If you’ve ever been in a rental bidding war trying to secure your next flat, good news is coming your way. The Renters’ Rights Bill has just been passed into law, offering new protections for tenants. The government says the bill will “end a system that has left renters vulnerable to unfair treatment and insecurity.”

These reforms are being called “historic” and “long overdue.” With 2.3 million landlords and 11 million tenants in England, it’s about time the government introduced something to protect the majority rather than the elite group of landlords. 

The Renters’ Rights Bill applies to England. Scotland has had periodic agreements for tenancies since 2017, but Wales and Northern Ireland still allow fixed-term contracts.

At the core of this act is the abolition of Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions. This is a practice that has pushed thousands into homelessness, and removing this form of eviction will give power to tenants to challenge poor living conditions and unreasonable rent increases without fear of eviction in retaliation. 

The reforms will also give renters the right to end tenancies with two months’ notice. Homes will now be rented on a ‘periodic’ or rolling basis, and not at fixed 12 or 24-month contracts. So, if you want to stay in a property, you can. The government explains that this will provide “more security for tenants.”

On the other hand, if you want to leave, you can also do that by giving two months’ notice—instead of being tied in for a year or longer. This will “end the injustice of tenants being trapped paying rent for substandard properties,” the government says. 

When it comes to increasing your rent, landlords will also need to give you two months’ notice, and rent increases will only happen once a year, and only to “the market rate.”

If you then think the amount is excessive, you can challenge it at a first-tier tribunal, a type of civil court, which could hopefully result in a more reasonable increase. 

The government explains that renters can expect to see further reforms, too. These will “put an end to bidding wars,” where hopeful tenants are encouraged to offer above the advertised price to secure a property. Instead, there will be a set asking price that is clear from the beginning. The bill now also stops landlords from demanding more than one month’s rent up front.

You will also be able to ask to keep a pet—something landlords can’t say no to without a good reason. That’s good, because being a dog mom is calling. 

The bill also sees the introduction of a new Private Rented Sector Ombudsman, which will “offer swift, binding resolutions to tenants’ complaints,” the government says. The service will also offer “fair, impartial and binding resolution for tenants and will have powers to compel landlords to issue an apology, provide information, take remedial action and/or pay compensation.” 

The trauma from years of inaction from useless landlords, like that time a whole tree was growing into my bedroom because there were gaps in the actual walls, is nearing an end. So we hope. Government ministers will outline how these renters’ reforms will be rolled out in the coming weeks.