The Intermediary – January 2026 - Flipbook - Page 33
BUY-TO-LET
Opinion
Council powers
sound starting gun
for Renters’ Rights
T
he 1st May 2026. That
date will be circled
in red across the
calendars of leing
agents, landlords, and
property professionals
up and down the country. It’s the date
on which the long-awaited Renters’
Rights Act – a piece of legislation first
proposed by the UK Government in
2019 – is fully implemented.
However, agents and landlords who
believe there are four months to go
until the new rules come into force are
mistaken. Because in December, as
many businesses downed tools for the
holidays, those paying aention might
have spoed the unofficial start of the
Renters’ Rights Act implementation.
On the 27th December, a day
characterised for most of us by turkey
leovers and searching through
the dregs of the Quality Street tin,
councils across England were granted
stronger investigatory powers over the
private rental sector (PRS).
New enforcement reality
Put in place by the recently passed
Act, Local Authorities now have
far stronger powers to investigate
dubious PRS practices. This includes
being able to enter properties to assess
conditions, demand access to certain
documents, investigate evictions
which could be illegal, and dig into the
business practices of landlords, agents,
and even building contractors.
What’s more, enforcing these
new powers is now a duty for Local
Authorities. It’s not something they
can leverage if they choose to - it’s
an area of enforcement they are
legally bound to deliver. This means
tougher enforcement action should
be expected. And sector professionals
need to get prepared.
The direction of travel is clear: from
now on, enforcement will become
more proactive and far less forgiving
of poor processes. Not having the right
documentation in place or unwiingly
breaching the new rules due to
ignorance won’t cut it as an excuse.
Property businesses need to be across
the details, clued up on compliance,
and ready to respond to a Local
Authority enquiry at any moment.
No room for avoidance
Geing on the wrong side of the
new Act, and by association those
enforcing it, could be incredibly
costly. Even the ‘entry level’ penalties
will make your eyes water; landlords
could be fined £7,000 for a first-time
or minor breach, rising to £40,000
for repeat offences. And councils can
On your marks: Landlords and agencies, who have had their head in the sand until now, need to put a plan in place
WILLIAM REEVE
is CEO at Goodlord
now choose to prosecute instead, with
the courts able to issue unlimited
fines. Crucially, illegal evictions are
also now subject to civil penalties for
the first time. In short, the stakes are
high.
Those who don’t yet have their
house in order are already exposed.
The Act is creeping into reality
and, in less than 16 weeks, will be
implemented in full. And lots of
industry professionals are on the back
foot. According to a survey of over 700
leing agents by Goodlord conducted
towards the end of 2025, one in three
agents (31%) had yet to start preparing
for the seismic shi in the rental
landscape that the Act will bring.
Now or never
The window to get organised is
closing, but it’s not too late to act.
Landlords and agencies, who have
had their head in the sand until now,
need to put a plan in place. That
means reading up on the legislation,
understanding how it affects you and
your business, and making a list of
the documents, processes and policies
that require review and action. This
could feel like a mammoth task, but
it’s not one that can be avoided. And
there are tools, platforms, and experts
which can be leveraged to help ease the
burden and keep you compliant in the
long-term.
As the old saying goes: “it ain’t over
‘til it’s over.” So, whilst the starting
gun has been sounded on the most
consequential piece of legislation to
hit the sector in a generation, it’s not
too late to get ahead in the race. But
the era of avoidance is well and truly
over. It’s time to get moving. ●
January 2026 | The Intermediary
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