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Labour Brings in excellent Renter's Rights - long overdue.

(18 Posts)
Wyllow3 Tue 28-Apr-26 13:50:28

The Renters’ Rights Act, effective from May 1, 2026, brings significant changes to private renting in England (with similar changes following in Scotland and Wales), abolishing Section 21 "no-fault" evictions and fixed-term contracts.

Tenants can now leave on a rolling basis with two months' notice, while landlords must provide valid, legal reasons for eviction, with rent increases limited to once a year.

Key changes in the new legislation include:
Abolition of Section 21 and Fixed Terms: All tenancies convert to rolling, periodic agreements. Fixed-term contracts are no longer allowed.
Eviction Restrictions: Landlords cannot evict without cause (Section 8) and cannot sell or move in during the first 12 months. Notice periods for eviction are generally increased to four months.
Rent Controls: Rent can only be increased once per year, and it must align with market rates.
Ban on Bidding Wars: It is illegal for landlords to accept or encourage offers above the advertised rent.
Pets and Children: Tenants have the right to request a pet, which cannot be unreasonably refused. It is illegal to refuse tenants with children or those receiving benefits.
Increased Protection for Tenants: Landlords must follow strict new guidelines on repairs and the standard of homes, with local authorities enforcing fines up to £40,000.

Existing tenancies as of 1 May 2026 will automatically shift to this new system, with landlords required to provide a mandatory information sheet explaining these changes to tenants by 31 May 2026.

This is an AI summary, cross check if you wish by googling
"new laws for renters rights"

Good for you, Labour, at last, and long, long, overdue. So many of our grandchildren now reply on rented flats.

BBC news lunchtime showed both positive and negative comments from renters.

But in fact in Europe, where there are far more rented properties, these sort of laws have long been in force, and simply accepted by Landlords

Wyllow3 Tue 28-Apr-26 14:13:05

bump - am very excited by this, as it affects some young people I know as late as their early 30's who just cannot get out of the rent sector, and have suffered as a result.

Ds and DiL were lucky - in their early 40's, they were able to get jobs and get on the housing ladder just in time.

Doodledog Tue 28-Apr-26 14:29:21

I agree, Wyllow. My children (early 30s) have managed to buy houses, but only recently, because of high rents to pay someone else's mortgage or give them what is effectively free money. When my daughter's partner gave notice to his landlord it terminated the contract, and the LL told the other tenant that the rent would 'have to' rise as a result, making it unaffordable for him. There is currently a thread on MN about someone evicting a family who has been there for seven years and been good tenants, as the LL's student niece wants to move in. The family has children at school who may have to be disrupted, and presumably the adults work a commutable distance from the property, so the stress and disruption must be awful for them, but they have no comeback and a student doesn't like the accommodation available in her price range and her aunt is willing to turn their lives upside down to keep her happy.

There are many such stories. Now that secure tenancies are rare (since the sale of council houses) vulnerable people are open to exploitation, and there will always be those ready to exploit. Decent landlords needn't be worried, as the new rules are to protect tenants from the bad ones.

Maremia Tue 28-Apr-26 14:33:27

Good to hear some positive news.

Cossy Tue 28-Apr-26 14:56:27

I’m very glad. I’m aware some single property landlords might not like this and might sell their rented properties, but those large landlords, some of which are very good, some of whom are extremely poor, will just have to out on their big pants and suck it up.

Whilst working, when working alongside family workers and also with recently released prisoners, some of the rentals properties were utterly dire and beyond belief in terms of cost, especially HMOs.

I personally know families who lives were literally torn apart due to “no fault evictions” and I’m glad to see the back of them.

Doodledog Tue 28-Apr-26 15:10:50

If the legislation results in LLs who don't want to treat tenants fairly selling up, then that's good news. If their houses are bought by LLs who do want to play fairly, tenants will benefit, and if they are bought by people who want to live in them, then that's good news too.

I'm not sure what 'market rate' means in this context. If it means the maximum people will pay, then I think that needs regulation too, as accommodation is a necessity, and people will do without all sorts of other things in order to have it. Basic security shouldn't depend on the market.

Wyllow3 Tue 28-Apr-26 15:19:56

Hmmm.

Just look, for a moment, how GB news has presented this good news.

www.gbnews.com/money/landlord-tenants-renters-rights-act

" ‘I’m forced to sell my property as the reforms are highly damaging': Landlord warns tenants will pay the price".

Surprised? No.

Maremia Tue 28-Apr-26 15:41:14

Nope. Not a bit surprised.

M0nica Tue 28-Apr-26 15:48:58

Many landlords are saying that they are going to selltheir proeprties. One had seven that they had put on the market. All the tenants having vacated before the new Act came in.

