In short: The evidence points firmly to “sleepwalking” for a large chunk of the sector. NRLA research found around 82% of landlords concerned about the Renters’ Rights Act’s impact, with roughly a quarter considering leaving the market altogether, yet awareness of specific mechanics (the Section 13 rent process, tribunal referrals, record-keeping duties) lags well behind awareness that “something big changed.” Tenant awareness is even worse. If you’ve read this far in this book, you’re already ahead of a large share of your peers, but a practical readiness checklist still matters, because the gaps that trip landlords up are procedural, not conceptual.
What the data actually shows
Industry surveys conducted around the 1 May 2026 commencement paint a consistent picture: landlords know change happened, but many haven’t translated that into operational changes.
- NRLA research found that 82% of landlords are concerned about the impact of the Renters’ Rights Act, with 44% describing themselves as “very concerned”, a level of anxiety that suggests awareness of the headline change (Section 21 gone) is high.
- Around 24% of landlords surveyed said they were considering leaving the market as a direct result of the reforms, a meaningful chunk of supply, though stated intentions in surveys often overstate actual exits.
- 78% of landlords said the Act would make them more selective about who they let to, itself a sign that landlords are responding to the removal of Section 21 by front-loading risk management into tenant selection, which increases the importance of thorough referencing (see Chapter 3) but also raises fair-treatment risks given the new discrimination bans on benefits claimants and families with children.
- 90% of landlords said they were worried specifically about court backlogs when trying to regain possession for legitimate reasons, again, high awareness of the consequence, but this doesn’t necessarily mean landlords have adjusted their processes (evidence-gathering, using solicitors, planning further ahead) to reduce their exposure to that risk.
- On the tenant side, a TDS Charitable Foundation poll of over 2,000 private renters found roughly 69% were in the dark about the reforms, with only about a third saying they’d heard of the Act and understood at least some of what it meant. Awareness was lowest among the most vulnerable renters, nearly half of students, for example, had never heard of the Act at all.
Put together, this suggests an unusually lopsided rollout: professional landlords and agents are broadly aware something has changed and are anxious about it, but a meaningful share haven’t yet updated their actual paperwork, tenancy agreements, or day-to-day processes, and most tenants don’t know their new rights well enough to assert them, which cuts both ways for landlords (less immediate pressure, but a growing compliance and reputational risk as awareness catches up).
The specific gaps that keep coming up
Based on what advisers and industry bodies report landlords getting wrong or overlooking:
- The Section 13 rent increase process. Many landlords are still used to using rent-review clauses in tenancy agreements or simply agreeing a new figure informally. Neither is valid anymore, every increase needs a formal Section 13 notice, and getting the form or timing wrong can mean the increase doesn’t take effect, or gets challenged and reduced at tribunal.
- Record-keeping. With Section 21 gone, every possession case now depends on being able to prove a ground, sale evidence for Ground 1A, proof of intended occupation for Ground 1, a clean arrears ledger for Ground 8. Landlords who kept loose or informal records under the old system are discovering, often mid-dispute, that they can’t evidence what they need to.
- Right to Rent and other pre-existing duties getting deprioritised while landlords focus on the headline Section 21/Section 8 changes, but Right to Rent checks, deposit protection, and gas/electrical safety obligations haven’t gone away and are still actively enforced.
- The pet request and discrimination rules. Several advisers report landlords still running informal “no DSS,” “no children,” or blanket “no pets” policies in adverts or verbally to prospective tenants, unaware (or in denial) that this is now unlawful discrimination, not just old-fashioned practice.
- The 12-month re-letting restriction after using Grounds 1 or 1A, several commentators flag this as poorly understood, with landlords assuming they can sell-or-move-in and then simply change their mind and re-let shortly after.
A practical readiness checklist
- Confirm every tenancy you manage has converted to periodic, and update your records/software accordingly.
- Replace any rent-review clause reliance with a proper Section 13 process, and know the notice period and tribunal-referral mechanics.
- Audit your adverts and application forms for any wording that could be read as a blanket ban on pets, benefits, or children.
- Build (or buy from your agent/solicitor) a template Section 8 notice pack for the grounds you’re most likely to need, with an evidence checklist attached to each.
- Review your record-keeping, rent ledgers, repair logs, communication trails, so you can prove a ground quickly if needed.
- Check your local council’s additional/selective licensing position, since these schemes are expanding faster than most landlords track.
- Register for the PRS Database as soon as it opens for your region, and don’t assume “late 2026” gives you unlimited time, regional rollout means some areas go live earlier than others.
- Review your landlord insurance for rent guarantee cover, given longer arrears thresholds and notice periods.
- If you self-manage, budget time (or a solicitor’s fee) for the Pre-Action Protocol steps before any arrears claim, skipping them risks your case being struck out.
The honest answer to the question is: the sector as a whole is anxious but under-prepared in the details, tenants are largely unaware, and the landlords who come out ahead will be the ones who convert general awareness into specific, documented process changes now rather than during a dispute.
Related reading
Sources
- Waiting, watching, worrying: how landlords are preparing for the Renters’ Rights Act, NRLA
- Guide to the Renters’ Rights Act, GOV.UK
This is general information, not legal, tax, or financial advice. Rules referenced are accurate to the best of available information as of July 2026 for England unless stated otherwise, this area of law is changing fast, so always check current government guidance (gov.uk) or consult a solicitor before acting, especially on evictions.
Last Updated on September 21, 2026