A lettings compliance expert says the Renters Rights Bill isn’t really about helping tenants – it’s about lining the coffers of councils.
Des Taylor of Landlord Licensing & Defence says: “Behind the headlines … lies a different reality: More powers. More penalties. Longer voids. Less control.”
He adds: “Landlords are being boxed in with restrictions that benefit only one group – and it’s not the renters. This Bill isn’t what they’re telling you.
“Landlords could be waiting 12 to 16 months to recover a property from a non-paying tenant. In that time, councils save money on emergency housing because tenants technically remain ‘housed’ – even if they’re months in arrears. It’s a cynical fix for a broken social housing system.”
He believes the Bill’s deeper purpose is to widen the enforcement net for local authorities, giving them broader discretion to levy civil penalties which rocket from £5,000 up to £25,000, for administrative mistakes and minor breaches.
Taylor continues: “Every new power comes with a price tag, and that price will be paid by landlords through fines and by tenants through higher rents. It’s being dressed up as tenant protection, but really it’s a mechanism for councils to collect income while claiming moral virtue.”
The Bill also risks increasing void periods and financial stress across the sector with longer possession timelines, more compliance demands and growing uncertainty over tenancy length which will make professional landlords think twice about investing further.
He says: “There will be less investment in local rental housing as smaller landlords exit, and the rising compliance costs will be passed on to tenants. There will also be worsening availability for vulnerable renters as councils rely on the PRS to plug social housing gaps.”
And he states: “Tenants in arrears may lose the most. Once a landlord has to rely on Section 8, councils can claim the tenant made themselves intentionally homeless. That means no housing duty owed, no emergency accommodation and no help. It’s a quiet but devastating policy trick.
“This legislation changes the relationship between landlords, tenants and the state. We’re moving towards a system of revenue-focused enforcement, not fair regulation. Every landlord should read the fine print and prepare accordingly.”
This article is taken from Landlord Today