Renters' Rights Act 2024: What UK Residential Agents Need to Know

The Renters' Rights Act 2024 is the most significant change to residential tenancy law in England since the Housing Act 1988. For lettings agents, it rewrites the rules on possession, rent review, and tenancy structure. Understanding it is no longer optional — it is a compliance requirement.

This guide covers the key changes, what they mean for your practice, and where AI tools can help your clients adapt.

The end of Section 21

The Renters' Rights Act abolishes the Section 21 no-fault possession procedure. Once the relevant commencement provisions are in force, landlords in England will no longer be able to end an Assured Shorthold Tenancy simply by serving a two-month notice. Every possession claim must be grounded in one of the statutory Section 8 grounds.

What this means in practice:

• The AST as a fixed-term product is effectively dead. All tenancies become periodic from the outset.
• Landlords cannot guarantee possession at the end of an agreed term unless a Section 8 ground applies.
• The ability to use Section 21 to recover a property for sale or personal occupation — without giving reasons — is gone.

For lettings agents, this means the pitch to landlord clients changes fundamentally. "You can always get your property back at the end of the fixed term" is no longer true. Agents need to understand the Section 8 grounds and advise landlord clients on realistic recovery timescales.

Reformed Section 8 grounds

The Act substantially strengthens and expands the Section 8 possession grounds to partially compensate for the loss of Section 21. Key changes include:

Ground 1 (Owner occupation) — landlords wishing to sell or move into the property can now serve a Section 8 notice on this ground, but cannot do so within the first 12 months of a tenancy. Two months' notice is required.

Ground 1A (Sale) — a new ground for landlords who intend to sell the property. Again, not available in the first 12 months and requires two months' notice.

Ground 6A (Repeated rent arrears) — strengthened to allow possession where a tenant has been in at least two months' arrears on at least three occasions in the previous three years, even if arrears have since been cleared. This addresses the practice of tenants clearing arrears to avoid possession.

Ground 8 (Rent arrears) — the serious arrears ground (two months' arrears at both the date of notice and the court hearing) is retained.

Ground 14 (Anti-social behaviour) — existing ground retained. The Act increases the courts' focus on the impact on neighbours and the local community.

Notice periods — the Act extends minimum notice periods for several grounds, giving tenants longer to find alternative accommodation.

No fixed terms — periodic tenancies only

Under the Act, all new residential tenancies in England become periodic from day one. Fixed terms are abolished for ASTs. A tenancy continues indefinitely until either:

• The tenant gives two months' notice to leave, or
• The landlord obtains a possession order on a Section 8 ground

For landlords who relied on fixed terms as a planning tool (e.g., student lettings aligned to academic years, or professional tenants taking a two-year term), this requires new thinking. The student lettings sector has specific provisions under the Act, but agents need to review their standard practices.

Rent review reform

The Act restricts rent increases to once per year and requires landlords to use the new statutory rent review procedure — a formal notice with a prescribed minimum notice period. Tenants can challenge the proposed rent increase to a First-tier Tribunal.

Crucially, landlords cannot include break clauses or other contractual mechanisms to increase rent more frequently. Any contractual rent review provision that conflicts with the statutory scheme is void.

For agents: the standard approach of building in fixed annual rent increases or CPI-linked clauses in AST tenancy agreements now needs legal review. Clauses that conflict with the statutory procedure are unenforceable.

The Decent Homes Standard in the private rented sector

The Act extends the Decent Homes Standard — currently applicable only to social housing — to privately rented property. Landlords will be required to ensure properties meet the standard, which covers structural condition, disrepair, and modern facilities.

The implementation timeline for this requirement will be set by secondary legislation, but agents advising landlord clients on acquisitions and refurbishments should factor the standard into their advice now.

Awaab's Law for private renting

The Act introduces Awaab's Law requirements for the private rented sector. Landlords will be required to investigate and remediate hazardous conditions (initially damp and mould) within specified statutory timeframes following a tenant's complaint.

Failure to comply will be an offence and will give tenants grounds to seek compensation.

Where AI helps

The Renters' Rights Act creates a significant compliance advisory burden for letting agents. AI tools can help with:

• Tenancy agreement review — checking existing AST templates for clauses that conflict with the new statutory framework (fixed term provisions, non-compliant rent review clauses, Section 21 references)
• Section 8 ground analysis — for a given landlord instruction, identifying which Section 8 grounds are available and the applicable notice periods
• Client advisory notes — drafting clear explanations of the new regime for landlord clients, particularly those who have been using Section 21 routinely
• Possession timetable modelling — setting realistic expectations for how long Section 8 possession proceedings take in the current county court system

AI cannot provide legal advice on contested possession claims, represent clients in tribunal, or produce court documents. But for the day-to-day advisory and compliance work that the Act generates, AI tools materially reduce the time involved.

Practical steps for lettings agents

1. Audit your tenancy agreements — ensure all standard ASTs are updated to remove fixed-term provisions and Section 21 references, and that rent review clauses comply with the statutory procedure
2. Update your landlord onboarding — your landlord client pitch and onboarding materials need to reflect the new possession reality
3. Train your team — every negotiator needs to understand the Section 8 grounds and the new notice periods
4. Review your property management workflows — your response procedures for disrepair and damp/mould complaints need to align with the Awaab's Law timeframes when they come into force
5. Brief existing landlord clients — proactive communication now builds trust; reactive communication after a possession problem damages it