Agents who attended Propertymark’s webinar on Renters’ Rights Bill yesterday were told in no uncertain times: change is coming.

With the bill progressing through parliament at pace – the Second Reading of the legislation is happening on 9 October – the webinar on the new law helped alert agents as to why it will prove to be one of the ‘biggest changes to the rental market’ in more than three decades.

The professional body advised property agents that they need to understand the changes in good time to help maintain excellent working relationships with landlords.

Led by Timothy Douglas, Propertymark’s head of policy and campaigns, Jan Hÿtch, Lettings Help Line manager, and Valerie Bannister, former ARLA Propertymark president and current ARLA Propertymark regional executive, the webinar explored four key themes around the Renters’ Rights Bill: periodic tenancies, student tenancies, new grounds for possession, and advertising and increasing rents.

The three key speakers advised property agents to review their fee structure, mitigate any business risks, and ensure that existing tenancy agreements do not collide with the new legislation that will enable tenants to keep pets at their properties, something many of them cannot do currently. However, this will change once new tenancy agreements are produced after the Renters’ Rights Bill becomes law next summer.

They also discussed the future of fixed-term tenancies, longer rent arrears, and periodic tenancies becoming simpler once the new law is enacted. The panel advised anyone unsure of what is being proposed by the legislation to potentially attend one of Propertymark’s upcoming training courses or conferences to assist in furthering their understanding as to how the Renters’ Rights Bill might affect them.

Tessa Shepperson, managing director of Landlord Law Services Ltd, will be leading a virtual training course titled Preparing for the Renters’ Rights Bill on 31 October to discuss how the Renters’ Rights Bill will affect landlords and agents.

Nathan Emerson, CEO at Propertymark, said: “The Renters Rights’ Bill represents one of the biggest evolutions of law for the rental sector in many decades and we hope that our webinar powered letting agents with robust information to help them navigate upcoming changes.

“It is vital we see strong stakeholder engagement from across the industry to help shape the new legislation and ensure it is balanced, workable and and fit for the future. We will continue to ensure there is healthy engagement with the UK Government to strike a functional and fair balance between tenants, agents and landlords.”