Rental services provider Housing Hand has taken the temperature of the private rented sector one month after the Renters' Rights Act came into force, surveying 30 landlords on how the legislation has affected their businesses since its implementation on 1st May 2026. The results paint a picture of an industry still grappling with uncertainty.
The snapshot survey found:
- 100% of landlords feel they understand the new requirements of the Renters' Rights Act.
- 83% feel the Act has been negative for the rental market so far, compared with 3% who feel it has been positive and 13% who feel it has made no difference.
- 83% feel the government is not supporting them through implementation, against 17% who feel it is.
- 70% feel their tenants do not understand the Act's requirements, compared with 30% who feel they do.
Housing Hand also asked landlords how they felt about their position in the market today, and the anonymised responses varied widely in tone.
"The act will be positive and negative, but change is difficult so initially it's negative," said one landlord. "The biggest initial problem for tenants is the two months' notice. The narrative has been it is bad news for landlords; no one has spoken about the bad news for tenants."
Another landlord operating student accommodation raised concerns about turnover. "We have 20 student HMOs and we have already had about 10 students give notice, so we will have no rent for at least 10 students in August," they said.
"We also had a professional move into a professional HMO and serve notice within his first month. We do not like such fast turnover because it increases our work and also unsettles the other housemates."
A third response struck a more measured note, pointing to practices already in place before the act took effect. "As an agent we feel relatively confident for the future," the landlord said. "Many practices already in place at our agency were similarly aligned with the new rules applied, i.e. rent reviews via section 13 notices with short-term ASTs left open at the end of terms with two-month notice periods and not on renewal, so there was little pain experienced and no radical changes to our operations as a result.
"We feel there has been very little change to our day-to-day work or on the impact in tenant movement or landlords exiting the market as a reaction to the RRA impacts. We do have apprehension on the next phases, however, particularly with EPC requirements impacting maintenance costs."
Others were blunter about the financial pressure they now feel. "The market is more challenging for landlords," said one respondent. "I'm sure the intention is to reduce the amount of non-compliant landlords; those rogue landlords will continue, and the tenants are too scared to do anything.
"I now find I will increase my rents on a yearly basis and bring them into line with market rents. I will spend more money to protect rental income."
A final respondent summed up the mood in a single line: "Profit margins are declining while losses continue to increase. It's becoming increasingly difficult to justify being a landlord."
Graham Hayward, managing director at Housing Hand, said the first month under the act had brought significant change for both tenants and providers. "The first month under the Renters' Rights Act has brought significant change, and we understand that navigating this transition can feel uncertain for both tenants and accommodation providers," he said.
Housing Hand, which supports tenants through guarantor and rent guarantee services across the UK rental market, said it had reviewed the legislation closely and updated its terms and conditions in response.
"At Housing Hand, our focus is on keeping the rental journey straightforward," Hayward added. "To ensure we remain a dependable partner, we closely assessed the new legislation and updated our terms and conditions, and we are grateful for the resounding acceptance these updates have received."
He noted that confusion remains widespread across the sector. "However, it is clear that many across the sector are still getting to grips with the practicalities of the Act," he said. "We are noticing a widespread lack of clarity regarding how these changes impact tenancy agreements.
"This is perhaps unsurprising given change is still taking place; the information sheet has been updated twice already this month. Landlords will need to be revisiting the government website regularly in order to stay up to date with the latest guidance. To help, we are continually sharing clear updates with our applicants and partners. Our role is to listen, guide, and remove the barriers that make renting difficult."
Despite the uncertainty, Hayward pointed to strong demand for the firm's services. "Despite the current market uncertainties, we are seeing a strong, positive response, including record numbers of tenant applications for our guarantor service and a significant increase in new provider partnerships," he said.
"We remain deeply committed to supporting the rental market through these changes, providing the clear guidance and practical solutions needed to move forward with confidence."
