Legislation – Renters’ Rights Act 2025

Part 1
Tenancy reform

Chapter 1 Assured tenancies

End of certain kinds of assured tenancy

1 Assured tenancies to be periodic with rent period not exceeding a month

2 Abolition of assured shorthold tenancies

Grounds for possession

3 Changes to grounds for possession

4 Possession for anti-social behaviour: relevant factors

5 Form of notice of proceedings for possession

Rent and other terms

6 Statutory procedure for increases of rent

7 Challenging amount or increase of rent

8 Prohibition of rent in advance after lease entered into (except initial rent)

9 Prohibition of rent in advance before lease entered into

10 Repayment of rent paid for days after end of tenancy

11 Right to request permission to keep a pet

Duties of landlords etc

12 Duty of landlord and contractor to give statement of terms etc

13 Other duties

14 Landlords acting through others

Landlords etc: financial penalties and offences

15 Landlords etc: financial penalties and offences

16 Financial penalties: procedure, appeals and enforcement

Landlords etc: supplementary

17 Duties of landlords etc, penalties and offences: interpretation

18 No criminal liability of the Crown under Part 1 of 1988 Act

19 Guarantor not liable for rent payable after tenant’s death

20 Notices to quit by tenants under assured tenancies: timing

21 Notices to quit by tenants under assured tenancies: other

22 Limitation on obligation to pay removal expenses

23 Assured agricultural occupancies: grounds for possession

24 Assured agricultural occupancies: opting out etc

25 Accommodation for homeless people: duties of local authority

26 Tenancy deposit requirements

Other amendments

28 Liability of tenants under assured tenancies for council tax

29 Other amendments

Powers of Secretary of State

30 Powers of Secretary of State in connection with Chapter 1

Chapter 2 Tenancies that cannot be assured tenancies

31 Long tenancies and financial services products

32 Accommodation for homeless people or students

Chapter 3 Discrimination in the rental market: England

Discrimination and discriminatory terms: children and benefits status

33 Discrimination relating to children

34 Discrimination relating to benefits status

35 Discriminatory terms in a tenancy relating to children or benefits status

36 Terms in superior leases relating to children or benefits status

37 Terms in mortgages relating to children or benefits status

38 Terms in insurance contracts relating to children or benefits status

Discrimination and discriminatory terms: power to protect others

39 Power of the Secretary of State to protect others

Discrimination: financial penalties

40 Financial penalties for breach of anti-discrimination provisions

41 No prohibition on taking income into account

42 Interpretation of Chapter 3

Chapter 4 Discrimination in the rental market: Wales

Prohibitions of discrimination

43 Discrimination relating to children or benefits status: Welsh language

44 Discrimination relating to children or benefits status: English language

45 Amendment of short title of Renting Homes (Fees etc.) (Wales) Act 2019

Discriminatory terms

46 Amendments of Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 regarding discrimination

47 Power of Welsh Ministers to protect others

48 Power of Secretary of State to protect others

Chapter 5 Discrimination in the rental market: Scotland

Discrimination and discriminatory terms: children and benefits status

50 Discrimination relating to children or benefits status

51 Terms in standard securities relating to children or benefits status

52 Terms in insurance contracts relating to children or benefits status

Discrimination and discriminatory terms: power to protect others

53 Power of Scottish Ministers to protect others

54 Power of Secretary of State to protect others

55 Interpretation of Chapter 5

Chapter 6 Stating the proposed rent and rental bidding

56 Requirement to state rent and to avoid rental bidding

57 Financial penalties

Chapter 7 Miscellaneous

58 Penalties for unlawful eviction or harassment of occupier

59 Abandoned premises under assured shorthold tenancies

60 Remedying of hazards occurring in dwelling-houses in England

61 Remedying of hazards occurring in accommodation in England occupied under licence

62 Student accommodation that is not an HMO

Part 2
Residential landlords

Chapter 1 Meaning of “residential landlord”

63 Meaning of “residential landlord”

Chapter 2 Landlord redress schemes

Landlord redress schemes

64 Landlord redress schemes

65 Approval and designation of landlord redress schemes

66 Financial penalties

68 Decision under a landlord redress scheme may be made enforceable as if it were a court order

69 Landlord redress schemes: no Crown status

70 Guidance for scheme administrator and local housing authority

71 Interpretation of Chapter 2

Related amendments

72 Housing activities under social rented sector scheme

73 Other amendments connected with landlord redress schemes

74 Local Commissioners’ investigation of complaints by persons who are not tenants

Chapter 3 The Private Rented Sector Database

The database and the database operator

75 The database

76 The database operator

Landlord and dwelling entries

77 Making entries in the database

78 Requirement to keep active entries up-to-date

79 Circumstances in which active entries become inactive and vice versa

80 Verification, correction and removal of entries

81 Fees for landlord and dwelling entries

Marketing, advertising and letting

82 Restrictions on marketing, advertising and letting dwellings

Entries relating to banning orders, offences, financial penalties, etc.

