants change their mind once they’ve given notice?

he short answer is no. For example, if your tenants give notice in December that they will move out on 31st August, and you rely on that notice to let the property from 1st September, you can hold them to it even if they later try to give notice for an earlier date.

Can I force my tenants to give notice?

No. It would be simple if we could have tenants sign a notice to end their tenancy at the same time they sign the agreement, but any notice given under pressure is not legally enforceable.

Novations and Drops Outs

Property regulations are always changing, and so are tenants’ circumstances. We deal with hundreds of situations each year where tenants want to exit their fixed-term tenancies. Currently, they must continue to pay rent until a replacement is found and approved.

Post-implementation, any tenant who has fallen out with their housemates only needs to give two months’ notice, which ends the tenancy for everyone. Their rental obligations are then over, leaving the landlord with a room to fill and the task of signing up the remaining tenants on a new contract. The financial incentive for the group to find a replacement will have disappeared. Our plan will be as follows:

– The leaving tenant will still want to avoid paying the two months’ rent, creating some incentive for them to find a replacement.

– The remaining tenants will prefer to choose their new housemate themselves rather than have the landlord/agent choose for them. A financial incentive could also be offered to these tenants to help find a replacement.

Letting to Non-Students

In addition to students, we let to large numbers of of young professionals in our HMOs; these tenants will be afforded the full protections of the Renters’ Rights Bill and cannot be evicted without fault. This means if you let rooms in a student HMO to non-students, you can’t guarantee the property will become available again in line with the academic year. Letting to non-students will no longer be a temporary option for student landlords but a one-way door.

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Background: From Manifesto Pledge to Renters’ Reform and Rights Bills

The journey of this legislation began with a 2019  government pledge to deliver “a better deal for renters,” including abolishing Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions After a public consultation and a White Paper titled A Fairer Private Rented Sector in 2022, the first draft law – the Renters’ Reform Bill – was introduced by the Conservative government in May 2023.  This original bill made it through the House of Commons (with notable amendments along the way) but was ultimately abandoned and when Parliament was dissolved for a general election in July 2024.

The new Labour administration quickly reintroduced the reforms as the Renters’ Rights Bill on 11 September 2024. The Labour government retained most of the previous proposals but strengthened tenant protections even further in some areas. Throughout late 2024 and 2025, the Bill underwent intense scrutiny in Parliament, including debates in the House of Lords, and is now approaching its final stages. Royal Assent is expected by late 2025, with implementation likely coming into force in 2026. (Notably, implementation may be phased to ensure court systems and landlords can adapt, but the government are yet to share details).

Key Reforms and Provisions of the Renters’ Rights Bill

The Renters’ Rights Bill is far-reaching, effectively rewriting core rules for private renting in England. Every landlord needs to be aware of the following major changes:

Abolition of Section 21 “No-Fault” Evictions

Landlords will no longer be able to evict a tenant without giving a specific reason. Section 21 notices are to be abolished, meaning a tenancy can only end if the tenant chooses to leave or the landlord can prove a valid ground under Section 8. This change will apply to existing and new tenancies alike, once the law takes effect. The government’s goal is to end the “scourge of Section 21” evictions and provide tenants more security in their homes.

All Tenancies Becoming Periodic

Fixed-term Assured Shorthold Tenancies (ASTs) will be eliminated. Every tenancy will convert to a periodic (open-ended) tenancy. In practice, this means tenants will not be locked into fixed terms, they can continue renting month-to-month until either party serves notice. Existing fixed-term contracts will automatically become periodic on the law’s commencement. There will be no new ASTs; instead, all are simply assured periodic tenancies. This aims to give tenants flexibility, though it introduces uncertainty for landlords in planning tenancy end dates, as we’ll discuss regarding student lets.

Tenants’ Notice to Quit and Minimum Tenancy Length

Under current law, tenants in a fixed term generally cannot give notice until the term ends (or a break clause date). The original Reform Bill proposed requiring tenants to wait 4 months before they could give notice (creating an effective minimum 6-month term). However, the Renters’ Rights Bill does not impose a minimum stay – tenants will be allowed to serve notice at any time, even soon after moving in. The tenant’s notice period will be standardised at two months. In theory a tenant could sign a tenancy and immediately give two months’ notice, guaranteeing only a short stay.

