Prime Minister Sir Kier Starmer has gone on the record as saying “the vast majority of landlords are respectable and reasonable” – but he is going ahead with introducing the first phase of the Renters Rights Act on May 1 2026.
In an interview with the Big Issue newspaper, Starmer says: “Eleven million people in England are renters. And of course, the vast majority of landlords are respectable and reasonable, treating their tenants well and providing an important service.
“But it’s about time that we rebalanced the system to give renters more rights and more power in their homes. That’s exactly what this Act does.
“This generational uplift in renters’ rights is about putting more power into the hands of people who have had to stand for unfair behaviour for too long. By giving renters the rights, security and protections they deserve we’ll be able to prevent homelessness, put an end to unsafe housing and make sure people can live with dignity and without fear for the future.”
Earlier in 2025, Big Issue founder John Bird put pressure on Starmer’s government to ban Section 21 eviction powers “as soon as legislatively possible”.
The crossbench peer tried to put this clause into the Renters Rights Act legislation during its committee stage, saying that “in the wake of so many broken political promises, we cannot depend on government goodwill alone to deliver this essential change for renters with the swiftness they deserve”.
Overnight the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government announced the implementation date for what it calls ‘phase one’ of the Renters Rights Act. It is to be May 1 2026. Few details have been given beyond the date and the fact that phase one will centre around the ending of section 21 evictions and other tenancy reforms.
Reacting to the news this morning, Lord Bird said: “Six years, four prime ministers and a change of government later, we’re finally seeing Westminster’s promise to strengthen rental rights come good. I thank the government for staying true to their word and not letting this final hurdle – the delay between royal assent and implementation – drag out the wait even further.”
You can read Starmer’s full reflections on the Renters Rights Act in next week’s Big Issue, out on Monday. The full implementation roadmap for the Renters Rights Act is here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6915beb8bc34c86ce4e6e730/Implementing_Renters_Rights_Act_2025_-_roadmap.pdf
This article is taken from Landlord Today