Renters’ Rights Bill – what happens next? key dates and impact

Kate Faulkner

With the Renters’ Rights Bill scheduled for review in the House of Commons on Monday, 8 September, property analyst Kate Faulkner of Property Checklists has published new analysis on behalf of the National Landlord Investment Show, titled “Renters’ Rights Bill: Timeline and Impact.”

We are now at the final stage: Consideration of Amendments, with the new Bill widely expected to be passed into law before the end of this month.

Faulkner said: “When Parliament reconvenes in early September, there will be a few weeks before the party conferences to deal with any final changes from the House of Commons. In practice, previous stages suggest most amendments will be ignored.

“Although the Bill could technically go through a period of “ping pong” between both Houses, it’s likely this will be cut short so Royal Assent can be granted before the end of September.”

According to Faulkner, it is important to understand that Royal Assent does not mean immediate changes.

+ Private Rented Sector (PRS) experts have requested a grace period before certain provisions are enforced.

+ Some measures, like the proposed PRS database, are likely still a long way off.

So a likely timetable could look like this:

+ September 2025 – Potential Royal Assent before Labour Conference.

+ Implementation – Earliest January 2026; more likely March/April 2026.

+ Grace Periods – Likely for certain provisions (e.g. PRS database).

Industry thoughts:

Allison Thompson (National Lettings Managing Director, LRG Leaders Romans Group): 

“Most of the Bill is expected to apply to new tenancies from day one – including the Rent Increase Amendment, which will immediately change how rents are reviewed and negotiated. While the details on existing tenancies are still to be confirmed, these measures will likely be phased in over time.

Other elements, such as the Decent Homes Standard, the Ombudsman, the Landlord Portal and Awaab’s Law, are likely to follow once the infrastructure is in place, reflecting the scale of operational change required. But landlords and letting agents need to be preparing now – especially for reforms that will affect their tenancy agreements and rent review processes from day one.”

 

Eddie Hughes (Former Housing Minister): 

“The headline outcome for this Bill will be the abolition of Section 21, “no-fault” evictions.  For a Government eager to demonstrate delivery on its manifesto commitments, I would imagine it will want this change implemented within six months of the Bill receiving Royal Assent, if possible.”

 

Paul Shamplina (Founder of Landlord Action): 

“It’s obvious that the first measures to be rolled out will be the abolition of Section 21 “no-fault” evictions, the shift to open-ended periodic tenancies, and stronger Section 8 grounds for possession. Alongside that, we will see limits on rent increases to once a year through a Section 13 notice, an end to rent bidding wars, a ban on asking more than one month’s rent upfront, plus new rights for tenants to request pets and protection from discrimination.The big question is whether the Government will put proper investment into the court system to cope with these changes, which does not appear to be the case at the moment.  Without it, landlord confidence will really suffer.”

 

Susie Crolla (MD of The Guild of Letting & Management): 

“I think the elements of the Act to be implemented first will be the removal of Section 21, introduction of the Assured Periodic Tenancies for all existing and new tenancies, implementing Section 13 for rent increases, relying solely on the Section 8 notice to obtain vacant possession, tenants’ requirement to serve 2 months’ notice and the penalties for breach.

“I believe that mandatory membership to the Landlord Ombudsman Service, along with the tenant’s right to request pets, the restriction to prevent landlords from requesting more than one month’s rent in advance, prohibiting landlords from accepting above the advertised rent and rental bidding, as well as the preventing discrimination against tenants in receipt of benefits and with children are also likely to be implemented on 1st April 2026.”

 

The National Landlord Investment Show returns to Bristol, Manchester and London next month. For more information, click here.

 

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