New and Stronger Possession Grounds (Section 8)

To balance the removal of no-fault evictions, the Section 8 grounds for possession are being expanded and adjusted Key changes include:

Selling or Moving In (Landlord’s Use)

A new mandatory Ground 1A allows landlords to regain possession if they intend to sell the property. However, this can only be used after the first 12 months of a tenancy and requires 4 months’ notice to the tenant. Similarly, if a landlord or their family intend to occupy the home (Ground 1), this cannot be used in the first year of tenancy and also needs 4 months’ notice. To prevent abuse, if a landlord does evict to sell or move in, they cannot re-let the property for 12 months (or face fines up to £7,000). (The House of Lords sought to shorten this re-letting ban to 6 months, but the Government has resisted non-government amendments, so 12 months is likely to remain.)

Rent Arrears

The threshold for mandatory eviction on rent arrears (Ground 8) will rise from 2 months’ rent owed to 3 months’ arrears. This makes it a bit harder to evict for one-off arrears.

It is being reported that a new “repeat arrears” ground  (8a) will allow eviction if a tenant has been at least 2 months behind on rent three times within three years, even if they clear the arrears before the hearing. We await the final version of this ground.

Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB)

The Bill will retain existing ASB grounds, but an earlier plan to broaden the definition (from behaviour “likely to cause” nuisance to behaviour merely “capable of causing” nuisance) was not adopted. In short, landlords can still evict for tenant misconduct, with courts assessing reasonableness as before (or mandatorily for serious proven criminal behaviour).

New Student Tenancy Ground (Ground 4a)

Importantly for student landlords, a new Ground 4A is created to allow landlords to regain possession from student tenants at the end of an academic year. This was added to ensure landlords can re-let properties aligned with university cycles even though fixed terms are ending. As of the Commons stage, Ground 4A lets landlords evict full-time students occupying an HMO (shared student house) by serving at least 4 months’ notice to expire over the summer (1st June to 30th September).

• Student tenant: The tenant is a full-time student when they sign the tenancy, or, you reasonably believe they will become one during the tenancy.
• Written notice before signing: Before the tenancy is signed, you must give the tenant a written statement saying: You plan to use Ground 4A to get the property back later and you intend to rent it again to another full-time student after this tenancy ends.
• Tenancy is Signed within six months of start date: The tenancy must be signed less than six months before the tenancy begins.
• End of tenancy timing: The date when you want the tenant to leave must fall between 1 June and 30 September.
• Next let also to students: You must plan to rent the property again to a full-time student.

Other Grounds

Various notice periods are being extended to give tenants more time: for example, notice to evict for sale or moving in, or for redevelopment (Ground 6), will be 4 months (double the current 2 months).

Landlords will also be required to have protected the tenant’s deposit (or returned it) before they can rely on any Section 8 ground in court, a new compliance rule to remember.

All Possession Grounds (Section 8)

We’ve put together a list of all the previous and new grounds of possession, under Section 8, which can be used to terminate a tenancy.

The potential new Ground 8a, is not included in this table as it has yet to be agreed.

