A Landlord's Guide to the Renters' Rights Reforms

The reforms are the largest change to the private rented sector in three decades. Most of the coverage has been written for tenants. This is the version we give our landlords.

The three changes that actually affect you

1. Assured shorthold tenancies become periodic

Fixed terms disappear. Every tenancy becomes a rolling periodic agreement from day one, with tenants able to leave on two months' notice. In practice this shortens your planning horizon and makes tenant selection more important than tenancy length.

2. Section 21 goes

No-fault eviction ends. Possession will require a specified ground — sale of the property, a landlord or family member moving in, or tenant breach — each with its own notice period and evidence requirement.

The practical consequence is record-keeping. Grounds that used to be irrelevant now have to be provable, which means arrears schedules, correspondence logs and inspection reports need to be in order before you need them, not after.

3. A mandatory ombudsman and a property portal

Every landlord will need to register on a national portal and join an ombudsman scheme. Fines for non-registration are significant, and letting a property while unregistered will be an offence.

What to do this quarter

1. Audit your compliance documents — gas, electrical, EPC, deposit protection, How to Rent
2. Move inspection records to a dated, photographed format
3. Review any tenancy where arrears have been informally tolerated
4. Budget for EPC works if any property sits below a C

Where we sit

Our managed landlords come under our portal registration and ombudsman membership, and our inspection reports are already produced in a format that supports a possession claim. If you self-manage and want a second pair of eyes on your paperwork, get in touch — we do compliance audits as a standalone piece of work.