Renters’ Rights Act 2025

The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 overhauls private renting in England, Wales and Scotland by replacing most fixed-term tenancies with periodic arrangements, and introducing new rent-increase rules and possession grounds (including for sale, redevelopment and for student or agricultural-worker housing). It also creates a wider enforcement framework: mandatory landlord redress schemes, a private rented sector database, duties and penalties for landlords, stronger anti-discrimination protections for tenants, and rent repayment orders to enforce compliance.

The memo confirms a new delegated power for the Secretary of State to amend the standard used to assess Ministry of Defence Service Family Accommodation by regulations. This would allow updating the 2006 Decent Homes Standard to reflect newer housing standards, but only if that standard is no longer appropriate, with affirmative Parliamentary oversight. It ties MOD housing decency to upcoming national standard updates (following a 2025 public consultation) to keep the quality benchmarks current.

This is the Lords’ marshalling list of motions and amendments to be moved on consideration of Commons reasons and amendments to the Renters’ Rights Bill 2025. It includes proposed Lords changes on issues such as extra pet damage deposits, re-letting periods, exemptions for shared ownership leaseholders, new grounds for possession (including carers), and a Ministry of Defence housing reporting requirement, among others, with various amendments in lieu. The Commons have disagreed with many of these proposals and offered alternative amendments, outlining where changes would be accepted or replaced.

Two Lords amendments to the Renters’ Rights Bill would: first, create an implied term allowing landlords to require an additional pet damage deposit when consenting to a pet, with a value of 1–3 weeks’ rent and rules on use and deposits; second, insert a new possession ground (Ground 8A) for holding a dwelling for a carer of the landlord or family, with required evidence and regulations to set out acceptable evidence and the meaning of ‘carer’.

The Lords’ amendment paper shows they are not pressing many of their earlier amendments to the Renters’ Rights Bill and largely accept Commons amendments or propose in‑lieu changes. A key change is Lords Amendment 39, which would create a new standard for service‑family (MOD) accommodation and require annual, independently evaluated reports laid before Parliament, based on the 2006 Decent Homes standard, with potential adjustments. The document also includes a small textual amendment to Clause 140 and various amendments to Schedules 1 and 2 reflecting the Lords’ stance on the remaining changes.