The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) has expressed growing doubt that the Renters Rights Bill will secure Royal Assent before Parliament begins its summer recess.
The Bill is set to enter the Report Stage in the House of Lords next week, with three sittings scheduled between July 1 and July 15. After that, just seven days remain for the legislation to return to the Commons for final approval before MPs break for the summer.
If the process is delayed until Parliament resumes in early September, it could give the Labour Party an opportunity to champion the Bill’s passage at its annual conference later that month.
The NRLA notes: “If Royal Assent is postponed until after the recess, the earliest it could be granted is September. The government has not yet clarified when the legislation would come into effect, but typically, commencement occurs no sooner than two months after Royal Assent.”
This means the earliest realistic start date for the new rules would be November—though implementation could slip into the new year. While no formal timeline has been released, Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook has publicly stated that the new tenancy system will be introduced in full from day one.
Pennycook explained: “Once the legislation commences, the new tenancy framework will apply to all private rentals—existing agreements will convert to periodic tenancies, and all new lettings will be governed by the updated rules.”
The NRLA has pointed out that while tenancy changes may apply immediately, elements such as the new Decent Homes Standard and a national landlord database will require secondary legislation.
“We are urging the government to allow at least six months between secondary legislation being passed and its implementation, giving landlords time to prepare and adjust systems accordingly,” the NRLA said.
With the Report Stage beginning in the Lords next Tuesday, this marks one of the final opportunities for Peers to suggest and debate amendments before the Bill moves closer to becoming law.
Seperately, the Lettings Industry Council warns that rental reform will fail without government clarity. Ahead of the Lords debate on July 1, Chair Theresa Wallace highlights key unresolved issues.
Despite promises, the government hasn’t explained how courts will handle increased demand or how long possession claims will take—worrying landlords facing existing delays.
Plans to let tenants challenge above-market rent hikes are unworkable due to a lack of reliable rent data. Proposals around rent arrears from delayed benefit payments are also unclear, as landlords aren’t informed when tenants claim benefits.
The government hasn’t confirmed when tenancy changes will begin after Royal Assent, raising fears of a chaotic rollout.
Wallace, with the British Property Federation and NRLA, urges clear answers to protect responsible landlords and ensure the Bill works in practice.
Just to close things off it really was great news to finally see a Govt which understands the root cause of the never ending and worsening housing crisis. £3.9 billion a year for 10 years is a good start but will only scratch the surface, and interestingly there was no detail on how many social housing units were being targetted. Given that the whole thing is the result of Govt policy since Thatcher started the process of selling off the family silver and the same party then made it very difficult for Landlords to make a profit in 2017, it feels like the hopeful start of a full circle. We reported on this back in 2019.
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