What is the Renters’ Rights Bill and what will it mean for tenants?

Back in September 2024, the Renters’ Rights Bill was introduced to parliament, proposing several changes to the private rental sector in England. Whether you already rent a home or are thinking about renting in future, it’s a good idea to get ahead. With it likely to become law later in 2025, we look at the potential changes that the new Bill may bring.

What is the Renters’ Rights Bill and what changes will it make?

The Renters’ Rights Bill represents the government’s efforts to update and improve the private renting experience in England. It seeks to provider greater protections for renters while also outlining clear rules for landlords.

While the exact details are still being ironed out in Parliament and are yet to be finalised, the Bill represents the biggest shift towards more tenant-friendly rental laws in England for a long time.

Some of the key changes that it may bring about include:

• Abolishing Section 21 evictions: in which landlords can evict tenants with just two months’ notice. Instead, landlords may need to provide a strong reason for evictions, such as tenants not paying rent.
• Introducing open-ended tenancies: Rather than fixed-term tenancies (like 6 or 12-month contracts), all tenancies will be more flexible, and work on a rolling basis.
• Providing means to appeal rent increases: Tenants will be able to challenge rent increases they believe are too high through official channels that will include a tribunal.
• Establishing a dedicated ombudsman: This independent body would help resolve disputes between landlords and tenants.

What is the rent payment reform in the UK?

The Renters’ Rights Bill – also known as the Renters Bill, Renters Reform Bill, or Rent Repayment Reform – is set to introduce several rental payment reforms. These include:

Rent increases

Under the new rent regulations, tenants may appeal to a tribunal if they believe rent increases are excessive. The tribunal may reject the increase if it finds the right is higher than comparable local properties and market rates.

Rent in advance

Landlords often request that tenants pay large sums up front. The Bill will change this, preventing landlords and agents from asking for more than one month’s rent in advance of the tenancy commencing.

Rental bidding

Tenants can currently compete by offering more rent than the asking price, leading to bidding wars. The Bill will put a stop to this by requiring landlords to clearly state an asking price, and preventing them from accepting any higher offers.

Rent Repayment Orders (RROs)

RROs can help tenants to take action against rule breaking landlords. They help to stop landlords from acting unfairly and give tenants with a way of getting their money back if something goes wrong. The Bill is designed to make RROs stronger, easier to use, and be applicable to more rental situations. More information on this can be found here.

Will the Renters Reform Bill be passed?

The Bill has already passed several key stages on the path to approval in parliament.

The Bill has completed its passage through the House Commons and is now in the Report stage in the House of Lords. Progress can be tracked here.

If the Bill continues to progress as scheduled, it could become law before the year’s end. The new rules would then likely be implemented a couple of months later, providing landlords time to comply and the rental sector time to respond to the changes.

When the rules do come into force, they will cover both new and existing tenancies. This one-stage rollout in which all tenants will be given the same rights at the same time is designed to help avoid confusion.

The only exception will be social housing, where further consultations will be carried out before changes are introduced.

What are the changes to Section 21?

The Renters’ Rights Bill proposes ending Section 21 evictions, also known as ‘no-fault’ evictions.

Right now, under Section 21, landlords can end your tenancy by giving you two months’ notice. They don’t need to explain why they want you to leave – hence the term ‘no-fault’ eviction.

Under the new bill, this would change completely. Landlords would need to give a specific, valid reason to evict you. These would include things like selling the property, , moving back in to the property themselves, or other specified circumstances that are written into the law.

The proposed changes will give tenants greater security of tenure, while still allowing landlords to regain possession of properties when they need to. For the full list of grounds for possession and notice periods, official guidance is available here.

What are the rights of a tenant?

All tenants of privately rented properties in the UK have several rights that include:

• The right to live in a property that’s safe and in a good state of repair.
• The right to have your deposit returned when the tenancy ends.
• The right to challenge excessively high charges.
• The right to know who your landlord is.
• The right to live in the property undisturbed.
• The right to see an Energy Performance Certificate for the property.
• The right to be protected from unfair eviction and unfair rent.
• The right to a written agreement if you have a fixed-term tenancy of more than three years.

When starting a new assured tenancy in England, your landlord must also give you a copy of the how to rent guide. In Scotland, they must give you a copy of the Tenant Information Pack.

What are the new renters’ rights rules?

Both landlord and tenant rights will be updated within the Renters’ Rights Bill. Some of the key tenancy reforms that will affect renter rights include:

• The end of fixed-term tenancies: These will be replaced with periodic tenancies that give you more flexibility. This means you won’t be locked into long contracts if your circumstances change.
• End of Section 21 evictions: You won’t be able to be evicted without your landlord providing a valid, specific reason. This gives you much greater security in your home.
• Rent increases: Hikes in rent prices will be able to be challenged through a tribunal. Landlords may also only increase rent once per year, in line with market rates.
• Rent payments: Landlords won’t be able to ask tenants to pay more than one month’s rent in advance of a tenancy beginning.
• Decent Homes Standard: This new standard will be introduced to ensure that properties meet minimum standards of safety and decency.
• Awaab’s Law: All renters in England will be empowered to challenge dangerous conditions such as damp and mould, and all landlords must take swift action to make sure homes are safe.
• Pet ownership: Landlords must legally consider and cannot unreasonably refuse requests to keep a pet within a property. They may, however, ask tenants to obtain additional insurance to cover potential damages.

A new private rented sector ombudsman will aim to deliver a fair and impartial dispute resolution service, and will create a national landlord database register, to help enforce standards and protect renters.

A full Renters’ Rights Bill overview can be found here, outlining the key changes and measures that have been proposed.

On what grounds can a landlord evict a tenant?

At present, UK landlords can evict a tenant via two notices:

• Section 8 notice: evicting a tenant on legal grounds such as rent arrears, antisocial behaviour, or property damage.
• Section 21 notice: ‘no-fault’ evictions where landlords can evict tenants after a minimum two months’ notice period without any specific reason.

This will change if the Renters’ Rights Bill becomes law. Section 21 evictions will come to an end in England, and all landlords will need to provide a reason to evict tenants.

Further, new tenants will also be protected from evictions for reasons such as the landlord wanting to sell for a period of 12 months. Even after this 12-month period, landlords must give at least four months’ notice in most cases.

More detail on these tenancy reforms is available here. Or sign up for a My Rightmove account to get the latest housing market news straight to your inbox.