22/12/2025
What a year! 2025 will go down in history for private renters in England as the year the Renters’ Rights Act finally became law. Read on for our wrap up of the biggest moments renters should be aware of and some highlights from our work.
You can also watch and share our 2025 wrapped video via our social media channels. X, Bsky, LinkedIn, Instagram.
2025 in numbers
Number of private renters: 4.71m households – up from 4.66m last year (England)
Rent inflation: 5.0% – down from 8.6% the same time last year (UK)
Wage growth: 4.8% – same rate as this time last year (UK)
Section 21 evictions: 29,435 court claims in the 12 months to the end of September – down from 32,130 for the same period last year (England)
Homelessness: 76,900 households leaving private tenancies supported by councils in 12 months to June – down from 80,730 in previous 12 months (England)
Private renters relying on benefits: 1.91m households getting Universal Credit or Housing Benefit, down from 1.98m in 2024 (GB)
The Renters’ Rights Act becomes law
The end of Section 21 evictions is no longer a mirage in the desert of promises to renters, it’s real and it’s getting closer. From 1st May 2026, more than seven years since Theresa May first pledged to outlaw Section 21, landlords will finally have to give a lawful reason if they want to evict us.
Alongside the ending of no-reason evictions, there will be a host of other changes, including the end of fixed-term tenancies, limiting demands for rent in advance to one month, banning landlords from unreasonably refusing pets, doubling eviction notice periods to four months and increasing the list of landlord offences that give renters the right to claim our rent back. This will be a moment to celebrate, a testament to the tireless campaigning of renters and renter organisations across the country.
Phase two of the government’s roadmap (late 2026) will see the introduction of the new Ombudsman and Private Rented Sector Database. Phase three (timeline to be decided) will see the introduction of the Decent Homes Standard and Awaab’s Law to improve the quality of our homes. With over 3.6m renters living with mould or damp, we’re campaigning hard for these to be introduced as soon as possible.
You can sign up to receive regular updates from us about how your rights are changing.
Housing Act Scotland becomes law
On 1st October, MSPs voted to pass the Housing Act (Scotland). The legislation will allow ministers to designate parts of the country as Rent Control Areas. Expected to be introduced by 2027, landlords within these zones may only increase rents in line with inflation (as measured under the Consumer Price Index) plus one percentage point, capped at 6% per year. These changes can’t come soon enough, with our analysis finding that, since the temporary 12% rent cap was lifted in May, 39% of decisions by Rent Service Scotland either awarded the landlord a rent equal to or more than they were seeking.
However, we were disappointed that MSPs rejected changes which would have improved security for private renters. We will keep campaigning on this issue in the run up to the Scottish Parliament elections in May 2026.
Timeline for energy efficiency improvements remain unclear
Our polling of renters in April showed nearly four million private renters in England and Wales are regularly struggling to pay their energy bills and more than 3.6 million are living with damp or mould due to poor insulation. Meanwhile, homes account for nearly 1 in 5 carbon emissions.
As part of its Warm Homes Plan, expected in the New Year, the Department for Energy, Security and Net Zero is mandating all private rented homes in England and Wales meet Energy Efficiency Rating C by 2030. This means over 55% of private rented homes in England will need energy efficiency improvements in the next five years.
The government’s ambition to lift renters out of fuel poverty is welcome. But landlord groups are already warning they will increase rents as a result. In the Autumn Budget, the Government announced changes to the funding for the Warm Homes Plan. There’s currently a lack of clarity over how landlords will be expected to finance improvements, and protections for renters after improvements are made, until it publishes the plan in full in January 2026.
Government scraps two child benefit limit, but housing benefit remains frozen
In the Autumn Budget, the Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the government will lift the two child benefit cap. Over 30% of children in Britain are living in relative poverty after housing costs, while, for private renting households, this number jumps to between 45% and 50%. Therefore, we welcomed the scrapping of this cruel and arbitrary policy.
However, we were disappointed by the government’s decision to continue freezing rates of Local Housing Allowance, which calculates the amount of Housing Benefit tenants can receive. With just 2.5% of advertised private rented homes affordable for people claiming housing benefit and only 46% of private renters claiming Universal Credit receiving enough to cover their rent, we will keep campaigning on this issue.
Over 50,000 people signed our petition to limit rent increases
With the cost of renting soaring, over 50,000 people signed our petition calling on the government to introduce limits on how much landlords can raise the rent. We handed the petition in to 10 Downing Street and will keep campaigning on this issue in 2026.
Our research found nearly 1 in 4 tenants say their deposit was unfairly withheld
Our research found almost a quarter of private renters (22%) report unfair deductions from their deposit at the end of their tenancy, yet just 4% used the formal dispute resolution process to try and reclaim the money.
Alongside a range of other findings, we also found private renters in England and Wales are losing out on the potential benefits of £169m in interest on their money protected as deposits. You can take a look at the full report here. We’re using the findings as evidence for reforms of the deposit system for renters.
Our research found councils are paying landlords millions in incentives to house homeless families
Data from Freedom of Information Requests we sent out found councils across England are increasingly spending millions of pounds a year in incentive payments to private landlords to persuade them to house homeless families.
We worked with The Guardian on a news story in which we labelled the spending a “senseless waste of public money”, calling on the government to cap rents and unfreeze the Local Housing Allowance.
Government plans to protect renters’ right to vote
Part of our work as the national voice of private renters is to make it as easy as possible for renters to make their voices heard at the ballot box. Unfortunately, frequent moves mean it is easy to drop off the electoral register and private renters are at high risk of being unregistered at election time.
We are campaigning for Automatic Voter Registration, and the government has committed to introducing this as part of its democracy strategy. We’re now expecting an Elections Bill in the New Year.
What’s coming up in 2026?
There’s a lot to look forward to for renters next year, including the Renters’ Rights Act coming into force. However, the glaring gap in the law is that it doesn’t address the soaring costs of rent. Therefore, we will be pushing national and local governments hard on this issue next year.
We are also expecting the government to publish its Warm Homes Plan early next year, outlining the detail of how over half of rented homes will be improved to meet new energy efficiency standards.
Outside of that, elections in Scotland and Wales in May 2026 will represent a key opportunity for political parties to promise changes for renters.
Many thanks for your continued support for our work, we couldn’t do it without you. If you’re not already a member, please consider joining to support our work in 2026 and beyond for just £5 per month. We hope you have a great festive period and happy new year.
The Generation Rent team.
www.generationrent.org
P.S. We are now sending updates about our latest campaigns and research on our Whatsapp channel - sign up here https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VabDoPbJZg47FQYpGs20
Generation Rent · 71 Howard St, North Shields NE30 1AF, United Kingdom
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