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5/12/25 4:43 pm
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With nearly two decades’ experience within the lettings industry I am delighted to start contributing regular opinion pieces for LandlordZONE. My role at HFIS, I have day-to-day operational responsibility for the running of the mydeposits ( the tenancy deposit protection scheme), Property Redress ( a government-authorised consumer redress scheme for sales, lettings and property management agents) and Client Money Protect (the largest client money protection scheme for independent property agents). My background is legal, I’ve been a qualified solicitor since 2010 and have worked for HFIS since 2012 being at the coalface of all the many changes our sector has seen.
As the Renters Rights Bill has now completed its passage through Parliament, while we wait for Royal Assent and implementation information, a quick whistle-stop tour of how we got here may help.
The best place to start is back in 2019 when Boris called a snap election to give him a mandate to ‘get Brexit done’, the Conservative manifesto pledged a ‘better deal for renters’. Despite it not really being particularly popular with the rank and file it was a Tory party manifesto pledge to abolish section 21 notices in the next parliament. They were a bit busy with Brexit just after the election but in June 2022 the government published "A Fairer Private Rented Sector". This detailed the government's 12-point plan to create a more balanced rental market including abolishing section 21 and fixed-term tenancies, introducing a Decent Homes Standard for the private sector, and establishing a new ombudsman. The Renters (Reform) Bill was proposed shortly after and began a legislative passage. For a few reasons, including the lack of confidence in the courts to deal with extra possession claims, time ran out for that parliament, and the Bill was dropped before the May 2024 election.
In came Labour’s large majority with Keir Starmer’s government also promising to abolish Section 21s and to strengthen other renters’ rights. So out went the Renters (Reform) Bill and in came the Renters Rights Bill. Some other key changes were made to notice grounds, timescales, power of local authorities, rent repayment orders and the Decent Housing Standard set to the high Awaab’s Law standard for private renting. With Labour’s huge majority it was expected the Bill would pass fairly soon but while the government have been wrestling with the cost-of-living crisis and various U-turn’s on economic policy the Bill has crawled its way through to the ping pong stage with the House of Lords.
Before the summer 2025 recess, despite what I personally think are some pretty sensible amendments suggested by the Lords the government put their foot down and rejected them all the Bill was not passed before the summer. The MPs then came back from their holidays for around 10 days before then all disappearing off for a month for ‘Conference season’. They are now back and with only one very small amendment related to shared ownership properties the Bill will become an Act very shortly.
Whatever the final shape, we are now close to implementation. That will mean significant changes for landlords, agents and tenants alike - and give me plenty more to write about here as the detail becomes clear.
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