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.
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.
Our Conference is now over but you can purchase the recordings!
Here is a run down of the recordings available:
Day 1
Our Day 1 headline speaker Justin Bates KC from Landmark Chambers who introduced the event. Justin’s talk was widely praised – you can watch a clip here.
Julie Ford gave advice on how to help tenants in arrears – a more cost-effective solution to rent arrears than eviction.
David Smith, explained the new rules for student lets – something that is worrying a lot of people
David Cox, Rightmove General Counsel, explained the new rules landlords will have to follow for advertising for and sourcing tenants
Sam Madge-Wyld, specialist housing barrister from Tanfield Chambers explained the changes to the eviction rules, and
Kate Faulkner OBE looked at the new landlords database/property portal.
Day 2
Our Day 2 headline speaker Sean Hooker, Head of Redress at the Property Redress Scheme, opened Day 2 of the Conference, discussing the new landlord redress scheme and talking about redress and mediation generally.
David Smith (his second talk) discussed the new Decent Homes standard (so far as is known) and Awaabs law
Suzanne Smith, landlord and solicitor, discussed the bill from the landlords’ point of view and gave general advice
Jan Hytch, a former Propertymark President, now running the Propertymark helpline, discussed the bill from the point of view of agents and gave advice
Robin Stewart, solicitor and partner at Anthony Gold Llp explained 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, discussed the new penalties and Local Authority enforcement powers
Q&A sessions
This was an opportunity for delegates to ask questions. Which they did! There were two Q&A sessions, one at the end of each day.
How to buy the recordings:
Title: The Renters’ Rights Bill Online Conference 2025
Cost: £189 incl VAT (automatic discounts for Landlord Law members)
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You can also watch six extracts from the event on the information page!