Renters’ Rights Act in London: TDS Charitable Foundation gives evidence to the London Assembly

The TDS Charitable Foundation was pleased to give evidence to the London Assembly Housing Committee on implementing and monitoring the Renters’ Rights Act in the capital.

Drawing on London-specific and national data from our surveys (Voice of the Tenant, Voice of the Landlord, and Tenants’ Awareness Around the Renters’ Rights Act), Dr Jennifer Harris highlighted the key risks and priorities.

London is home to a quarter of England’s private renters. Affordability pressures here are especially acute and tenants face higher barriers to housing access. 57% of tenants describe property hunting as difficult or very difficult, compared with 52% nationally.

This blog explores key priorities for making the Act effective in London: empowering tenants, strengthening enforcement, and safeguarding access to affordable PRS (private rented sector) homes.

Removing Section 21 must be accompanied by tenant education

The removal of Section 21 alone will not automatically empower tenants. Doing so requires awareness of enforcement routes and confidence to use them.

Our research highlights:

• Nearly two-thirds of tenants reported problems with property quality or condition in the past six months, but only 18% escalated complaints about unaddressed issues .

• 40% of tenants were unsure of where to go to make a complaint.

• 65% of London tenants were unfamiliar with the Act’s implications.

These gaps show that legal reform must be accompanied by tenant education to ensure improved security leads to better living conditions.

Our data shows that mainstream news (43%) and social media (40%) are popular sources of information about the Act for tenants. London tenants are also more likely than the national average to rely on tenant groups or advice services (13% versus 9%), highlighting the importance of these local channels.

We also encouraged the Mayor to endorse the TDS Charitable Foundation’s My Housing Issue Gateway – a free online interactive tool that signposts tenants to the right forum for making complaints.

Enforcement must be adequately funded

Our research illustrates the consequences of council’s enforcement capacity being under pressure. Tenants report delays, weak follow-up, and poor communication, which allow substandard conditions to persist. London’s high rents and intense market pressure can also contribute to PRS-related criminal activity, according to research by Safer Renting.

Challenges for local authorities include:

• Low tenant awareness of how to report non-compliance

• Limited landlord understanding of obligations

• Ongoing funding and staffing pressures

The PRS Database could improve enforcement and compliance but will not be fully operational until 2028. In the meantime, the Mayor can help by assessing borough enforcement capacity, advocating the Government for ring-fenced funding, and supporting landlord education – vital when one in five London landlords report struggling to keep up with regulatory changes.

Protecting access to the PRS for disadvantaged groups

Measures in the Act such as limiting rent in advance and banning rental bidding are particularly relevant in London. Our research shows:

• 31% of Greater London landlords received rental bids above asking price (versus 21% nationally)

• 21% of London tenants cited upfront rent as a challenge (versus 17% nationally)

The Act’s reforms may reduce financial pressure but could inadvertently disadvantage groups perceived by landlords as higher risk – tenants receiving benefits, international students, or those with poor credit history. Monitoring access to the PRS for these groups will be critical.

Similarly, tenants who cannot provide a Rent Guarantor will face exacerbated access challenges if this becomes a more common risk mitigation strategy among landlords.

Monitoring landlord exits at the affordable end of the PRS

While evidence does not suggest an immediate mass exit of landlords, our landlord survey indicates that cumulative tax and regulatory changes influence landlord decisions:

• 54% of landlords who sold properties in 2024–25 cited proposed regulatory changes

• Over 40% cited tax changes

Affordable-market landlords are most at risk of exiting: 37% of those letting to benefit recipients sold properties in 2025 (compared with 17% of landlords nationally), and 44% of landlords accepting local authority placements reported selling.

Targeted financial support for landlords operating in the affordable end of the PRS and ongoing monitoring is essential to safeguard both landlord confidence and access to affordable private rented housing.

Conclusion

The Renters’ Rights Act has real potential to strengthen tenant security, professionalise landlord practices, and improve property standards – benefits that are especially important in London, where high rents and intense competition make tenants more vulnerable.

Careful monitoring is essential to avoid unintended consequences, such as reduced access for tenants perceived as higher-risk or losses in affordable PRS supply. Success will depend on informed tenants, well-resourced local authorities, and ongoing oversight to ensure the Act delivers better standards and fairer access across London’s PRS.