"Removing friction between landlords and tenants can only be a good thing. Proptechs are stepping up to provide platforms that offer the easiest and most straightforward option for landlords, while ensuring tenants feel informed and supported."
- Natalie Peat - The PHA Group
The long-anticipated Renter’s Rights Act has come into force, marking a significant shift in the balance of power between landlords and tenants.
With the abolition of Section 21 “no-fault” evictions, tighter controls on rent increases, and the introduction of a new ombudsman and tribunal system, the new piece of legislation aims to provide a more secure and transparent rental landscape.
In theory, these reforms are a positive step in the right direction. However, to be practical, their success hinges on a fundamental question: can renters actually use these rights?
For many tenants, the challenge isn’t the absence of protections, but the ability to navigate and act on them. The reality of renting in the UK is still often defined by paper-based tenancy agreements, fragmented email chains and inconsistent communications with landlords or agents.
When disputes arise, whether over rent increases, delayed repairs or informal eviction pressures, tenants frequently find themselves without a clear audit trail or the confidence to challenge decisions.
A disconnect emerges here, leaving well-intentioned legislation underutilised. Rights that exist in theory can remain out of reach in practice if tenants don’t know what they’re entitled to, or lack the tools to enforce those entitlements without legal advice - and a huge amount of hassle.
Turning policy into practical tools
Proptech is beginning to play a critical role in closing this gap.
A new generation of tenant-facing platforms is translating complex legal frameworks into accessible, everyday tools. By digitising the rental experience, these solutions are helping align policy with practice and make renters' lives easier.
At the most basic level, platforms are consolidating key documents like tenancy agreements, safety certificates and compliance records into a single, accessible hub. Any ambiguity is reduced, and tenants can quickly reference their rights and responsibilities without having to trawl through large amounts of paperwork or email chains.
Transparency around rent is also becoming a core feature. Digital platforms provide clear rent histories, track changes over time and present notifications in line with new regulatory requirements. Tenants gain a clearer picture of whether increases are justified and compliant, while landlords and agents benefit from straightforward ways to demonstrate adherence to the rules.
Perhaps most significantly, proptech is reshaping how disputes are recorded and resolved. In-app communications tools, with features like timestamps, repair logs and photo evidence, make the process much smoother for all parties. Should an issue escalate, both parties already have a structured, verifiable record of events.
For tenants, the barrier to action is significantly reduced. There is no longer a need to rely on memory, incomplete email threads or external advice services to build a case.
For long, tenants have been forced to accept a broken system, but proptechs see the gap and are disrupting the everyday rental journey to be a more positive, simple and protected one. Platforms such as Goodlord, Fixflo and Hybr exemplify this shift.
Offering a single dashboard for documents, payments and communication, proptechs give renters a clearer, more controlled view of their tenancy. Greater visibility into how and why decisions, such as rent changes, are made and logged further strengthens trust.
Designing for a renter-first future
Tools which empower tenants, create a simpler system for both landlord and tenant, while also encouraging better standards, will inevitably be well received across the rental ecosystem. When transparency and record-keeping are built into the system, landlords and agents are naturally nudged towards compliance. Clear processes become the norm, rather than the exception.
Removing friction between landlords and tenants can only be a good thing. Proptechs are stepping up to provide platforms that offer the easiest and most straightforward option for landlords, while ensuring tenants feel informed and supported.
Final thoughts
As the Renters’ Rights Act comes into force, the industry faces a pivotal moment. Legislation alone cannot deliver a better rental experience. Without the right infrastructure, there is a real risk that reforms will become a box-ticking exercise, rather than a meaningful improvement in how people live and rent.
To truly realise the intent of the Act, the property market needs to embrace the tenant-centric solutions. In practice, this looks like prioritising easy-to-understand language over legal jargon, proactive alerts over reactive communication and intuitive evidence-sharing over complex processes.
There is a real opportunity for proptech companies and the property market as a whole. By bridging the gap between the rights on paper and rights in practice, technology can help ensure that the Renters’ Rights Act delivers not just regulatory change but real-world impact for the millions of people who rely on it.
