The government's Renters' Rights Act, which will finally abolish section 21 'no fault' evictions, received Royal Assent and was made an act of law yesterday evening (Monday 27 October).
Tom Darling, Director at the Renters' Reform Coalition, said:
"This is a generational upgrade to renters’ rights - its passage today is fantastic news for England’s 12 million renters, as well as the members of the Renters’ Reform Coalition who have been campaigning for these changes for a decade. Our thanks to the Government for finally getting this landmark legislation, which has faced stiff opposition at various points, over the finishing line.
"For far too long, tenants in England have been afraid to challenge their landlords or ask for essential repairs for fear of a section 21 ‘no-fault’ eviction. Once the new law comes into force, section 21 will finally be consigned to the dustbin of history, and renters will gain crucial protections, as well as new powers to hold dodgy landlords to account.
"However the job isn't finished - we need to know when the bill will actually come into force, and that date must be as soon as possible. Renters have been waiting years for these changes and the stability and security they will bring, while rents, evictions and homelessness have soared. We can't afford to wait much longer."
Despite being passed, the provisions in the flagship legislation will not come into force until a future date which the government are yet to announce. This 'implementation period' is intended to give landlords and letting agents time to prepare for the new rules. Renters groups welcomed the legislation but called on the government to make the implementation period as short as possible.
As well as abolishing section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions, a manifesto commitment of all major political parties at the last election, the new law will:
- Abolish bidding wars used by letting agents or landlords to squeeze more rent out of prospective tenants
- Ban discrimination against letting to renters on benefits or with children Introduce an ombudsman renters can appeal to in disputes
- End fixed term tenancies, making all tenancies secure and open-ended
- Introduce a database which all landlords will be required to be registered on
- Give renters a right to request pets in their home which landlords cannot 'unreasonably' refuse
Abolishing section 21 evictions was first committed to by former PM Theresa May in April 2019, and the previous Conservative government came close to passing a version of this legislation (the Renters Reform Bill) before it fell as the General Election was called in 2024. All major parties contesting that election had manifesto commitments to abolish section 21.
Although the Renters' Rights Act abolishes section 21, landlords will still be able to evict renters in order to sell the property or if they or family members are moving into it. But they will not be allowed to evict under these grounds within the first year of a tenancy and will need to give tenants 4 months' notice. The law also includes safeguards to try to prevent landlords from abusing these eviction grounds.
One area the landmark bill does not address is the cost of renting, which has increased by nearly 50% in England over the last decade (according to ONS data). Polling commissioned by the RRC has found that nearly a third of private renters - an estimated 3.8 million people - "always" or "often" struggle to afford essentials like groceries due to the amount they spend on rent. The RRC are calling on the government to cap rent increases so rents cannot rise faster than inflation or local wage growth, and establish a National Rental Affordability Commission to explore ways to make renting more affordable.