30 Oct 25
MPs waved the Renters’ Rights Act through Parliament and Royal Assent this week.
Within 5 hours, the Government published its punitive Enforcement Guidance for councils. None of the how it actually works information we all need, just the enforcement!
Last week, landlord compliance expert Des Taylor of Landlord Licensing & Defence warned that the legislation is being mis-sold to the public as tenant protection when it is designed to increase local authority income and control over the private rented sector.
He said: “The Renters’ Rights Act isn’t about protecting tenants – it’s about protecting council budgets.
“Behind the headlines of ‘fairness’ and ‘balance’ lies a different reality: More powers. More penalties. Longer voids. Less control.”
He adds: “Landlords are being boxed in with restrictions that benefit only one group – and it’s not the renters. This Act isn’t what they’re telling you.”
Mr Taylor points to the abolition of Section 21 which will fundamentally change how landlords and tenants interact.
He says that with ‘no fault’ evictions removed, landlords will be forced onto a much slower Section 8 process to regain possession.
That change, he argues, will push more landlords into lengthy legal battles while delaying property turnover for over a year in some cases.
He continued: “Landlords could be waiting 12 to 16 months to recover a property from a non-paying tenant.
“In that time, councils save money on emergency housing because tenants technically remain ‘housed’ – even if they’re months in arrears. It’s a cynical fix for a broken social housing system.”
Mr Taylor points to another consequence hidden in plain sight: revenue generation.
He believes the Act’s deeper purpose is to widen the enforcement net for local authorities, giving them broader discretion to levy civil penalties which rocket from £5,000 up to £25,000, for administrative mistakes and minor breaches.
Mr Taylor says: “Every new power comes with a price tag, and that price will be paid by landlords through fines and by tenants through higher rents.
“It’s being dressed up as tenant protection, but really it’s a mechanism for councils to collect income while claiming moral virtue.”
The Act also risks increasing void periods and financial stress across the sector.
There will be longer possession timelines, more compliance demands and growing uncertainty over tenancy length which will make professional landlords think twice about investing further.
Mr Taylor warns that this tightening web of regulation will have a ripple effect across the market.
He says: “There will be less investment in local rental housing as smaller landlords exit, and the rising compliance costs will be passed on to tenants.
“There will also be worsening availability for vulnerable renters as councils rely on the PRS to plug social housing gaps.”
While the government insists the Act will make renting fairer, Mr Taylor argues it will instead entrench inequality.
“Tenants in arrears may lose the most,” he said. “Once a landlord has to rely on Section 8, councils can claim the tenant made themselves intentionally homeless.
“That means no housing duty owed, no emergency accommodation and no help. It’s a quiet but devastating policy trick.”
Calling the Act ‘politically driven’, Mr Taylor urges landlords, agents and property professionals to stay vigilant.
He said: “This legislation changes the relationship between landlords, tenants and the state.
“We’re moving towards a system of revenue-focused enforcement, not fair regulation.
“Every landlord should read the fine print and prepare accordingly.”
Landlord Licensing & Defence continues to advise landlords on compliance, licensing and enforcement issues, helping them navigate what Mr Taylor describes as ‘an increasingly punitive landscape designed to make property ownership a bureaucratic minefield’.
Landlords and developers can book a no-charge, no-commitment 10-minute diagnostic call with an expert on Council Enforcement, HMO planning, planning enforcement, Rent Repayment Orders or other compliance matters here
