Delay to the Renters’ Rights Bill

Delay to the Renters’ Right Bill: Pushed back Until Autumn

The wait for the much-publicised Renters’ Rights Bill continues, with the Bill now expected to be arriving in Autumn or early 2026. The new legislation will represent the biggest reforms to the private rented sector to date, with the government committed to tackling a number of issues by introducing the new laws.

The delay means that key changes such as the abolishment of Section 21 evictions will not be introduced for some time. The delay has been attributed to a logjam of legislation, which is holding up the progression of new legislation passing through the system.

What the delay means to Landlords and Tenants

The delay means that both landlords and tenants will need to wait longer for the law changes.  The Labour government had previously claimed that they would end Section 21 evictions immediately when they came into office. However, until the RRB is passed, landlords can still serve Section 21 “no fault” evictions to tenants.

Charities such as Shelter have shown their disappointment at the slow progress in providing tenants with greater security and protection from evictions.

The director of communications at Shelter, Mairi Macrae stated:

“For every day the government doesn’t pass this bill, another 70 households will be threatened with homelessness because no fault evictions are being kept on life support for no good reason.

“The government has the power to stop this . . . it must make good on its manifesto commitment by passing the renters rights bill as soon as possible and naming an implementation date.”

What other changes are delayed?

The Renters’ Rights Bill includes a detailed list of reforms to the private rental sector which are currently wating to be passed:

·      Introduction of Awaab’s Law and the Decent Homes Standard.

·      Assured shorthold tenancies to be replaced with periodic tenancies.

·      Unreasonable refusals of pets will not be allowed.

·      Rent bidding wars will be illegal and rent increases restricted to once a year.

·      Landlords will not be allowed to discriminate against tenants on benefits or who have children.

·      Landlords will be required to register on a new landlord database.

·      Landlords must become members of the new Ombudsman.

·      Civil penalties for non-complaint landlords are to be increased.

·      Abolishment of the Section 21 “no fault” evictions.

·      Reforms to the Section 8 possession grounds.

A recap of the Renters’ Reform Bill

The purpose of the Renters’ Rights Bill is to improve standards in the private rented sector and provide more security and stability for tenants. For the majority of responsible and fair landlords, the introduction of the Renters’ Rights Bill won’t involve any major changes.

The legislation is mostly targeting ‘poor landlords’ who are not treating tenants fairly or who are not protecting tenants from health hazards. Landlords who already provide a safe and hazard-free home to tenants will see minimal changes, such as joining the database and becoming a member of the ombudsman.

The only other major change will be that it could be more difficult to evict tenants and evictions may take longer, so completing comprehensive screening checks will become even more important.

**UPDATE** **08/07/2025**

In the most recent debate on the Renters' Rights Bill, the debate centred around tenants keeping pets in rental properties and how long the prohibition of re-letting. 

While the Government maintains that tenants should be able to request to keep a pet - something a landlord must not unreasonably refuse - the key point of debate was the landlord’s right to require pet insurance to cover potential damage and whether the industry would be ready to offer such policies. 

A proposed amendment to increase the security deposit from five weeks'  to eight weeks' rent for tenants with pets, was voted on and passed by 206 to 198. This will therefore be included in the bill going back to the House of Commons.

There was also a vote on reducing the prohibition on re-letting from 12 months to 6 which passed narrowly. Again, this is against Government policy and may well be removed in the Commons.

At Evans Estates, we can help you to stay compliant with the new legislation when it comes into force and we also conduct thorough tenant screening to help find reliable and trustworthy tenants.

Get in touch if you would like to find out more about how we can help you to prepare for the Renters’ Rights Bill.