Renters Reform Bill

The Renters (Reform) Bill was a UK government bill, introduced to Parliament on 17 May 2023, that proposed to abolish Section 21 no-fault evictions and fixed-term assured shorthold tenancies in England. It fell when Parliament was dissolved in May 2024 ahead of the general election and never became law. Its reforms were carried forward, in strengthened form, by the Renters' Rights Act 2025, which took effect for tenancies on 1 May 2026.

What the Renters (Reform) Bill proposed

The Bill grew out of the Conservative government's 2019 manifesto commitment to end no-fault evictions and the June 2022 white paper A Fairer Private Rented Sector. Its central proposals were the abolition of Section 21, the conversion of assured shorthold tenancies into periodic tenancies, and strengthening the Section 8 grounds landlords would rely on instead. It also proposed applying the Decent Homes Standard to private rentals, limiting rent increases to once a year, banning blanket refusals of tenants with children or on benefits, giving tenants the right to request a pet, creating a private rented sector database, and introducing a landlord redress scheme. That last proposal survives as the Private Rented Sector Ombudsman.

Why the Bill never became law

The Bill passed its Commons stages but had only reached its first reading in the House of Lords, on 1 May 2024, when the general election was called. During the pre-election wash-up period it was not among the bills rushed through, so it fell when Parliament was dissolved that May. A significant point of contention had been a government amendment delaying the abolition of Section 21 until the courts were reformed, which campaign groups argued amounted to an indefinite postponement.

What replaced it

The incoming Labour government introduced the Renters' Rights Bill in September 2024. It replicated most of the fallen Bill's provisions but strengthened several of them: Section 21 abolition in a single stage rather than after court reform, a twelve-month protected period at the start of a tenancy instead of six, four months' notice for landlord no-fault possession grounds instead of two, and a twelve-month ban on re-letting after using the moving-in or selling grounds instead of three. One notable casualty was the proposed mandatory Ground 8A for repeated arrears, which did not survive into the Act; our guide to the grounds for possession covers what did. The successor bill received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025 as the Renters' Rights Act 2025, and its core tenancy reforms came into force on 1 May 2026, as set out in the House of Commons Library briefing on renters' reform.

The current legal position

The Renters (Reform) Bill has no legal effect. Any guidance still describing it as pending legislation is out of date. From working with self-managing landlords across the UK, we still see the two bills conflated regularly, and the distinction matters: notice periods, protected periods and re-letting restrictions in the Act are materially stricter than the fallen Bill proposed, so relying on commentary written about the Bill can leave a landlord non-compliant. For the current law, including implementation dates and what each phase requires, see our Renters' Rights Act hub.

Frequently asked questions

Has the Renters Reform Bill been passed? 

No. The Renters (Reform) Bill fell when Parliament was dissolved in May 2024 and never became law. The legislation now in force is the Renters' Rights Act 2025, which received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025 and took effect for tenancies on 1 May 2026.

Is the Renters Reform Bill the same as the Renters' Rights Act? 

No, though they are closely related. The Renters (Reform) Bill was the Conservative government's version of the reforms; the Renters' Rights Act 2025 is the Labour government's enacted version. The Act carried forward most of the Bill's proposals but with stronger tenant protections, including longer notice and protected periods. Our full what Renters Rights Act changed from 1 May outlines how the new act makes changes for landlords.

Did the Renters Reform Bill abolish Section 21? 

No. It proposed to, but the abolition was made conditional on court reform and the Bill fell before becoming law. Section 21 was abolished by the Renters' Rights Act 2025, with effect from 1 May 2026. In our experience supporting landlords through the Renters' Rights Act transition, this is the single most common point of confusion the old terminology causes.

Could pets be refused under the Renters Reform Bill? 

The Bill proposed that landlords could not unreasonably refuse a tenant's request to keep a pet, and that principle was enacted in the Renters' Rights Act 2025. The pet provisions landlords must now follow come from the Act, not the Bill.