As I suspect most readers are aware, we have a Renters Rights Bill currently making its way through Parliament.

This is going to be the most significant shake-up of landlord and tenant law for over 35 years.  Everyone in the Private Rented Sector needs to be fully prepared for the changes that the new act will bring.

It is why, way back in October last year, I decided to put on a conference to help landlords, letting agents and all in the PRS get a grip on the new law.  We weren’t sure then exactly when the new act would come into force (some people were saying February, others October) but I settled on 11 and 12 March for the Conference dates.

By then, we should know the main features of the bill and how it will affect landlords.  After all, the Labour Party have a huge majority and so can put through more or less what they like.

Which is more or less where we stand now.

The bill has yet to get through the Lords, but it is not anticipated that there will be major changes.

Why you need to attend this event:

Although the final form of the bill is not known yet, we know most of what it will contain.  There will be very significant changes to law and practice, including

• The abolition of section 21 and fixed terms
• New rules about the payment of rent and how it is increased
• New rules on advertising for tenants, including rules against discrimination and ‘bidding wars’
• Changed grounds for possession under the ‘section 8’ procedure
• A new landlord database and redress scheme
• New rules about the condition of property and time limits for getting remedial work done
• New offences, along with increased penalty fines and significantly enhanced powers for Local Authority enforcement officers

These are all things that landlords need to prepare for.

The Conference is an online event so it will be easy for you to attend with no time-consuming and expensive travel needed.

So, what can you expect from the Renters Rights Conference?

It is a two-day event with 12 talks from eleven speakers.  Here is a run down:

Day 1

Our Day 1 headline speaker Justin Bates KC from Landmark Chambers will open the Conference and introduce the legislation to us

Julie Ford will then give advice on how to help tenants in arrears – a more cost-effective solution to rent arrears than eviction.

David Smith, solicitor and partner at JMW Solicitors will then explain the new rules for student lets – something that is worrying a lot of people

David Cox, Rightmove General Counsel, will then explain the new rules landlords will have to follow for advertising for and sourcing tenants

After lunch

Sam Madge-Wyld, specialist housing barrister from Tanfield Chambers will explain the changes to the eviction rules, and

Kate Faulkner OBE will be discussing the new landlords database/property portal.

Day 2

Our Day 2 headline speaker Sean Hooker, Head of Redress at the Property Redress Scheme, opening Day 2 of the Conference, will be discussing the new landlord redress scheme and talking about redress and mediation generally.

David Smith (his second talk) will be discussing the new Decent Homes standard (so far as is known) and Awaabs law

Suzanne Smith, landlord and solicitor, will be discussing the bill from the landlords’ point of view and giving advice

Jan Hytch, a former Propertymark President, now running the Propertymark helpline, will be discussing the bill from the point of view of agents and giving advice

After lunch

Robin Stewart, solicitor and partner at Anthony Gold Llp will be explaining the changes to the Rent Repayment Order process, and finally

Ben Reeve Lewis, whose organisation Safer Renting provides a Tenancy Relations Officer service to 13 Local Authorities in London and Suffolk, will be explaining the new penalties and Local Authority enforcement powers

Q&A sessions

Delegates will inevitably have many questions which speakers may not have time to deal with during their talks.  So there is also a one hour Q&A session at the end of each day between 4 and 5 pm.

Hopefully, we will be able to answer most of your questions even if time does not allow us to deal with all of them.

The Conference in a Nutshall and how to book:

Title: The Renters Rights Bill Online Conference 2025
Date: 11 and 12 March 2025
Venue: Online only
Cost: £270 incl VAT (automatic discounts for Landlord Law members)
Discount: Landlord Law Blog readers can get a 10% discount with coupon code TE43NQ92
Recordings: will be available for 3 months after the event
CPD: Certificates provided for attendees (up to 11 hours depending on actual attendance time on the day)
Moneyback guarantee

Click here to find out more and book your place.

The post The Renters Rights Bill Online Conference 2025 appeared first on The Landlord Law Blog.

The new rules coming into effect when the Renters Rights Bill is made law will result in significant differences in the way that tenancies are brought to an end. It will also change the balance between landlords and tenants.

Let’s first take a look at:

The law as it is now

Most tenancies now are assured shorthold tenancies and are granted for a period of time (a ‘fixed term‘).  Six months, a year or whatever. This works in the following way:

Neither the landlord nor the tenant can end the tenancy during the fixed term unless the other agrees. So this means that:

• Tenants cannot end tenancies early where they are unhappy with the condition of the property (for example, if it is dripping with damp and mould) or if they have to move due to a job change.
• However, they cannot be evicted by the landlord during the fixed term, unless they fall into arrears of rent or (in some cases) breach the terms of their contract.