83 Entries relating to banning orders, offences, financial penalties, etc.

Further duties of database operator

84 Allocation of unique identifiers

85 Other duties

Access to and use of information in database

86 Access to the database

87 Disclosure by database operator etc

88 Use of information from the database

Removal of entries

89 Removal of entries from database

90 Restriction on gaining possession

91 Financial penalties

Final provisions

93 Power to direct database operator and local housing authorities

94 Entries under section 83: minor and consequential amendments

95 Different provision for different purposes: joint landlords

96 Interpretation of Chapter 3

Chapter 4 Part 2: supplementary provision

97 Financial assistance by Secretary of State

98 Rent repayment orders for offences under the Housing Act 1988 and sections 67 and 92 of this Act

99 Interpretation of Part 2

Part 3
Decent homes standard

100 Decent homes standard

101 The standard of MOD accommodation

Part 4
Enforcement

Chapter 1 Sanctions

102 Financial penalties

103 Rent repayment orders: liability of landlords and superior landlords

104 Rent repayment orders: liability of directors etc

105 Unlicensed HMOs and houses: offences

106 Service of improvement notices on landlords and licensors

Chapter 2 Enforcement authorities

107 Enforcement by local housing authorities: general duty

108 Enforcement by local housing authorities: duty to notify

109 Enforcement by county councils: duty to notify

110 Duty to report

111 Lead enforcement authority

112 General duties and powers of lead enforcement authority

113 Enforcement by the lead enforcement authority

Chapter 3 Investigatory powers

Investigatory powers under this Act

114 Power of local housing authority to require information from relevant person

115 Power of local housing authority to require information from any person

116 Enforcement of power to require information from any person

117 Limitation on use of information provided under section 115

118 Business premises: entry without warrant

119 Duties where occupiers are on business premises entered without warrant

120 Business premises: warrant authorising entry

121 Business premises: entry under warrant

122 Power to require production of documents following entry

123 Power to seize documents following entry

124 Access to seized documents

125 Appeal against detention of documents

126 Suspected residential tenancy: entry without warrant

127 Duties where occupiers are on residential premises entered without warrant

128 Suspected residential tenancy: warrant authorising entry

129 Suspected residential tenancy: entry under warrant

130 Powers of accompanying persons

132 Investigatory powers: interpretation

133 Additional powers of seizure under Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001

134 Use by local housing authority of certain information

135 Investigatory powers under the Housing Act 2004

136 Client money protection schemes: investigatory powers of local authorities

Part 5
General

137 Interpretation

138 Crown application

139 Application to Parliament

140 Regulations

141 Power of Welsh Ministers to make consequential provision

142 Power of Scottish Ministers to make consequential provision

143 Power of Secretary of State to make consequential provision

145 Commencement

146 Existing assured tenancies to continue as section 4A assured tenancies

147 Fixed term assured tenancy and statutory periodic tenancy to be treated as single assured tenancy

148 Transitional provision

149 Short title

SCHEDULES

Schedule 1 Changes to grounds for possession

Schedule 2 Amendments relating to Chapter 1 of Part 1

Schedule 3 Amendments connected with landlord redress schemes

Schedule 4 Decent homes standard

Schedule 5 Financial penalties

Schedule 6 Transitional provision

Which version?
Latest available (Revised)
Original (As enacted)

Changes to legislation:

There are currently no known outstanding effects for the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, Section 38.

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Part 1Tenancy reform

Chapter 3Discrimination in the rental market: England

Discrimination and discriminatory terms: children and benefits status

38Terms in insurance contracts relating to children or benefits status

(1)

A term of a contract of insurance to which this section applies is of no effect so far as the term makes provision (however expressed) requiring the insured to—

(a)

prohibit a tenant under a relevant tenancy or regulated tenancy from having a child live with or visit them at the dwelling, or

(b)

restrict the circumstances in which a tenant under a relevant tenancy or a regulated tenancy may have a child live with or visit them at the dwelling.

(2)

A term of a contract of insurance to which this section applies is of no effect so far as the term makes provision (however expressed) requiring the insured to prohibit a tenant under a relevant tenancy or regulated tenancy from being a benefits claimant.

(3)

This section applies to contracts of insurance which were entered into or whose duration was extended on or after the day on which this section comes into force.