The Renters' Rights Bill: Further Information

Further sittings are schedules for the 7 and 15 July, but it is looking increasingly unlikely that the bill will receive Royal Assent ahead of the summer recess, which will run from 22 July to 1 September. This means the Bill will likely become law in September, with implementation expected to begin towards the end of this year or the start of 2026. 

The government has remained tight lipped as to when the commencement date (the point at which the new rules would come into force) will be, however this is generally no earlier than two months after Royal Assent. Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook has gone on record to say, however, that the new tenancy system will be introduced all at once. 

 

Report stage is one of the final opportunities for peers to debate and secure changes to the bill and as the bill nears the statute book, property professionals continue to voice concern about how these reforms will actually work in practice. 

 

Landlords should certainly begin preparing for a shift in how they manage tenancies. The removal of fixed terms, changes to rent increase processes and new responsibilities around pets and damp mean that tenancy agreements will need updating. Rent guarantee insurance and legal cover should also be reviewed, as many existing policies may not reflect the new legal environment. And with more pressure on local enforcement and court systems, working with a qualified, regulated letting agent has never been more important. 

 

According to the latest data from the Ministry of Justice, the average time for landlords to regain possession of a property through the courts has increased yet again. In the first quarter of 2025, the average time between a landlord submitting a claim and regaining legitimate possession was over seven months (32.5 weeks – up from 29.8 weeks a year ago). This is despite ministers repeatedly claiming that the courts will be “ready” to manage the impact of the Renters’ Rights Bill, which last week concluded its scrutiny in the House of Lords. 

 

With the abolition of Section 21 evictions, landlords will in future be reliant on the courts to hear, decide, process and enforce possession claims. During the Renters’ Rights Bill Committee Stage in the House of Lords, the Housing Minister, Baroness Taylor, claimed that possession cases take an average of just eight weeks. However, this figure is misleading as it only covers part of the process – from making a claim to getting a possession order. It does not include the typically much longer wait for landlords to actually get their property back, which can take over half a year. 

 

Failure to deliver meaningful court reform will further undermine landlords’ confidence in the system and could lead to reduced investment, making it even harder for tenants to find a home. An autumn 2024 survey by the NRLA of over 1,400 landlords found that 96% have little or no confidence that the courts will be able to cope once the Renters’ Rights Bill is passed.