Updating post from Reddit.
Mine is the introduction of Open-Ended Tenancies, which will see the Assured Shorthold Tenancies being replaced with periodic tenancies, offering greater stability for tenants.
Significantly harder to evict given the abolishment of S21.
What. Gosh . I just got to know about this
I really hope you’re not a landlord, it’s been on the cards for literal years.
what you've got to realise is some people do view being a landlord as a lardy da exercise of monthly cash payments, without really any worries overall
The last place I rented for five years the landlord never spoke to me at all, and never did any work or management of the flat. For some it really is as you sarcastically describe.
I think it was sarcasm
Anyone got any updates about the EPC situation? This is the one most likely to cause major disruption and costs.
The whole system is going to be reviewed and probably changed to one based more on carbon emissions than cost (at the moment electric heating is usually considered less efficient than gas because it is much more expensive to run, but in carbon terms it is better). And then there will be minimum standards under the new system for rented property but the last I heard was that they wouldn’t come in until 2028 at the earliest so it’s really too early to know what you might need to do to make your property compliant.
Thanks for that, really appreciated. Yes, the date is in line with what I've heard but I didn't know about the latter part.
Will this be retrospective ? Or just apply to new tenancies? Or don’t we know yet?
If you have a fixed term AST now, it'll become a periodic assured tenancy when it all comes into force
How does this work with rent increases? I have a tenant whose tenancy expires end of Sep. They've been there 3 years and every year we have a agreed a rent increase when the new tenancy starts.
Can I still increase the rent every 12 months?
You can still increase rent but you'll have to follow the new process for it. The tenant can challenge any rent increase for free to the tribunal though. It'll probably delay it about half a year if they do.
With my tenants we just have a phone call, I propose something, they might make a counter offer and we agree something in the middle. I never just impose something on them as they're great tenants and I want to keep them.
So I know I have to serve a notice but would I do that once we've agreed something and the notice would just say what's been agreed?
you can do that but you'd still need to give the two months notice and the tenant could then challenge it if they want
So I give 2 months notice of rent increase? Why would the tenant challenge it after we've had a chat and it's been agreed? We communicate on whatsapp so there would be evidence of agreement. It would be very weird of the tenant to then decide it's not acceptable and then without mentioning anything to me decide to go to a tribunal.
I also always check the local market rate and increase in line with this so I don't see how it would help going to a tribunal as if they wanted to move out they'd have to pay the same or probably even more.
You'd hope so, but ultimately if they do decide to challenge it how would they end up moving out? There'll be no Section 21 soon so unless they've done something or you intend to sell they can stay as long as they want. Challenging the increase won't change that.
I don't see why they would go to tribunal if we've already come to an agreement. What would their grounds for challenging it be at the tribunal if I can show a chain of whatsapp messages with the discussion about the rent. I even have messages from the tenant saying what a great landlord I am.
I would have thought the tribunal judge would have no knowledge of the area so would have to rely on market rates to decide what's an appropriate rent.
I'm going to be selling soon anyway so it doesn't really matter. It's not worth it anymore.
Some one way some the other.
S21 is gone either way.
Is it coming? I don't think it is needed to be worried until it becomes a law.
I’d say that to the EPC thing but not the RRB. LLs didn’t fight to not have it in place now it’s too late.
it is still second reading. Maybe it will be there forever.
Unlikely.
If it's of value, we've shared a summary overview of the Renters' Rights Bill on our blog, that shares the key updates impacting landlords: https://togetha.co.uk/blog/renters-rights-bill-what-landlords-need-to-know
S21 hasn't been abolished just yet, but this is the big one for 2025
I continue to think that's a good thing.
It is..
Especially if you've got two children under 6, you've been good tenants for 7years (never missing a rent payment) and your S21 6a last date is December 23rd.
Like we had.
I fundamentally believe tenants deserve stability, with some fair ways for landlords to react to their own changes in lives for them needing to sell, or move back in personally, with a fair notice period.
The current s21 is detrimental to tenants for sure.
The current government (and the last one) are detrimental to both tenants and landlords. Rents have increased in line with increased landlord taxation. The only winner has been HMRC.
If you own property currently let under an AST and the reforms are news to you, you have been living under a rock.
Completely agree.
It’s a business, always one eye on the ball.
Both eyes on the bank balance more like
That landlords can’t insist a tenant pays for a professional company to do an end of tenancy clean. So many don’t realise this.
Is this already a thing? Or when will it become a thing?
Been the case for a while now but loads of landlords still try and insist on it.
Mine if the open ended tenancies. I am not longer limited by fixed term agreements and can ask tenants to leave with two months notice.
Gives me more flexibility as I manage my portfolio.
Additionally, rents no longer get the fixed term discount.
You never were, you could have had a periodic agreement anyway. Rents still can’t be increased more than once a year. And you get less flexibility because you lose section 21 so no more non fault evictions.
You can't evict for most reasons. Unless you're selling or moving in yourself.
Has this been confirmed? I believe the current section 8 doesn't allow eviction to sell the house or to move in the property yourself unless this possibility was communicated to the tenants ahead of time.
This is quite misinformed
You should do some more research into eviction grounds
Currently I can’t end the tenancy until the end of a fixed term for any reason. That’s stability.
In the future I will be able to evict, move in, sell, redevelop with two months notice.
It’s entirely correct.
There are more landlords wanting to evict on the whim of redevelopment than landlords evicting for revenge evictions.
Nope
Yeah this isn’t true it will be 4 months and not within the first 12 months of a tenant moving in
You can ask, and they will respond with "what are your grounds".
You then realise that there might *never* be a reason to remove them.
The kicker is this is being brought in to "protect tenants" and really, rents are just going to increase.
The well heeled tenants will be well protected, everyone else will be roughing it.
Exactly. I'll be increasing my tenants rent by a minimal amount below the market rate to keep the good tenants I have. I wouldn't be increasing it at all except for the fact other costs have risen such as property insurance, maintenance and of course a buffer needs to be built for the dreaded and eventual EPC upgrade requirements
Could you explain what you mean in your last point?