Ground & Description	Status	Prior Notice Required?	Previous Version	New/Amended Version
Ground 1 Landlord/Family Occupation	Mandatory	Yes	Mandatory. Landlord or spouse needed property as main home. Notice: 2 months.	Landlord or specified family member requires property as main home. New Notice: 4 months. Cannot be used until the tenancy is at least one year old.
Ground 1A Sale of Property	Mandatory	No	N/A	Landlord intends to sell the property. Notice: 4 months. Cannot be used until the tenancy is at least one year old.
Ground 1B End of Rent-to-Buy	Mandatory	Yes (in the agreement)	N/A	New & Mandatory. For social landlords after a ‘rent-to-buy’ agreement has ended. New Notice: 4 months.
Ground 2 Mortgagee Sale	Mandatory	Yes	Mandatory. Mortgage pre-dated the tenancy and lender wishes to sell. Notice: 2 months.	Lender wishes to sell. New Notice: 4 months. Key Change: The requirement for the mortgage to have been granted before the tenancy began is removed.
Ground 2ZA Superior Tenancy Ending (Specific Landlords)	Mandatory	No	N/A	An intermediate landlord (who must be a specific type, e.g., a social housing provider) can seek possession because their own tenancy is ending within 12 months. Notice: 4 months.
Ground 2ZB Long Superior Tenancy Ending	Mandatory	No	N/A	An intermediate landlord can seek possession because their own long fixed-term lease (over 21 years) is due to expire within 12 months. Notice: 4 months.
Ground 2ZC New Landlord After Superior Tenancy Ends (Specific Landlords)	Mandatory	No	N/A	The head landlord becomes the new landlord and can seek possession within 6 months, after the previous intermediate landlord’s tenancy (of the type in 2ZA) ended. Notice: 4 months.
Ground 2ZD New Landlord After Long Superior Tenancy Ends	Mandatory	No	N/A	The head landlord becomes the new landlord and can seek possession within 6 months, after the previous intermediate landlord’s long lease (over 21 years) ended. Notice: 4 months.
Ground 4 Educational Institution Let	Discretionary	Yes	Mandatory. Property let by an educational institution was needed for another student. Notice: 2 weeks.	Discretionary. Ground is retained for specific circumstances where a tenancy arose from a former Rent Act succession. New Notice: 2 weeks. Key Change: Most student lets are now covered by the new mandatory Ground 4A.
Ground 4A Student Accommodation	Mandatory	Yes	N/A	For student lets where landlord intends to let to another student. Notice: 4 months. Key Change: Use is restricted to 1 June – 30 Sept and prior written notice of intent is required.
Ground 5A Agricultural Worker	Mandatory	No	N/A	Landlord requires property to house an agricultural worker. Notice: 2 months.
Ground 5C Tied Employment	Mandatory	Yes	Previously Ground 16 (Discretionary). Tenancy granted due to employment which has now ended. Notice: 2 weeks to 2 months.	Mandatory. Renumbered from 16 to 5C. New Notice: 2 months. Key Change: Becomes a mandatory ground, making it easier to regain possession of tied housing.
Ground 5H Stepping Stone Housing	Mandatory	Yes (in the agreement)	N/A	New & Mandatory. Tenant no longer meets eligibility for ‘stepping stone’ accommodation. New Notice: 2 months.
Ground 6 Redevelopment	Mandatory	Sometimes	Landlord intends to demolish or reconstruct. Notice: 2 months.	Ground is re-written with more complex conditions. New Notice: 4 months.
Ground 6B Enforcement Action	Mandatory	No	N/A	New & Mandatory. To comply with a legal order (e.g., banning order, HMO licence refusal). New Notice: 4 months.
Ground 7 Death of Tenant	Mandatory	No	Mandatory. Tenancy passed to a non-statutory successor. Notice: 2 months.	Mandatory. New Notice: 2 months. Key Change: Use is restricted if a successor was already living in the property as their main home.
Ground 7A Serious Anti-Social Behaviour	Mandatory	No	Mandatory. Serious ASB conviction, breach of injunction etc. Notice: Can be immediate.	Mandatory. New Notice: Proceedings can begin immediately.
Ground 7B No Right to Rent	Discretionary	No	Discretionary. Home Office has notified the landlord that tenant has no right to rent. Notice: 2 weeks.	Discretionary. Unchanged. Notice: 2 weeks.
Ground 8 Serious Rent Arrears	Mandatory	No	Mandatory. At least 2 months’ rent unpaid (monthly tenancy). Notice: 2 weeks.	Mandatory. New Notice: 4 weeks. Key Changes: Threshold increased to three months’ unpaid rent (monthly tenancy). Arrears from Universal Credit delays are disregarded.
Ground 9 Suitable Alternative Accommodation	Discretionary	No	Discretionary. Landlord has provided suitable alternative accommodation. Notice: 2 months.	Discretionary. Unchanged. New Notice: 2 months.
Ground 10 Some Rent Arrears	Discretionary	No	Discretionary. Some rent is unpaid (no minimum). Notice: 2 weeks.	Discretionary. Unchanged. New Notice: 4 weeks.
Ground 11 Persistent Delay in Paying Rent	Discretionary	No	Discretionary. Tenant persistently late paying rent. Notice: 2 weeks.	Discretionary. Unchanged. New Notice: 4 weeks.
Ground 12 Breach of Tenancy Obligation	Discretionary	No	Discretionary. Tenant has breached a term of the agreement. Notice: 2 weeks.	Discretionary. Unchanged. New Notice: 2 weeks.
Ground 13 Deterioration of Dwelling	Discretionary	No	Discretionary. Property has deteriorated due to tenant’s neglect. Notice: 2 weeks.	Discretionary. Unchanged. New Notice: 2 weeks.
Ground 14 Anti-Social Behaviour	Discretionary	No	Discretionary. Nuisance, annoyance, illegal/immoral use. Notice: Can be immediate.	Discretionary. Unchanged. New Notice: Proceedings can begin immediately.
Ground 15 Deterioration of Furniture	Discretionary	No	Discretionary. Furniture has deteriorated due to tenant’s ill-treatment. Notice: 2 weeks.	Discretionary. Unchanged. New Notice: 2 weeks.
Ground 17 False Statement by Tenant	Discretionary	No	Discretionary. Tenancy granted based on a false statement by the tenant. Notice: 2 weeks.	Discretionary. Unchanged. New Notice: 2 weeks.
Ground 18 Refusal of Support	Mandatory	No	N/A	Tenant in supported accommodation has unreasonably refused to cooperate with support services. Notice: 4 weeks.
Ground 3 Holiday Let	N/A	N/A	Mandatory. Property was previously a holiday let. Notice: 2 weeks.	Removed. This ground has been omitted entirely.

