Housing law practitioners and landlords alike have eagerly been awaiting further information regarding the Renters’ Rights Bill and, in particular, when and how the provisions may be implemented.

The Bill, once enacted, will see the abolition of Assured Shorthold Tenancies along with the end Section 21 Notices and accelerated possession claims. Recently released minutes of the Civil Procedure Rules Committee Meeting have provided further clues as to when this might take effect.

The Civil Procedure Rules Committee meeting was held in March 2025 and attended by ministerial department members of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. The published minutes of the meeting revealed that the government’s intention is to introduce the Renters’ Rights Bill (once enacted), by way of staged implementation across the various divisions of the rented sector.

The first stage proposes that the legislation is applied to properties in the private rented sector only; with social housing providers remaining able to grant AST’s and utilise Section 21 Notices. The minutes do not disclose how long the government anticipate that registered providers of social housing will benefit from this extended grace period but, it appears that they will be the final sector of landlords to whom the Act will apply.

The Report Stage of the Renters’ Rights Bill is now scheduled to take place from 1 to 15 July 2025; meaning that the implementation of the Bill will not be completed before the summer recess on 22 July. Considering the remaining passage of the Bill it is anticipated that the commencement date could be early 2026.

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Natalie Kidd, Associate at Weightmans, Natalie.kidd@weightmans.com.