The Renters' Rights Bill

The biggest change to renting in over 30 years

The Renters' Rights Bill is currently making its way through parliament. It is expected to come into force later this year when it will apply to most tenancies in England.

The Bill is the most significant change to the private rented sector in nearly 40 years, requiring you to change the way you run your rental business. Amongst other things the Bill:

Abolishes Section 21 notices and fixed term assured shorthold tenancies
Allows tenants to serve two months' notice to end the tenancy from day one
Bans rent in advance payments
Bans rent increase clauses and requires landlords to issue a Section 13 notice if they need to increase the rent. This will be limited to once per year, capped at market levels.
Introduces a new Decent Homes Standard to the private rented sector
Creates a digital Private Rented Sector database and a new ombudsman service
Bans rental bidding wars and ends discrimination against families and benefit recipients

The amount of change can feel overwhelming, but the NRLA is here to support you. Starting with the guidance on these pages that is aimed at helping you prepare ahead of time.

This is only the start of the support the NRLA will provide though. Over the coming months, as the Bill becomes law, forms are published and secondary legislation is released, we will add to these pages with templates to help you manage the transition.

Not already a member?

Many of our Renters' Rights Bill resources are for members only. To access these and our extensive member discounts including our FREE expert landlord advice line, and FREE property management software, join the NRLA today and be part of our vibrant landlord community.

Join the NRLA

Preparing for Renters' Rights

The Renters' Rights Bill is set to make changes to the sector by, amongst other things, abolishing Section 21, getting rid of fixed term tenancies and introducing a national database for the private rented sector (PRS).

Read our guidance on how you as a landlord are best able to prepare for the upcoming changes to the sector and what actions you can take now.

How Tenancies Are Changing

Assured periodic tenancies are to become the default tenure type, and landlords will have significant new obligations to meet, including giving a written statement of tenancy terms.
Tenants will have a right to request a pet and their notice to terminate the tenancy will change as well.

Managing Rent Payments After The Bill

The Bill prevents landlords taking rent in advance of the tenancy, limits the amount that can be demanded after a tenancy is signed, and introduces new rules preventing the landlord from accepting bids above the listed rent. This page sets out how these changes work.

Preventing Rental Discrimination

The Renters' Rights Bill will bring in new requirements to ensure that discrimination against families and people in receipt of benefits does not occur. Click through to find out more.

Ending a periodic assured tenancy

With the Renters' Rights Bill bringing about an end to fixed terms and to Section 21 notices, the way that you seek to regain possession of your property will change substantially. This guide sets out all the changes coming to serving notice.

Renters Rights Bill campaign hub

The NRLA is continuing to campaign for sensible amendments to the Bill that would support a thriving private rented sector. To find out more about our campaigning work, as well as accessing past webinars on the Bill, see our RRB campaigns hub.

Frequently asked questions

You can find answers to some frequently asked questions here. We will continue to update these as the Bill progresses through Parliament, so make sure you check for updates regularly.