 

Limits on Rent Increases

Rent adjustment mechanisms are being tightly regulated. Rent increases will be limited to once per year, and must be done via the formal Section 13 notice procedure (no more automatic rent-rise clauses in contracts).

Landlords will have to give tenants at least 2 months’ notice of any increase. The increase can’t push rent beyond the prevailing market rate and tenants will have the right to challenge “above-market” rises at the First-Tier Tribunal (property court). Tenants currently have this right, but it is not widely used, potentially because tenants run the risk of having the Tribunal set the rent higher than the rent proposed by the landlord.

Notably, under the new rules, the tribunal will not have power to raise the rent above the landlord’s proposed figure; this change was made so tenants aren’t scared to appeal.

Initially, the Bill suggested that if a tenant appealed, the landlord couldn’t backdate the increase, i.e. any rise would only apply from the tribunal’s decision date. Landlord groups objected that this could encourage delays. In response, ministers agreed to allow backdating of rent increases after an appeal, at the Secretary of State’s discretion. This means if a tenant drags out a challenge and the tribunal upholds the new rent, the landlord may be allowed to charge the increase retrospectively from when the original notice would have taken effect. The goal is to ensure landlords aren’t penalised by lengthy tribunal times.

Rent Auctions

Rent auctions or bidding wars for tenancies are explicitly banned. Landlords and agents cannot demand or accept a rent higher than the listed price. This prevents the practice of prospective tenants outbidding each other in tight markets. Breaching this rule could bring fines, the Lords proposed penalties up to £7,000 per breach.

Upfront Rent Ban

To further protect tenants, the Bill will prohibit requiring excessive rent in advance. In general, landlords will only be allowed to ask for one month’s rent upfront. This is meant to stop the workaround of demanding e.g. 6 or 12 months’ rent in advance (which some tenants with weaker credit or no guarantor have been pressed into).

That said, this provision raised concerns, particularly for international students or others without UK guarantors. Often, international students pre-pay several months because they cannot easily pass credit checks. The House of Lords highlighted this issue, and the Government signalled that exemptions might be made via regulations for certain cases (such as students or high-risk tenants).

As it stands, though, the primary legislation sticks to the one-month cap. Landlords should be prepared that demanding more than 1 month’s rent in advance could soon be unlawful except in special circumstances.

Property Standards – Decent Homes & Awaab’s Law

The legislation will for the first time apply the Decent Homes Standard to the private rental sector. This is a set of basic property condition requirements (currently enforced in social housing) to ensure homes are “fit to rent.” In practice, landlords will need to ensure their properties are free of serious hazards, in a good state of repair, with modern facilities and effective heating, etc. Alongside this, “Awaab’s Law” is being incorporated to tackle damp and mould issues.

Prompted by the tragic case of Awaab Ishak, a toddler who died due to mould in social housing, the new law will require landlords to remedy hazardous damp and mould within fixed timeframes.

If a tenant reports mould or other health hazards, you’ll be legally bound to address it quickly (specific deadlines will be set in regulations). Failing to do so could allow tenants to seek legal redress for breach of contract.