Once the fixed term has ended, then:

• If the tenants have vacated, the tenancy is at an end. The landlord cannot charge any further rent (even if the tenancy agreement stipulates a notice period, this will not be effective under the unfair terms rules).
• If the tenants remain at the property, then the tenancy will continue either
  • As a new fixed-term tenancy, if the parties have signed a new agreement, or
  • As a statutory periodic tenancy under s5 of the Housing Act 1988, or
  • As a contractual periodic tenancy if their tenancy agreement provides for this.

So fixed terms are:

• Good for tenants in that they have security for the fixed term period – which can be for several years which many tenants want, for example if they have children at local schools, but
• Bad for tenants in that they cannot end the tenancy if the property is unsuitable for them, unless the landlord agrees. Which he does not have to do.

At the moment when a tenancy is periodic, the landlord can use the ‘no fault’ eviction procedure under section 21.

However, most tenancies are ended by tenants. Either

• leaving at the end of their fixed term, or
• giving a tenants notice to quit duing a periodic tenancy, or
• (but only if their landlord agrees) leaving part way through a fixed term.

The law once the Renters Rights Bill has become law

(Assuming it is not further amended)

All tenancies will convert automatically to assured tenancies on a date to be announced. Meaning that landlords will no longer be able to use section 21 (the ability to use section 21 is the main difference between assured and assured shorthold tenancies).

All tenancies will also, almost certainly on the same day, convert to periodic tenancies.

What will this mean?

Tenants will no longer have the security of a long fixed term.  As, after a year, landlords will have the ability to use the no-fault grounds

• ground 1 – if the landlord wants the property to live in for himself or his family, or
• ground 1A – if the landlord wants to sell the property.

If, after evicting the tenants, the landlords then relet the property to another tenant within 12 months of service of the section 8 notice, they can be fined up to £7,000 by the Local Authority. This, though, will not help the tenants who will have already left.

Apart from these two grounds for possession, landlords can only evict if they give a reason.  Which must be one of the grounds from Schedule 2 of the Housing Act 1988 (as amended by the then Renters Rights Act 2025).

It is arguable, therefore, that tenants will have greater security, despite having a periodic tenancy.

What if tenants want to leave?

• Tenants will be able to leave whenever they want
• Subject that is to serving two months ‘notice to quit’.

The legislation stipulates that

• The notice can be served at any time
• Landlords cannot specify ‘the mode by which the words of the notice are represented or reproduced in a visible form’, and
• The notice can be withdrawn by the tenant but only if the landlord agrees to this.

Lets consider these:

Service at any time

This means that it will be possible for a tenant to serve a two-month tenants notice to quit the day they move in. For example, a tenant might want to do this if they had not previously seen the property and found, when they moved in, that it was in poor condition and dripping with damp and mould.

This provision is particularly problematic for student landlords. If a student moves out early, the landlord will find it difficult to find a replacement out of the normal student signup time. In which case that landlord could suffer considerable financial losses.

This may prompt student landlords to leave the sector, which would be very bad for students as there is already a shortage of decent accommodation.

A prohibition on landlords requiring notices in a specific form

This means that if the tenancy agreement provides, for example, for specific wording to be used in the tenants notice to quit, this will be of no effect. Likewise, presumably, clauses requiring notices to be by letter only (e.g. not by text or email).

It’s unclear whether landlords will be able to specify when in the month tenants will be able to give notice, but I suspect such clauses will also be ineffective.

Withdrawing the notice

It is interesting that the legislation provides that withdrawal of tenants’ notices to quit can only be done if landlords agree.

Tenants changing their mind can be problematic for landlords, for example if they have already lined up inventory clerks, tradespeople and maybe new tenants to attend on what they had been told would be the tenants moving out date.

It looks as if (if a landlord refuses to accept the withdrawal of their tenants notice to quit) tenants can be evicted on the basis that they have given a notice to quit but have not vacated. This procedure is sometimes used by social landlords but rarely by landlords in the private sector.

Interestingly, this point is specifically covered in s168 onwards in the new Welsh legislation plus there are forms that must be used if the landlord decides to bring a claim.

It would be helpful if the situation in England could be clarified in a similar way.

Conclusion

The new rules will certainly help tenants who find themselves in unacceptable conditions. Their landlord will not be able to force them to remain and pay rent as they can now.

Meaning that bad landlords may find it difficult to retain tenants unless they upgrade their properties.

Tenants looking for long-term security of tenure may be worried as their security will only last for about a year. However, the fact is, most landlords hate ‘voids’ and want tenants to stay as long as possible.

Once things settle down, landlords wanting to sell up will be in the minority.

The biggest problem I can see with the new rules is with student lets.

If landlords find that students are regularly leaving early, they will have no choice but to sell up or move to another sector (such as renting to young professionals). Few landlords can afford to have their property lying empty for long periods of time.

This will make it even harder for students living away from home to find somewhere to live.

Hopefully, this point will be considered and hopefully resolved during the bill’s passage through the House of Lords.

The post Will the new rules for tenants’ notices to quit actually benefit tenants? appeared first on The Landlord Law Blog.