Renters rights bill - 1 May 2026 good or disaster?

[Rosie8880]

So the renters rights bill has now been confirmed. From May 1 next year all tenancies will become rolling/ periodic and section 21 no fault evictions will end. Reading some blogs some landlords feel this is the end of private landlords. I don’t feel it is. Housing is a serious thing obvs and for many decades it’s been seen as a financial wealth building instrument, first, and a home second. I think tenants will stay in properties for longer now which will onto benefit local communities, and minimise people having to move around all the time. Will there be a shortage of housing now - I don’t feel there will be. As less people hopefully will need to move all the time. There will be less need. Plus the homes that do get out on market will help lower asking price as more homes are made available. But let me know your thoughts

Yes, many Landlords are selling up, they have been doing so for the past few years but its ramped up recently. Just 1 lettings Agent I work with told me they have lost over 20 rental properties off their books this year

It benefits current renters. It won't benefit future renters because it creates too many disincentives for landlords. The result will be a shrinking in rental supply.

Labour think that everything can be solved by top-down regulation. What people respond to is incentives, not regulation. See also their workers' rights bill which will create a less productive, less dynamic economy with fewer jobs. Fine if you believe that's a price worth paying. But don't then moan if the country can't afford the things you think it ought to be giving you.

Yes we have factored in tax. We should be able to cover it. After all it is tax on profit. No profit, no tax. Of course if it got to the point where the income was not covering expenditure and we were in a position to be able to sell then we would do so. It shouldn't come to that though.

Do bear in mind that if you leave your flat empty your local council may impose double monthly Council Tax payments. My local council does (Dorset) on our annexe.

I wouldn’t be surprised if more landlords decide to let their properties out short term on AirBnB or VRBO instead of having long term tenants.

As a Londoner with children in their 20s, I think this bill doesn't go far enough as I would like to see rent controls and greater restrictions on AirBNBs to bring down the prices of rental properties. Although I do have an inherited buy to let, I don't think it is fair that people get rich by exploiting those who are unable to afford to buy. The twaddle about people preferring to rent only applies to those who are not looking to stay in one place for a long time. In London, half the people renting are in their 30s with long term jobs and good salaries, but don't have the £50k+ for a deposit.

If rental prices fell by 25%, I predict that we would see some buy to lets being sold, which would increase the availability of properties on the market, and in turn would make them cheaper. With home purchase made more affordable, 30 somethings would snap these places up and move in keeping the rental market for those not yet wishing to commit to a location.

Apologies to people who live in flat, relatively cheap markets. This new bill isn't about you. It is protecting Gen Zs who are spending half their income on extortionate rents, and aims to make exploitative buy-to-lets less appealing to greedy landlords.

I think people are wildly overestimating the impact this will have on the market - this legislation has been on the cards for years (first introduced by the last government), landlords who wanted an easy exit from the market will have moved to do so already. I expect we’ll see a spike in S21s before May but it’ll settle after that.

I think bigger impacts will be raising the minimum EPC from E to C and new housing quality standards which may drive landlords to sell rather than invest £££££.

It’s moved DP to sell and stop renting out her “accidental rental”. Long term tenants but the implications of the legislation just make it all too restrictive so off it goes!

What are you thinking these massive companies are going to do with the housing?

Of course it's a bad idea. Except for in very select areas, no fault evictions just don't really happen. Sure, a section 21 might be used as it's more of a fail safe than the others, but in reality people are evicted because they're not paying rent, they're causing problems with the neighbours or they're not looking after the property.

If a landlord has a property to rent out now, and there are dozens of applicants (because there's now a shortage), do you think those without a guarantor, with a pet, with not great credit, with kids even, stand a chance? It's all well and good saying they can't discriminate, but in reality, they pick the best candidate for them. If the stakes are raised by not being able to evict someone for even longer, when you know you're not going to get the rent arrears back, why would you bother?

Rents ARE going to go up.
Rental properties are going to be harder to find.
Landlords are going to be pickier with tenants.
Properties will be sold, but no the market won't crash, don't be stupid. A 5-10% drop in the market won't touch the sides at making it affordable for people.
The majority of people who rent still won't be able to afford to buy.
Homelessness will increase.

And guess what could have solved this? The government investing in social housing before they make a lot of landlords want to leave.

If rental prices fell by 25%, I predict that we would see some buy to lets being sold, which would increase the availability of properties on the market, and in turn would make them cheaper. With home purchase made more affordable, 30 somethings would snap these places up and move in keeping the rental market for those not yet wishing to commit to a location.

How do you imagine that there being fewer Rental properties available will reduce rental prices?

10% is a very high rent increase, to be honest. If a landlord did this every year, tenants will soon be priced out, because wages aren’t increasing 10% a year in the UK.

Broadly in favour, though it is only one of many things that should be done to address the housing crisis. Of the other things I would like to see, one is a restriction on ownership by non UK residents, another a ban on new holiday lets in certain areas (Cornwall and the Lake District are two that come to mind), and a third is to end the spivs charter that is estate and letting agents (have the same sale process as in Scotland would be a start and easy to implement).

There’s a specific new ground which will allow landlords to seek mandatory possession to sell (section 8 ground 1A)

So basically no rent increase is allowed? Because any rent increase can be taken to a tribunal?

Private landlords should be banned and forced to sell.

I rented when I was in my 20s and the vast majority of properties let out by individual private landlords were poorly maintained shit holes. Really shocking condition.

The sooner these types exit the market the better. Corporate landlords will have better access to financial resources and management structures for maintaining properties. I think the market will be far better for renters when properties are managed by business, rather than random individuals.

@SweetSilverLark so where would you like those tenants to go?

It looks like it but the details are still being worked out I believe.
If its cheap or free there will be no reason for a Tenant NOT to go to Tribunal because worst case scenario the increase will be delayed for months and not backdated

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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

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.