When the Renters' Rights Act came into force on 1st May, many landlords feared the worst.
There was talk of frozen rents, endless pet requests, tenants constantly exercising new rights, and widespread disruption to the private rented sector.
Now, six weeks on, what's our experience as a North Devon letting agent?
Honestly?
Not a huge amount has changed.
That's not to say the legislation isn't important. It is. But from our perspective, much of the panic simply hasn't materialised.
😨 The Panic Hasn't Materialised
There were plenty of concerns before implementation.
Would tenants all suddenly want pets?
Would there be a wave of notices?
Would every tenancy become harder to manage?
Would landlords be unable to regain possession?
Six weeks in, the answer to most of those questions is no.
The sky hasn't fallen in.
🐶 The Pet Requests? Fewer Than Expected
One of the biggest talking points before May was pets.
In fact, we had a tenant submit a pet request at one o'clock in the morning on 1st May. They clearly knew the rules had changed!
Since then, we've seen a few requests come through, but honestly, nowhere near as many as we expected.
Will they continue to increase? Possibly.
But so far, the flood simply hasn't happened.
📅 More Tenant Notices – But Not Many More
We have had tenants exercise their ability to end tenancies without being tied into fixed terms.
Again, though, not in the numbers we expected.
Interestingly, we've had several tenants contact us assuming the old rules still applied.
More than once, tenants have been surprised to discover they now need to give two months' notice and that notice periods must expire in line with their tenancy dates.
That has caused a bit of stress for some tenants.
Which leads us to perhaps our biggest observation so far.
🤷 Many Tenants Still Don't Know
As agents, we've issued the required information.
We've emailed it.
We've checked whether documents have been opened.
But opening an email and reading an email are two very different things.
Our honest view is that a large proportion of tenants still don't fully understand the changes.
Some are very aware.
Others have absolutely no idea.
That's probably quite normal. Most people don't spend their evenings reading housing legislation.
🔧 Maintenance? Very Much Business As Usual
In truth, very little has changed from a maintenance perspective.
Professional landlords have always maintained their properties and dealt with issues as they arise.
Much of what good agents and good landlords do already aligned with the spirit of the legislation.
Perhaps that's why, from our perspective, it hasn't felt like the seismic shift that some feared.
⚖️ Possession Grounds – We're Watching Closely
One area we're watching particularly closely is possession.
Since the Renters' Rights Act came into force, we have already had to serve Section 8 notices. These have included landlords requiring possession in order to sell and one case involving anti-social behaviour.
At the time of writing, none of these cases have required court action, which in many ways mirrors our experience under the old Section 21 system.
It's worth remembering that even before the new legislation, the vast majority of possession cases never actually reached court. More often than not, tenants would leave during the notice period and possession would be regained without needing to exercise the legal process.
We don't necessarily expect that to change under the new regulations.
That said, there will inevitably be cases where court action becomes necessary, and that remains the biggest unknown.
How quickly will the courts deal with cases?
Will possession grounds work as intended in practice?
How long will landlords be waiting?
What challenges will emerge?
Those are questions that nobody truly knows the answers to yet.
As an agency, we'll be watching those cases very closely over the coming months and adapting as we gain more experience with the new system.
For now, though, our experience suggests that the practical reality has been far less dramatic than many landlords feared.
📋 We've Changed Our Processes More Than Our Service
The biggest changes for us have actually been logistical.
We've had to think more carefully about:
- Timing of marketing
- When to advertise properties
- Rent collection arrangements
- New documentation
- Notice periods
But fundamentally?
It still feels very much like the same job.
Like everyone in the industry, we've had to adapt and tweak our processes, but perhaps because we already believed in good communication, proactive management and treating tenants fairly, it hasn't felt like the upheaval many feared.
We've been fortunate enough to be recognised with three British Property Awards for Lettings in recent years, but awards aside, good agents and good landlords have always adapted to change. That's simply part of the job.
🤝 Final Thoughts
Six weeks in, perhaps the biggest surprise is that there hasn't really been a surprise.
There are still unanswered questions, particularly around possession and the courts, and there will undoubtedly be challenges ahead.
But for now, our experience has been that good landlords with well-maintained properties and the right advice still have every reason to be optimistic.
The Renters' Rights Act hasn't reinvented property management.
If anything, it has formalised much of what professional landlords and good letting agents were already doing.
And perhaps that's why, six weeks in, it still feels very much like business as usual.
If you're feeling overwhelmed or simply unsure what these changes mean for your property, we're always happy to have a chat.
Collyers Estate Agents – Local Knowledge. Honest Advice. Award-Winning Service.
