An editorial by Jonny Scotland on behalf of Reform UK Warrington
Since 2015, the private rented sector has undergone an extraordinary period of legislative and regulatory change. Landlords and letting agents have repeatedly had to adapt to new rules, compliance requirements and additional costs. Each reform may have been introduced with a particular objective, but we also need to examine their cumulative impact on the rental market.
A decade of change
Since 2015, significant changes have included the Deregulation Act, new smoke and carbon monoxide alarm requirements, How to Rent requirements, Right to Rent checks, the Housing and Planning Act, Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards, compulsory Client Money Protection, the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act, the Tenant Fees Act, mandatory electrical safety inspections and increased material-information requirements.
Now we have arguably the biggest transformation of the private rented sector in decades: the Renters’ Rights Act 2025. The main private-rental tenancy reforms took effect in England on 1 May 2026. Section 21 was abolished and most assured shorthold tenancies became assured periodic tenancies. Tenants can generally end a tenancy with two months’ notice, while landlords seeking possession must rely on a valid statutory ground.[1]
The Act also introduced new rules concerning rent in advance, discrimination against applicants with children or receiving benefits, and requests to keep pets. Further implementation is being phased, including the private rented sector database from late 2026.[1]
The question should not simply be whether each measure sounds reasonable in isolation. We should also ask: what is the cumulative effect on the rental market?
Landlords are considering the exit
Recent NRLA reporting on its Landlord Eye Q2 2026 research provides a warning from within the sector. According to the survey, 26% of respondents said they had sold or were selling at least some properties because of the Renters’ Rights Act, while another 19% were considering selling. More than 60% of single-property landlords surveyed said they were no longer sure they would still be landlords by the end of the following year.[2]
Rising costs appeared in 40% of comments and government policy in 33%. Among those answering the relevant question, 76% said local licensing was increasing their administrative burden.[2]
These figures should be read accurately: they are the reported experiences and intentions of landlords responding to the survey, not evidence that 26% of every landlord in England has left the market.
Nevertheless, they raise an important issue about confidence. If rental properties are sold to owner-occupiers rather than other landlords, the overall housing stock does not fall, but the number of homes available to rent can. Where rental demand remains strong, reduced rental supply can increase competition between tenants.
What has happened to rents?
The latest ONS figures show that the average monthly private rent in England reached £1,459 in August 2026, 4.0% higher than a year earlier.[3] Compared with the approximate level at the beginning of the ONS series in 2015, this represents an increase of around half over the period.
It would be wrong to attribute an eleven-year rise in rents to one piece of legislation. Britain has experienced inflation, higher interest rates, changing taxation, increasing maintenance and financing costs, housing shortages and changing rental demand, alongside substantial regulatory change.
But after more than a decade of intervention, it is reasonable to examine whether the overall policy environment.
“Good landlords and good tenants are not enemies. Housing policy needs to protect tenants while giving responsible landlords the confidence to invest”
What about first time buyers?
One argument often made is that reducing the number of landlords will free properties for first-time buyers. The reality is more complicated.
The Bank of England says accumulating a sufficient deposit continues to be the main barrier to home ownership. Its analysis found that just under 80% of prospective first-time buyers did not have enough savings for a 5% deposit on the median-priced property typically bought by a first-time buyer in their area. It also reported that the UK home-ownership rate had been broadly flat since 2014.[4]
Selling rental properties may increase the number of homes offered for purchase, but it does not automatically make those homes affordable to the people currently renting them. Britain’s housing challenge involves affordability, supply, deposits, mortgage access and the wider cost of living — not simply a contest between landlords and first-time buyers.
Reform is proposing a different direction
Reform UK has opposed the Renters’ Rights Act and proposed a substantially different approach to the private rented sector.
In February 2026, Richard Tice called for a “Great Repeal Bill” which he said would remove, among other measures, “new property rental rules”. Contemporary reporting described the proposal as including repeal of the Renters’ Rights Act.[5] Reform argues that reducing regulatory burdens would improve investment and supply; renter organisations and political opponents argue that repeal would weaken protections and security for tenants.[5]
Reform’s published housing policy also proposes 50,000 new affordable homes a year for British workers, which the party says would be funded without new taxes or government borrowing.[6] The party has also advocated greater use of brownfield land in its planning proposals.
This represents a clearly different policy direction: seeking to increase supply while taking a less regulatory approach to responsible private landlords.
A housing market that works for everyone
Most tenants want a decent, secure home at a price they can afford. Responsible landlords want tenants who look after their properties, pay their rent and treat the property as their home.
Tenants deserve protection from unsafe housing, rogue landlords and unfair practices. At the same time, regulation has costs and consequences. If the cost, complexity and risk of providing rental homes continue to rise, some landlords may decide that remaining in the sector is no longer worthwhile. If that reduces rental supply while demand remains strong, tenants can face reduced choice and greater competition.
After more than a decade of rising rents and repeated regulatory intervention, the debate should focus on outcomes: more homes, affordable routes into home ownership, good-quality rental properties, effective protection against bad practice, and an environment in which responsible landlords are willing to invest.
That is the balance housing policy must achieve.
Jonny Scotland, Reform UK Warrington
Sources and factual notes
This editorial expresses a political viewpoint. Statistical and legal claims are sourced below; claims about policy effects remain matters of debate and should be distinguished from the underlying data.
[1] UK Government, Renters’ Rights Act 2025 implementation roadmap and tenant guidance. Main private-rental tenancy reforms took effect 1 May 2026; Section 21 abolished; assured periodic tenancies introduced; tenants can generally give two months’ notice; PRS database rollout planned from late 2026.
www.gov.uk/government/publications/renters-rights-act-2025-implementation-roadmap/implementing-the-rentersrights-act-2025-our-roadmap-for-reforming-the-private-rented-sector
[2] National Residential Landlords Association, Landlord Eye Q2 2026 reporting, published 4 September 2026.
www.nrla.org.uk/news/more-than-quarter-landlords-selling-as-perfect-storm-hits
[3] Office for National Statistics, Private rent and house prices, UK: September 2026. Average private rent in England: £1,459 in August 2026, up 4.0% year-on-year.
www.ons.gov.uk/economy/inflationandpriceindices/bulletins/privaterentandhousepricesuk/september2026
[4] Bank of England, Financial Stability Report, July 2025, Box A. Deposit accumulation identified as the main barrier for prospective first-time buyers; just under 80% lacked savings for a 5% deposit on the relevant median-priced property.
www.bankofengland.co.uk/financial-stability-report/2025/july-2025
[5] Richard Tice’s February 2026 ‘Great Repeal Bill’ proposal was reported as including repeal of the Renters’ Rights Act. The cited report also records criticism from renter advocates, illustrating that the expected effects are contested.
www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2026/feb/24/peter-mandelson-ex-prince-andrew-labour-keir-starmer-uk-politics-latest-news-updates
[6] Reform UK, Affordable Social Housing for Working Britain: proposal for 50,000 new affordable homes a year for British workers, which the party says would require no new taxes or government borrowing.
www.reformparty.uk/policies/affordable-social-housing
