The Renters Rights Bill – Where We Are And What to Expect

The Renters Rights Bill (“RRB”) (formerly known as the Renters Reform Bill) has been in the pipeline since around 2019 although it was formerly introduced to Parliament on 11 September 2024. The RRB is set to be established in its final form before the end of the year and is the most significant reform to the private rented sector (“PRS”) since the Housing Act 1988. 

A draft version of the RRB, with various amendments from the House of Lords in July 2025, is now available and poses a number of changes to the previous draft, some of which are quite significant. The amended draft of the RRB will be reviewed again by the House of Commons on 8 September 2025 and will be expected to be given royal assent shortly after. What remains an unknown at this point is the length of the transitional period, if any, that will be set once the RRB receives royal assent.  

Landlords and Tenants alike will undoubtedly be impacted in the immediate and near future. In this article we will run through some of the key changes. 

Abolishment of Fixed-Term ASTs and Section 21 Evictions 

The RRB proposes to abolish section 21 eviction, otherwise known as no fault evictions (see our previous article on the abolition of section 21 evictions here). This means that Landlords will no longer be able to terminate a tenancy based on the fact that a fixed term tenancy has ended.

It also follows that the RRB now abolishes the concept of a fixed term tenancy. The RRB will convert all assured shorthold tenancies (“ASTs”) into to periodic tenancies. This will apply retrospectively also so that any current fixed ASTs that are in place at the time of the RRB coming into effect will be affected. There are a number of factors that have led to and or coincide with this change some of which include:

• Prohibition on payment of rent in advance (see below)
• Abolition of section 21 evictions
• Encouragement to Tenants to challenge bad practice without fear of retaliatory evictions
• The right for tenants to give one month’s notice to terminate a tenancy
• New restrictions on rent increase procedure (see below)

Section 8 Notices

The RRB proposes that Landlords will only be able to recover their properties by using grounds in section 8 notices. To that end, Parliament have tried to bolster the grounds to recover possession, adding grounds such as:

• The planned occupation by a Landlord or Landlord’s family member
• A sale of the property (landlords will be restricted from reletting for 6 months, currently, but this could rise to 12 months upon the House of Commons considering the amendments)
• A Property let for student accommodation
• A Property let as supported accommodation/ “stepping stone” accommodation
• To enable compliance with enforcement action against the Landlord    

The RRB also proposes a more disadvantageous key change to the mandatory ground (ground 8 of Schedule 2) of rent arrears which will require, as a minimum, rent arrears of 3 months (as opposed to 2 months currently) and requiring 4 weeks’ notice (as opposed to 2 weeks currently).

Rental Bidding / Rent In Advance

The RRB also introduces a ban on bidding wars. More specifically the RRB will prohibit landlords from accepting a rent higher than that advertised.

The RRB will also place a ban on accepting rent in advance in excess of one month. Whilst this creates a potential cashflow risk for landlords, this change coincides with the idea that ASTs for a fixed term will longer exist.

Rent Increases

The RRB will prohibit rent review clauses in tenancies and will require landlords to serve a section 13 notice (giving 2 months’ notice minimum) in order to increase the rent and such notice can only be served once a year.         

Discrimination

The RRB will also implement a prohibition on all practices by Landlords which discriminate against tenants on benefits or tenants with children. In particular, landlords will not be able to preclude tenants in these protected categories from being able to view, enquire about or rent their properties.

Pet Restrictions

Landlords will not be allowed to “unreasonably” withhold consent for the keeping of pets. There was previously a provision to allow landlord to request pet insurance but in the recent rounds of discussion in the house of Lords in July 2025, this provision was removed. However, there is now an allowance for landlord to request an additional “pet deposit” being up to 3 weeks’ worth of rent.

Decent Homes Standard

The RRB will also implement Awaab’s law across the PRS whereas the standard is currently only applicable to the social housing sector.

PRS Ombudsman/ Landlord Database/ Enforcement

The RRB also introduces a new digital PRS database that will provide visibility on who landlords are and their historic records in respect of enforcement against them.

The RRB also introduces a PRS ombudsmen offering a fair and impartial resolution service to resolve disputes outside of Court proceedings.  It remains to be seen how, logistically, this will be implemented. 

In the event that a Landlord breaches the RRB, the Local Authority will have the ability to impose fines between £7,000 to £40,000 although the burden of proof (beyond reasonable doubt) is on the local authority. It is suspected that the threshold of the burden of proof may be lowered (balance of probabilities) when the RRB is considered by the House of Commons on 8 September 2025.

Conclusion

With these changes, landlords must be proactive and stay compliant. If you require assistance in navigating through this period of change, Holmes & Hills' Landlord and Tenants lawyers can review your tenancy agreement or deal with possession proceedings to consolidate your letting portfolio, offering a fixed fee structure.