There are lots of stories of people desperately hunting accommodation and unable to find it. It is said that in the future the rented sector will be dominated by big property companies. Will this necessarily be a good thing?

Will this actbe good for some tenants but disastrou for many others and make it moredifficult for our children and grandchildren to find rented property?

Primrose53 Tue 28-Apr-26 16:07:21

As usual, Labour has not thought this through.
If most of the 3million private landlords decide to throw in the towel, then these tenants will lose their homes and that will cause a shortage of properties and even higher rents. How does that benefit anybody?

I am considering what to do about a small property we rent out. My friend has 2 rental properties and she is the same. I have a very good tenant - a single professional female with no kids and no pets. I already have too much stress in my life with an ill husband and son otherwise I might have sold it earlier.

We have been really lucky with carefully vetted tenants who appreciate the fact that they are getting a pristine property at an affordable rent in a nice location. However, many LLs end up with tenants who don’t pay, who live like pigs and wreck the place and annoy the neighbours. It will now take much longer to get rid of them so who does that help either? Certainly not the LL and neighbours.

Nothing new about providing tenants with an information sheet either. It was the case that all tenants had to be given a Tenants Rights booklet for many years. My tenants always received one from us and signed to say they had received it. My tenant has been in 2 years and never had a rent increase. The previous tenants were in 13 years and only ever had one increase. Not all LLs are money grabbers and appreciate good tenants.

What Labour should have done is got on and built more social housing. This is just a daft idea. I will be interested to see what other LLs on here think.

Ilovecheese Tue 28-Apr-26 16:22:08

How will it leadto a shortage of properties? The properties will still exist even if they are sold. They are not going tobe demolished

westendgirl Tue 28-Apr-26 16:23:05

.Oh dear. It seems that whatever the Labour Party does there I are posters who are determined to dismiss the idea as no good .
Wonder why the Conservative party didn't build thousands of properties for social housing in their 14 year spell.

Whitewavemark2 Tue 28-Apr-26 16:26:30

Well all the landlords whilst having their mortgage paid for them by renting the property will now be in for a nice little nest egg from an asset that has increased in value most years.

The extra property for sale may well help to reduce property prices and so help first time buyers.

Win win all around I think.

The downside will possibly be less property to rent. So it is now up to Labour to ensure councils have the ability to build more social housing.

Cossy Tue 28-Apr-26 16:41:02

Around 12,000new social/council housing was built during Labour’s first year, some of this was funded by the outgoing government, it’s nowhere near enough but still more than has been built in the few years.

Yes we need more, I doubt any of us thought many LL’s would like the reviews, there are dreadful tenants and dreadful LLs around.

I guess the difference is when tenants were given “no fault evictions” they were often made homeless, the LLs still had somewhere secure to live.

I cannot think of anything worse than having to privately rent, I’m afraid those I know have had terrible experiences.

Decent tenants are in the minority, but I do feel for small, 1 or 2 property owners when they have their property wrecked by disgraceful tenants, who then also don’t pay their rent. Don’t most LLs now take out substantial insurance and damage deposit to help mitigate against additional costs?

Cossy Tue 28-Apr-26 16:42:24

Sorry, rushing fingers, I mean, “decent tenants are in the majority

Cossy Tue 28-Apr-26 16:46:18

Whitewavemark2

Well all the landlords whilst having their mortgage paid for them by renting the property will now be in for a nice little nest egg from an asset that has increased in value most years.

The extra property for sale may well help to reduce property prices and so help first time buyers.

Win win all around I think.

The downside will possibly be less property to rent. So it is now up to Labour to ensure councils have the ability to build more social housing.

Hmmmm LL’s just don’t see it that way! If you speak to them they all seem to see their tenants as liabilities and not paying their mortgages!

What I really hated was when “buy to let” mortgages were readily available, properties bought up and then some let out via the council, often to benefit claimants (nothing wrong with being on benefits) so effectively the state, via housing benefit, was paying the bulk of the mortgage.

Nandalot Tue 28-Apr-26 16:50:05

I am sorry, landlords but I don’t see the problem with the Act. It is no fault evictions that are being tackled, often used by landlords to evict a tenant and re let at a higher price. Those tenants with arrears, causing anti social behaviour and other valid reasons can still be evicted. Tenants can also be evicted if landlord wishes to live in the property or to sell it.

Cossy Tue 28-Apr-26 16:50:51

Nandalot

I am sorry, landlords but I don’t see the problem with the Act. It is no fault evictions that are being tackled, often used by landlords to evict a tenant and re let at a higher price. Those tenants with arrears, causing anti social behaviour and other valid reasons can still be evicted. Tenants can also be evicted if landlord wishes to live in the property or to sell it.

Exactly!