This is one of the better articles that lays out the basis of the rental Reform Bill that went into law today. There will surely be a great deal more discussion around the realities of this bill which we will cover, but here are the raw bullet points:

• Section 21 no-fault evictions have been abolished. 4 months notice required if you plan to sell and if you cannot sell you cannot rent the property again for 12 months.
• Periodic tenancies, or rolling contracts that don’t have an end date, will replace fixed-term tenancies.
• Landlords can only up their rents once per year, and then this can only be to the market rate. You cannot accept a rent higher than advertised. You cannot charge multiple months upfront anymore.
• A tenant must have missed three months’ payments before they can be evicted.
• Landlords will be required to register themselves and their properties on a new digital database to legally let out their home and demonstrate they are compliant.
• Tenants will now be able to complain for free to a dedicated private sector landlord ombudsman that will provide a binding resolution on disputes.
• It’s illegal to enforce policies such as ‘no DSS permitted’ or ‘professionals only’ on rental adverts. Benefits can be considered when assessing a tenant’s affordability.