Reform UK has pledged to abolish the government’s Renters’ Rights Act if it wins the next general election, describing the legislation as part of a raft of regulations that are “hindering growth, investment and prosperity”.
The Renters’ Rights Act 2025, due to come into force in May, represents one of the most significant overhauls of England’s private rented sector in decades. It abolishes Section 21 “no-fault” evictions, limits rent increases to once per year at market rate, strengthens tenants’ rights to request pets and bans discrimination against families with children or those receiving benefits.
Reform’s deputy leader, Richard Tice, said the party would introduce a “Great Repeal Bill” aimed at reversing what he called “well-intentioned but damaging” rules across multiple sectors. Speaking in Birmingham, he said new property rental regulations should be scrapped alongside employment reforms and environmental mandates.
“Let’s ditch daft regulations,” Tice said. “Scrap new property rental rules, all well intentioned but they kill jobs, hinder growth and investment. This will help lower inflation and bring down bills.”
The announcement has reignited debate over how best to balance tenant security with landlord confidence and housing supply.
Patricia Ogunfeibo, founder of tenant2owner, said repealing the Act could generate further instability in a market already grappling with political uncertainty.
“Scrapping the Renters’ Rights Act may sound attractive from a growth perspective,” she said, “but constant policy reversals create instability for both landlords and tenants. Retrospective changes and disregard for existing contractual arrangements already undermine confidence. Repealing the Act outright could intensify that uncertainty.”
She added that renters should not rely solely on shifting political agendas to secure their housing future, urging more focus on pathways to home ownership.
Simon Bridgland, a broker at Charwin Private Clients, suggested that full abolition was unlikely in practice, arguing that certain elements of the legislation, particularly measures targeting poor housing standards, had broad support.
“I can see more dilution than abolition,” he said. “The Act does introduce positive changes for tenants in terms of living conditions and accountability. The difficulty lies in how aggressively some of these standards have been implemented, particularly around energy efficiency.”
Landlords, he noted, face rising compliance costs, tighter tax treatment and increasing regulatory burdens. “Profit margins have already been squeezed. If incentives disappear entirely, fewer landlords will remain in the market and that reduces supply.”
Other analysts cautioned that repealing tenant protections alone would not address the structural shortage of housing.
David Stirling, an independent financial adviser at Mint Wealth, said Britain’s housing crisis stems primarily from insufficient supply.
“The real question is whether scrapping the Act would increase housing stock,” he said. “Without a meaningful boost in new builds and social housing, weakening tenant rights risks creating a more insecure rental market without making rents cheaper.”
Stirling argued that successive governments have failed to tackle long-term supply constraints, instead oscillating between landlord-focused and tenant-focused reforms.
Official data show the private rented sector remains a crucial part of the housing system, accommodating millions of households. However, landlord exits have accelerated in recent years amid tax changes and higher borrowing costs, contributing to reduced rental availability in some regions.
Michelle Lawson, director at Lawson Financial, supported Reform’s position, claiming the legislation could discourage landlords from maintaining or expanding portfolios.
“It will lessen housing stock, making rents more expensive and reducing choice,” she said. “When supply shrinks, landlords can be more selective, which ultimately affects vulnerable renters.”
The Renters’ Rights Act has been one of Labour’s flagship housing reforms, positioned as a response to rising tenant insecurity and escalating rents. Ministers have argued that ending no-fault evictions will create a fairer and more stable rental system.
Critics, however, say the legislation risks shifting the balance too far against landlords at a time when higher mortgage rates and stricter lending criteria have already reduced investor appetite.
With housing affordability and rental shortages dominating political debate, Reform’s pledge signals that the private rented sector is likely to remain a central battleground ahead of the next election.
Whether scrapping the Act would stimulate supply or simply deepen volatility remains contested. What is clear is that Britain’s rental market continues to face profound structural pressures, with policy direction likely to shape landlord behaviour, and tenant security, for years to come.
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Reform vows to scrap Renters’ Rights Act, warning of ‘job-killing’ regulation
