Today is the biggest day in Generation Rent’s 12 year history: Section 21 is no more and the biggest reforms to renting in nearly 40 years have come into force.
Yesterday, landlords were still able to ask tenants to move out without needing a reason. The Section 21 notice that allowed this was landlords’ trump card in any dealings with tenants: if a damp patch wasn’t being fixed, or you faced an extra £200 per month in rent, there was a real threat of losing your home if you made a fuss.
Today, landlords can only evict you for specific grounds, including if you have broken the terms of your tenancy or they want to move themselves or a family member in, or sell the property.
Benefits flow from that including the potential to challenge rent increases at a tribunal, which could be particularly helpful if your home is in poor condition. And fixed terms have also been scrapped, so you can move out at any point in the year, with two months’ notice at most.
When you do decide to move, there are new protections when finding a new place to live:
- Landlords cannot accept a rent higher than the one they’ve advertised the property for. This stops the practice of bidding wars that wastes so many renters’ time when we view a home we think is in our budget but then get asked to offer more to secure it.
- Landlords cannot demand renters pay multiple months’ rent up front to secure a tenancy – which is often a way of screening out lower income tenants.
- Landlords cannot discriminate against would-be tenants if they claim benefits or have children – and mortgage lenders and insurers are being stopped from placing these conditions on landlords.
England is a nation of animal lovers, so as the number of us renting has grown over recent decades it has become an ever greater injustice that it is hard for renters to get pets. No longer: you now have the right to request a pet and your landlord needs a good reason to say no.
The government has published guidance for tenants taking you through the full changes and on this website we have updated our frequently asked questions pages with everything you need to know.
We know there is more to do to make renting bearable – and ideally, eventually, something we actively choose to do instead of buying a home. Making sure rents are affordable is a big part of our work in the months and years ahead.
But we think the Renters Rights Act will go a long way towards helping renters feel like our home is ours and spend less time worrying about where we live, and more time living.
Thank you to everyone who has been part of the campaign to make this happen. To be a part of our next success, sign up here, or support us further by becoming a member.
