Renters' Rights Bill Nears Royal Assent

The king is expected to grant royal assent to the Renters' Rights Bill within a few weeks.

The bill returned to Parliament for final approval from MPs after several weeks of ping-pong with the House of Lords, the nickname for the process of accepting or denying amendments to the proposed new law.

During the ping-pong period, the government has shown no compromise over any major amendment suggested by the Lords.

On becoming law, the Renters Rights Bill will revolutionise the way the private rental sector works.

King Charles will rubber-stamp the bill before the year-end, and the legislation is expected to become law in stages, starting with the abolition of Section 21 no-fault evictions and the scrapping of fixed-term tenancy agreements.

The bill was taken to Parliament by Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary Angela Rayner, who resigned over allegations of stamp duty avoidance.

Fixed tenancies abolished

Periodic tenancies will take over, allowing tenants to stay in a home until they decide a tenancy should end by giving two months' notice. The aim is to stop renters paying for substandard properties because they have agreed to a fixed-term tenancy.

Controversially, paying rent in advance ends.

The Renters' Rights Bill will amend the Tenant Fees Act 2019 to stop landlords from asking for or accepting rent in advance of the tenancy starting. A landlord can only ask for up to one month's rent once a tenancy agreement is signed.

The bill will also provide that, when a tenancy starts, a landlord cannot enforce any terms in a tenancy agreement that require rent to be paid in advance of the agreed due date. The precise details are awaiting final publication, and we will publish guidance once the wording is confirmed.

This measure is to stop landlords from making requests for large payments of rent in advance.

Unenforceable tenancies

Although the measure protects many renters from paying large sums of money to unscrupulous landlords, many tenancy agreements held by students become unenforceable.

Currently, around one in three students pays monthly rent. The others pay per term or by a year in advance, which are the terms offered by many student accommodation providers.

If a student leaves before the end of the academic year, landlords may have problems re-letting and face extra costs, like council tax.

Staunch defence of pets

Damage to property by pets was another flashpoint between the Lords and MPs, thrashing out the clauses of the bill.

Many landlords in the House of Lords wanted tenants to take insurance or pay larger deposits to cover damage to a home by a pet.

The government refused such a change, saying the cost of damage was already covered by a security deposit, and ministers could see no reason for rewording the clause. This staunch defence means tenants do not pay an enhanced deposit nor need insurance for their pets.

The government has published a guide to the Renters Rights Bill online - but expect an updated version as soon as the bill receives royal assent.

Once the final version of the Bill and the Renters' Rights Act 2025 (as it will likely be known) is published, the Guild will be updating our content and producing detailed guidance on all elements. We also have the new assured periodic tenancy (APT) almost ready to go live.