The government has confirmed that no-fault evictions will be outlawed in England starting from May 1st, as part of sweeping reforms to protect renters’ rights. The changes also include the end of fixed-term tenancy contracts, with renters moving onto “rolling” agreements, and a crackdown on “bidding wars” and clearer rules on having pets.

Landlords have expressed apprehension about the reforms, saying they would lead to increased screening of prospective tenants and nervousness around what happens when tenancies go wrong, reports the BBC.

From May 1st, landlords will only be able to evict tenants in certain circumstances, such as property damage, antisocial behaviour, or significant rent arrears. Landlords can also evict tenants if they want to sell or move into the property, but not in the first 12 months of a tenancy.

Properties in England will be rented on a “periodic” or rolling basis, rather than under a fixed 12 or 24-month contract.

Tenants who want to leave can give two months’ notice, which the government says will prevent tenants paying rent for substandard properties. Landlords will no longer be able to evict tenants for complaining about poor conditions.

The new laws also ban bidding wars, discrimination against parents and those on benefits, and set out a clearer process for renting with pets.

Landlords voice concerns over reforms

Maureen Treadwell, whose family rents out 10 properties in Hampshire, told the BBC: “There are draconian fines if you get things wrong, so the whole thing feels anti-landlord.” She fears that without reforms to the court system to speed up the eviction process for bad tenants, there will be an exodus of landlords, worsening the housing crisis.

“Is it worth letting your house and then having a court fight to recover it, or a one-year delay? It’s not worth it. So it will end up making the housing crisis worse.”

Renters’ groups welcome changes

However, many renters’ groups, including the Renters Reform Coalition, have welcomed the changes. Shelter’s Mairi MacRae said, “It is not the prospect of giving renters these vital rights that is fuelling record homelessness, but the gross injustice of no-fault evictions.”

Housing Secretary Steve Reed said the government was “calling time” on “rogue landlords” with the Renters’ Rights Act. “We’re now on a countdown of just months to that law coming in – so good landlords can get ready and bad landlords should clean up their act,” he added.

Shadow housing secretary Sir James Cleverly warned that the reforms “will drive landlords from the market, reduce supply and send prices up for tenants”. He said that, “with a start date of May 2026, we are now set for a six-month fire sale with tenants forced out at short notice”.

Millions affected by new rules

Approximately 4.4m households in England rented from a private landlord between 2021 to 2023, meaning the new rules will affect more than 11 million people. The Renters’ Rights Act, described as the biggest shake-up to renting in England for more than 30 years, was formally approved at the end of October.

Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, said the deadline alone to implement the changes is “not enough”. He added: “We have argued consistently that landlords and property businesses need at least six months from the publication of regulations to ensure the sector is properly prepared for the biggest changes it has faced for over 40 years.”

Eviction stories

More than 11,000 households in England had their homes repossessed by bailiffs following a section 21 eviction in the year to June.

Victoria, 25, told the BBC how she had to suspend studying for her degree after she received a section 21 eviction notice in March.

She was living in Durham while studying at the University of Northumbria and believes the eviction was partly due to complaints about the property’s condition. “I ended up having no choice but to move back in with my parents and I was devastated,” she said.

The government confirmed that all section 21 notices issued before May will stand, but it said landlords must begin court repossession proceedings by 31 July 2026.