Renters rights bill - 1 May 2026 good or disaster?

We usually don’t put the rent up if they’re a good tenant. But now, we will put it up every time if the market justifies the increase because if we don’t, it’ll be way out within two or three years. I don’t think this bill will have good consequences for tenants at all, it’s becoming an increasingly bureaucratic nightmare. Some of our tenants have been with us for 15 plus years…

No they can challenge any rent increase by going to tribunal. The increase can still be allowed but it won't be backdated so basically tenants will go to tribunal for every increase in order to delay it.

Landlords can only raise the rent once a year and that can only be to the market rate. Tenants can still challenge this, but the reality is that most won’t because most landlords will know the accurate market rates, so no point for anyone to go to court.

I don’t think landlords can just increase the rent by a small amount each year, per the discussion on this thread? The tenant can go to a tribunal for ANY rent increase.

Like many terrible ideas Scotland has tried this already and 22,000 landlords left the market in the first year of operation alone and rents went sky high. The landlord can only increase the rent by a small amount each year unless the tenant changes. So whenever a tenant changes the landlord rack the rent sky high to protect himself in the future.

Bonkers idea. Yet another idea to restrict employee mobility and hence growth.

It’s corporate landlords that we need. That’s what they have on the continent, where people will happily be long term renters because the companies are incentivised to maintain the properties and more importantly have the means to do so.

What about people who want to rent? Genuinely?

I rented for a few years at the beginning of my working life and also when I was a student; even in a utopia where a basic job affords someone the ability to buy a home, not everyone wants to settle… I didn’t for years. What about those people?

It'll be a nightmare for some communities..

I work for a HA dealing with antisocial behaviour and currently we can use S21 to evict starter tenants for serious ASB. Think drug dealing, excessive parties, abusive behaviour, violence etc.

Granted it doesn't apply to us until later in 2026 but now we will have to use section 8 only and those court dates and the legal process takes MUCH longer. Some courts are currently issuing possession court dates 10 months away. So communities will need to put up with nightmare neighbours for so much longer.

I do agree that private renters need more protection, but I'm not sure this is going to help rather than hinder.

Love the way everyone is an ‘accidental’ LL on this thread 😂

You can evict to sell though… can’t you? Nothing has changed there from what I understand.

I think the by-product of this will be lots of landlords will exit the market. Fine, however I don’t believe this will necessarily lead to a surge in house building, so there’s the potential for us to have a shortage of rentals. Private tenancies will be (even more) highly competed for in prime areas like London. Landlords who choose to remain in the market will be rightfully fussy about who they rent their properties to.

It will be interesting to see what happens, I'm just glad I'm not an (accidental) landlord any more!

It’s crazy thinking that developers are going to buy all vacant properties / big companies. Has anyone seen how many properties are up for sale and have been for ages, particularly flats?

Im pretty sure a few years ago either some local authorities or housing associations were in the news because of the disgraceful, unhygienic and virtually uninhabitable conditions the tenants were living in. (Mould, water leaks, problems with toilets etc) These were organisations who presumably had to uphold certain standards and maintain the property ...except they didnt.....so not just just random people who might be shit landlords.
(Im not a LL or renter so no skin in the game, just putting a different side of the argument)

Well, they will be rented out of course but the landlord will be a big company. It's not that hard to understand is it?

Its possible that a big company will redevelop a property and rent it out at much higher rents - like happened at Stratford for the Olympic project.

They might turn HMOs into family homes and vice versa. They will do whatever is needed to maximise their profits.

I am amazed you don’t feel there will be a shortage of housing, indirectly of the bill. Landlords are already selling up in droves, so surely, once the bill becomes law and reality hits, more and more landlords will sell up because it’s not worth the hassle. So where will all those evicted tenants live?

*mortgagable

I’ve sold my BTL. I’ve just put the money in an investment account (diversified funds). Far less hassle.

I’m not the only landlord getting out. There will be fewer properties available to rent so securing one is going to get more competitive and expensive.

Landlords will favour the most ‘attractive’ prospective tenants (eg 2 secure salaries, no kids). People who are less appealing to landlords will struggle to sign a place.

I hear the theory that if house prices fall that more people will be able to buy but many renters do not have a deposit saved and may not be mortgagae. Also, many / especially young - people don’t want to buy, in order to keep themselves mobile for work or personal reasons.

I actually totally agree with this. I don’t think it will bring down rent costs (far from it - rent will almost certainly increase as real estate corporations take over the market), HOWEVER there will at least be a minimum standard for rental properties and you won’t get disgusting, dilapidated and dangerous properties that are not fit to live in.

Yes you can still do that by issuing a S8 (I think)
It will take a few months though

We live in a rental so rent the house we own out. It's been on a rolling contract now for 18 years well below market rate to the same tennents. The new changes don't effect us. However we will not rent it out again once these tennants go. It's becoming more and more things to remember to do ( which good but not what we signed up for decades ago).

I think small landlords will sell up and it will be massive oversea multiple rentals type of set up.

My plan B if things go TU is default on the mortgage so it becomes the banks issue to get it back. I'd rather have a CCJ than it take years to evict. The stress would kill me. Maybe that's not a great plan B.

Does anyone know what happens if a landlord wants a property back to live in?

I’m an accidental landlord because I emigrated from the UK. If I return, can I get back my property to live in? Or do I have to rent until my tenants decide to leave?

Exactly. So in effect, no rent increases allowed without the hassle of a tribunal, which many private individual landlords will want to avoid.

And if rent increases can’t be backdated, then this incentivises landlords who don’t mind the hassle of a tribunal to go with maximum rent increases they think will get through, as opposed to the % increase they need to cover increased costs or whatever.

I hate the term "accidental landlord".

Becoming a LL is a choice. There is always a choice to stay or sell, even if it is inconvenient or means selling at a lower price than you want.

I think this new initiative to stop S21 evictions is excellent. Anyone renting a house out should be doing it as a business and not because they had to move or couldn't sell so renting was a short term fix. The house becomes a person's home and they should be able to rent it for as long as they need or want to.

My best mate has 5 rentals in London and they have only ever evicted tenants on an S8 for unpaid rent. The law needs to support LLs with S8 evictions.

I think most LLs will welcome this as long as they get support to quickly evict tenants who do not pay or trash the house.

Yes they are allowed to increase rent, its if the landlord tries to put it up a stupid amount above the rental market that tenants can challenge it.