The clock is ticking for landlords as no-fault evictions to be banned | UK | News
No-fault evictions will be made illegal in England from May 1 as part of sweeping reforms to protect tenants’ rights, the government has confirmed. The changes also include the end of fixed-term tenancies, tenants moving to “permanent” contracts, a crackdown on “bidding wars” and clearer rules on owning pets.
Landlords have expressed concerns about the reforms, saying they will lead to increased screening of potential tenants and anxiety about what will happen if tenancies go awry, the BBC reported.
From May 1, landlords will only be able to evict tenants in certain circumstances, such as property damage, antisocial behavior or significant rent arrears. Landlords can also evict tenants if they wish to sell or move into the property, but this is not possible within the first 12 months of the tenancy.
Properties in England will be let on a “periodic” or permanent basis rather than a fixed 12 or 24 month contract.
Tenants who want to leave can give two months’ notice; The government says this will prevent tenants from paying rent for substandard properties. Landlords will no longer be able to evict tenants who complain about poor conditions.
The new laws also ban bidding wars, discrimination against parents and welfare recipients, and lay out a clearer process for renting pets.
Landlords voice concerns about reforms
Maureen Treadwell, whose family rents 10 properties in Hampshire, told the BBC: “There are very serious penalties if you get things wrong, so it’s all against the landlord.” He fears that unless the court system is reformed to speed up the eviction process for bad tenants, landlords will emigrate, worsening the housing crisis.
“Is it worth renting out your house and then going to court to get it back, or is it worth delaying for a year? It’s not worth it. So it’s going to make the housing crisis worse.”
Tenant groups welcome changes
But many tenant groups, including the Tenants Reform Coalition, welcomed the changes. Shelter’s Mairi MacRae said: “It is not the prospect of giving tenants these vital rights that is fueling record levels of homelessness, but the gross injustice of no-fault evictions.”
Housing Minister Steve Reed said the government was “making time” for “rogue landlords” with the Tenants’ Bill of Rights. “We are now a few months away from this law going into effect, so good landlords can prepare and bad landlords can get their act together,” he added.
Shadow housing secretary Sir James Cleverly warned the reforms would “drive landlords out of the market, reduce supply and increase prices for tenants”. “We are prepared for a six-month fire sale with a May 2026 start date, with tenants being evicted at short notice,” he said.
Millions of people affected by new rules
Around 4.4 million households rented from a private landlord in England between 2021 and 2023, meaning the new rules will affect more than 11 million people. The Tenants’ Rights Bill, described as the biggest change to renting in the UK in more than 30 years, was officially approved at the end of October.
Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, said the time given to implement the changes alone was “not enough”. He added: “We have consistently argued that landlords and property businesses need at least six months from the publication of the regulations to ensure they are properly prepared for the biggest changes the industry has faced in over 40 years.”
Evacuation stories
More than 11,000 households in England had their homes repossessed by bailiffs following a Chapter 21 eviction by June.
Victoria, 25, told the BBC how she had to pause her studies for her degree after receiving a Section 21 eviction notice in March.
He lived in Durham while studying at Northumbria University and believes the eviction was partly due to complaints about the condition of the property. “I had no choice but to move in with my parents and I was devastated,” she said.
The government has confirmed that all section 21 notices issued before May will be valid, but said landlords must begin recovery proceedings in court by July 31, 2026.
