Three quarters of landlords have made no preparations for the Renters Rights Act, which partly comes into effect on May 1.
That’s the claim from an industry supplier, which surveyed private landlords to find high levels of awareness about the Act – but few actual preparations.
Only 20% of landlords responding to the Inventory Base study describe themselves as highly confident in understanding how the Act will affect their business.
The survey confirms that the sector remains dominated by small-scale landlords, with 63% owning a single rental property and a further 30% owning between two and four.
Management responsibilities are evenly split, with 48% self-managing and 52% using letting agents.
Some 28% say they are either unaware of or unclear about the Act and the changes it will introduce.
Awareness that fixed-term tenancies will be replaced with open-ended periodic tenancies stands at 84%, yet nearly seven in ten (69%) have no plans to make changes.
Only 11% have already acted, with limited progress reported across contract structured notice periods and break clauses. Only 14% plan to act before 1 May 2026.
Concerns remain split. Over a third (37%) fear increased difficulty regaining possession, 15% cite reduced income certainty and 12% expect higher tenant turnover, while 36% report no concerns.
In terms of preparation, 40% have updated or plan to update contracts to periodic tenancies, 24% have revised notice periods, 22% have removed fixed terms and 13% have updated or removed break clauses.
The most recognised reform is the abolition of Section 21 with 92% of landlords aware of the change. However, only 12% feel prepared to rely on the new possession grounds, while 43% say they are poorly or not at all prepared.
Crucially, 75% of landlords have made no preparations for any part of the new legislation whatsoever, with only a small minority having reviewed the new rules in detail, updated documentation or sought legal guidance.
Key concerns include selling the property (32%), rent arrears thresholds (28%) and court delays or enforcement issues (28%).
Restrictions on rent in advance are among the least understood elements of the Act.
Just 51% of landlords are aware of the new rules and 76% have no plans to change how much rent they request upfront. Only 11% have already made changes and 14% plan to do so.
Changes to rent increase rules are also impacting behaviour, with 45% of landlords saying they are adjusting their approach to comply with the annual increase requirement.
The requirement not to unreasonably refuse tenant requests to keep pets is widely known, with 92% awareness, but only 13% of landlords have updated their pet policies, 16% plan to do so, and 71% have made no changes at all.
Concerns remain focused on property damage, hygiene and allergies, noise or nuisance and insurance limitations. Just 14% report no concerns.
Practical adjustments are rare.
Only 6% plan to carry out more frequent inspections and inventories, 5% have updated tenancy agreements to allow pets by default, 9% have introduced a formal pet request process and 4% have reviewed insurance arrangements.
Overall, 76% have made no changes in this area.
This article is taken from Landlord Today