The new Renters’ Rights Bill is Labour’s version of the Conservatives’ Renters (Reform) Bill, which was scrapped following Rishi Sunak’s surprise call for an election.
This new bill aims to “fundamentally reform the private rental sector” and improve the quality of housing in it.
It also seeks to “balance the playing field” between landlords and tenants by strengthening tenant security, rights, and protections. This bill will apply to England.
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What will the Renters’ Rights Bill include?
We’ve highlighted seven key changes that the bill proposes for the private rented sector. These are important updates that could have an impact on how things work for both landlords and tenants.
1. The abolition of Section 21 evictions
One of the key promises of the bill is to abolish Section 21 evictions, often referred to as ‘no-fault’ evictions, which currently allow landlords to end a tenancy without providing a reason.
Under the earlier Renters (Reform) Bill, the end of Section 21 was tied to improvements in the court system. However, the Renters’ Rights Bill takes a different approach.
Labour’s bill seeks to abolish Section 21 for both new and existing tenancies on the same day, referred to as the ‘commencement date’.
The government believes this approach will avoid creating a confusing two-tier system and will “give all tenants security” immediately.
It’s expected that landlords will be able to serve valid Section 21 notices up until the working day before the commencement date (which is still unknown).
For now, Section 21 notices remain in place, and you can still issue one if needed, using our free tool.
2. New and amended Section 8 grounds for possession
With the end of Section 21, landlords will need to rely on Section 8 if they want to regain possession of their properties. Unlike Section 21, a Section 8 notice requires landlords to provide a reason for seeking possession.
To cover the full range of situations where a landlord might need to reclaim their property, the Renters’ Rights Bill proposes updating some of the existing grounds for possession and introducing new ones.
One of the new grounds includes a mandatory ground where the landlord “intends to sell” the property. Another is where the tenancy must end because it would be unlawful to continue due to enforcement action against the landlord.
Once the Renters’ Rights Bill is finalised, we’ll provide a complete list of the new and updated grounds along with their required notice periods.
In the meantime, you can read more about how to serve a Section 21 notice correctly or find out how the Section 8 process works currently.
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3. The end of fixed-term tenancies
The bill proposes that all assured shorthold tenancies transition to periodic agreements from the commencement date, with rent periods capped at one month. Additionally, there will be no minimum tenancy term for either new or existing agreements.
Tenants will gain the right to end their tenancy at any time by providing two months’ notice, using any written method.
The bill also states that landlords must not request or accept rent payments from tenants, guarantors, or anyone acting on their behalf until the tenancy agreement is signed by both parties.
Landlords will also be banned from inviting applicants to offer higher rent or accepting rent payments above the advertised amount, which must be clearly stated in writing. Breaching these rules could result in fines of up to £7,000.
After the agreement is signed, landlords can request and accept up to one calendar month’s rent in advance. This has raised concerns particularly among landlords and tenants involved in student lettings, where paying rent in advance is a common practice.
4. The end of blanket bans
Landlords will no longer be allowed to impose blanket bans on renting to people who receive benefits or have children. This change will apply across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The bill also appears to extend this ban to lease agreements, mortgages, and insurance contracts, meaning that any clauses in these documents that try to prevent renting to people based on benefits or children could be considered invalid.
However, landlords can still consider affordability when assessing applicants. This means they can take an applicant’s income into account to determine whether they are financially able to pay the rent.
5. New right for tenants to seek consent for pets
Tenants will have the right to request their landlord’s consent to keep a pet, and landlords will only be able to refuse if they have a valid reason – such as a restriction in their superior lease.
For more details on how the Renters’ Rights Bill proposes to change tenants’ rights regarding pets in rental properties, take a look at our guide here.
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6. Private rented sector ombudsman and database
All private landlords in England with assured tenancies will be required by law to join a new private sector ombudsman, even if they use a letting agent that is already part of a redress scheme.
The ombudsman service will be free for prospective, current, and former tenants to access. It offers an alternative to making complaints to the council or taking legal action through the courts.
The bill also proposes granting the first-tier tribunal the authority to issue rent repayment orders for “continuing or repeat breaches” of the ombudsman’s rulings. Landlords will be legally required to comply with the ombudsman’s decisions, and failure to do so could lead to enforcement action by the council.
In addition to the ombudsman scheme, landlords will need to register themselves and their properties on a private rented sector database.
Failure to register and provide the necessary details before advertising or letting a property could result in civil penalties. More importantly, landlords who fail to register will not be able to obtain possession orders, with some exceptions.
Landlords will need to pay a fee to join the database, but the government has said it will make sure the fee is reasonable and offers good value.
7. Extension of Awaab’s Law to the private rented sector
Awaab’s Law was introduced in response to the tragic death of Awaab Ishak in 2020, caused by mould inhalation in his social housing flat. The law places a duty on social housing providers to address hazards within a set timeframe.
The Renters’ Rights Bill proposes extending Awaab’s Law to the private rented sector, but as of now, it hasn’t clarified how this will apply to private landlords.
It’s important to note that Awaab’s Law hasn’t yet been implemented in the social housing sector either. At the time the 2024 general election was called, the details were still under consultation.
Private landlords will also have a new legal duty to make sure their properties meet the Decent Homes Standard and are free from serious hazards.
The government has confirmed that renters in England will have the right to challenge unsafe living conditions. Landlords who fail to address serious hazards could face fines of up to £7,000.
When will this new Bill become law?
Renters’ Rights Bill timeline
The bill was formally introduced in parliament on 11th September 2024. A month later, on 9th October, the second reading debate took place, during which Angela Rayner outlined its key provisions.
The next step, the committee stage, concluded on 5th November, after hearing oral evidence from various witnesses in the private rented sector about the Bill’s potential effects.
The bill entered the House of Lords on 15th January 2025, where it’s currently being reviewed and debated. This is an important stage in the legislative process, and there may be further amendments or discussions before the bill is passed.
Once it has gone through the House of Lords, it will return to the House of Commons for final approval.
We’ll continue to update this article with the latest developments as the Bill makes its way through parliament.
Does that include Awabs Law and the Decent Homes Standard?
Hi David,
These are proposed policies that have not yet come into effect – and may never do so.
Should these policies come into effect for the private rented sector, our tenancy agreements will be promptly updated to adhere to the new rules and regulations.
My point was really that those two things, (if they become law) are more a factor of ongoing management than tenancy creation. Telling Rent Now users that they neednt worry about any regulatory changes in the bill could be misleading.
One important thing this Bill means for landlords is that they must learn to be sensible. For instance: On another blog, I came upon a case where the landlord, having upped his tenant’s rent by £700 a month, displayed his own mortgage-payment cost as justification. Eh? What makes this fool landlord imagine that his tenant must pay his mortgage costs, or be evicted?
I agree in principle that rents are set by the market, not by the individual circumstances of landlords. However, its likely that this landlord was faced with a choice of evict and sell up asap or increase the rent to cover costs that he could not cover any other way. £700 is a massive monthly increase, so I can only assume that the tenant was previously benefitting from an unsustainably low rent.
As to whether the rent should “pay his mortgage”, the answer is that any business that operates from premises theyve bought must set their pricing to cover all their business costs including any borrowing. Whilst larger businesses, like Tesco can absorb sudden large increases by increasing their prices incrementally over time, smaller businesses cannot and if no-one is willing to buy at the price they set, they fold.