What next for landlords? An update on the Renters’ Rights Bill

As many of us prepare to take a break over the summer, so too does the Renters' Rights Bill. This piece of legislation has been in the parliamentary pipeline for over five years now, and in this blog, we aim to give a brief update on its passage through parliament and the likely future timeline.

For those who are residential landlords, you will by now be aware of the shake-up that this legislation will provide. A recent member webinar which went through the bill is available to watch here and members can also read the in-depth article on the key provisions that was featured in May’s Land & Business magazine (available for CLA members to read on page 17 here).

Surprisingly the UK Government did not seek to push the bill through parliament ahead of summer recess on 22 July. However, the legislation did complete its time in the House of Lords. After three days of debate at report stage, a handful of amendments were forced to a vote and only seven were carried. This means the bill will return to the House of Commons for the ‘consideration of amendments’ stage (colloquially known as ping pong) and the date set for this is 8 September. Therefore there is yet another pause in the progress of this bill.

Given the manifesto commitment to get this legislation on the statute books, it now seems highly likely that royal assent (when the bill becomes an Act of Parliament) will be in the second week of September before party conference recess. This would no doubt make great headlines and be much heralded at the Labour Party conference, which will be a contributing factor behind its delay.

The reality is, however, that nothing will change immediately as the law will not be implemented until it is ‘commenced’. There will be prior warning of when this will be. Even when we know the commencement date, only some of the changes will be implemented on that day, as much of this legislation will be brought in at various later stages.

The government has been extremely tight-lipped about implementation but, as we have previously reported, it has always promised ‘sufficient time’ for the sector to prepare and adjust. The truth is that, given the enormous amount of work that needs to be done by them – secondary legislation, new standard forms and notices, a suite of guidance, a publicity campaign, consultation on the decent home standard, the building of a national database and the setting up of a Property Redress Scheme (PRS) Ombudsman – it is just as much the case that it is the government that needs time to prepare as those operating in the sector.

The CLA has reiterated to the government on multiple occasions that responsible landlords are keen to prepare for the implementation of the bill and the absence of a timeline or any preliminary guidance is extremely counterproductive. This lack of certainty impacts confidence and is having a detrimental effect across the private rented sector.

If the bill does become enacted as the Renters’ Rights Act in September, it is expected that implementation of the key tenancy changes will begin in the first half of 2026. We will, of course, keep our ears to the ground and share any intelligence on that just as soon as possible.

Members will know that the CLA has been lobbying behind the scenes since 2019 to ensure that the implications of these reforms in the rural context are duly considered. We have made good headway on the Renters’ (Reform) Bill under the Conservative Government, and some since its reincarnation as the Renters’ Rights Bill, but engaging with the current government on our concerns has been challenging.

Happily, the amendments we had achieved to the earlier bill survived and were included in the Renters’ Rights Bill. The new ground for possession where a property is needed to house an agricultural employee remains, but the Labour Government has not been open to broadening this to any wider category of rural employees. The government is so determined to restrict any amplification of this ground for possession that even the argument that rural employers would have no choice but to leave homes empty for potential employees was dismissed. However, an amendment that this ground be altered to include all agricultural workers (not just employees) did pass the vote and will be one of the amendments to be considered when the bill returns to the commons.

Another amendment that will go to the House of Commons for consideration is a new ground for possession where the property is required by the owner to house a carer for the landlord or the landlord’s family.

In the final stages of the House of Lords, the government decided to remove the requirement in the bill for tenants to take out pet damage insurance. Members of the House of Lords voted for an amendment, which the CLA supports, to enable landlords to require a pet deposit (three weeks’ rent) where the tenant has requested permission to have a pet.

Given the size of the government’s majority in the commons, it would be optimistic to think these, or any amendments supported by the House of Lords will make it on to the statute book. We will find this out in September.

As ever, we will aim to keep property owners posted on all key developments so that you can do all you need to get ready for the implementation of the bill. Stay tuned for more information from the CLA this autumn.