Enforcement of these standards will involve local councils and potentially the new ombudsman (discussed below). The clear message is that substandard conditions will not be tolerated; every rental home must be safe and healthy to live in, or landlords risk fines and enforcement action.

Anti-Discrimination Measures

The Bill will outlaw blanket discrimination against tenants on benefits or with children. Landlords cannot refuse to consider a tenant simply because they receive housing benefits (DWP support) or have young children. Adverts saying “No DSS” or “No children” will effectively become illegal. This aligns the law with recent court rulings that such blanket policies are discriminatory. It’s worth noting that campaigners have pointed out a gap: students (who often rely on maintenance loans rather than DWP benefits) are not explicitly covered by these discrimination bans.

As a landlord, you should already be treating all applicants fairly and on individual merit – this law will formalise that expectation. Any refusal of a prospective tenant must be based on legitimate factors (like references or affordability), not a blanket bias. Enforcement can be through local authority fines and the ombudsman for violations.

Interestingly, local government regulations such as Article 4 regulations work against this part of the legislation. Landlords who let HMO properties, with C4 status’ within Article 4 areas will know that if they let their HMO to a family, rather than individuals, they will loose their C4 status.

Right to Request Pets

The days of automatically saying “no pets” are ending. Landlords must consider tenant requests to keep a pet and cannot unreasonably refuse. If you receive a written pet request, you’ll have to respond within 28 days (down from 42 days in the earlier bill). Consent can only be refused with a good reason (for example, if the property is unsuitable for the type of pet).

If a landlord unreasonably withholds pet permission, tenants will be able to challenge this, either via the courts or the new Ombudsman. In short, be prepared for more tenants with pets, and consider adjusting your policies (and insurance coverage) to accommodate this new norm.

Private Renters’ Ombudsman

The Bill will establish a mandatory Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman scheme. All private landlords will be required to join the ombudsman service. This body will offer tenants a free, impartial platform to resolve disputes and complaints without immediately going to court.

If a tenant raises an issue (anything from repairs delays, contract disputes, alleged unfair practices, etc.), they can take it to the ombudsman if not satisfied with the landlord’s response. Notably, ombudsman decisions will be binding on landlords, with power to award compensation up to £25,000 in severe cases.

The idea is to professionalise the sector by holding landlords accountable to a high standard of customer service. Landlords’ registration fees (see the database below) will fund this scheme. For landlords, this means an added layer of oversight, failing to address tenant concerns could end up not only in court but now also damage your record via ombudsman rulings. Engaging positively with tenants and swiftly resolving complaints will be more important than ever to avoid reputational and financial hits.

National Landlord Database (Property Portal)

To improve enforcement and transparency, there will be a new Private Rented Sector Database, often referred to as a “Property Portal”. All landlords and their let properties in England will need to be registered on a central database. This likely will include details such as your name, the property address, compliance records (e.g. gas safety, EPC, licensing status), and any history of enforcement or offenses.

Local councils will have access to the database to identify and track non-compliant landlords. The Lords have pushed for the database to be public-facing as well, at least to allow tenants to verify a landlord’s credentials and any past enforcement actions. The Government’s exact approach will be confirmed in regulations, but landlords should expect a requirement to sign up and provide information about themselves and their rentals, likely for a nominal fee.

Agents and landlords will not be permitted to market or advertise a property unless the landlord and the dwelling are both registered on the new Private Rented Sector Database, and any written advertisement for a property must include the unique identifiers for both the landlord and the dwelling, which are allocated by the database operator.

 

Penalties up to £40,000 could be imposed for serious or repeat non-compliance with duties (e.g. failing to register or update details). Ultimately, the portal aims to drive up standards by making it easier to spot bad actors and by giving tenants confidence that their landlord is accountable.

Stronger Enforcement Powers

Alongside the above, councils’ enforcement powers are being bolstered. For example, fines for certain offenses (like renting out unsafe homes or ignoring improvement notices) will be increased, rent repayment orders (forcing landlords to repay rent or housing benefit for misconduct) will be for up to 24 months’ rent, double the previous 12 months.

Local authorities will also be required to report on their enforcement activity in the PRS, to ensure they are using these powers effectively. The Bill is trying to make sure that the new standards (Decent Homes, etc.) and rules are actually enforced. Landlords who persistently flout the law could even face bans from operating , though that’s via existing mechanisms like banning orders, now supported by more data from the database and ombudsman.