Announcing the Landlord Law Renters Rights Bill Online Conference 2025

The Renters Rights Bill, expected to become law in Spring 2025, will be the biggest overhaul of English landlord and tenant law for over 35 years.

The explanatory notes for the bill  found here, say that the objective of the bill is

to ensure private renters not only have access to a secure and decent home but that they can exercise their rights to challenge poor treatment and bad practice. Landlords should retain the confidence to repossess their properties where they have good reason to but with suitable safeguards for tenants who may lose their home.

To this end, the bill will

• Abolish section 21 no-fault evictions, amend the current eviction grounds and bring in new ones
• Limit rent increases to annual increases at the current ‘market rent’, which tenants can challenge to the First Tier Tribunal
• Give tenants a right to request a pet – which landlords cannot unreasonably refuse
• Apply a ‘decent homes’ standard and ‘Awaabs law’, which requires landlords to deal with serious hazards within a strict time limit
• Create a digital database where all landlords will have to register and provide information about their properties and
• Introduce a new ombudsman service to deal with tenants’ complaints, and
• Bring in new enforcement penalties and enforcement powers for Local Authorities

These are just a few of the many changes that the bill will bring.

It is important that landlords, along with their agents and property managers, have proper training to inform them of the coming changes.

To help with this, we will be running a major online Conference in March 2025, sponsored by JMW Solicitors.

About the Online Conference

The Conference will be a two-day event, and will comprise 12 talks from 11 speakers (solicitor David Smith will take two of them).

The talks will cover the main areas of change:

• An introduction from barrister Justin Bates KC
• David Cox of Rightmove will be speaking about advertising and the new rules for landlords
• Solicitor David Smith will talk on (1) Student lets and (20 Decent Homes and Awaabs law
• Julie Ford will explain how landlords and agents can help tenants in arrears of rent and source funding
• Kate Faulkner OBE will be discussing the new digital portal
• The Property Redress Scheme Ombudsman Sean Hooker will be discussing the new redress scheme and redress and mediation generally
• Barrister Sam Madge Wyld will be explaining the new eviction rules and grounds for possession
• Solicitor Robin Stewart will be talking about Rent Repayment Orders and the new rules brought in by the bill, and
• Ben Reeve Lewis will be explaining the new Local Authority enforcement penalties and powers

We will also have:

• a talk for landlords from solicitor and landlord Suzanne Smith on how to prepare for the bill and
• A talk from Propertymark’s Jan Hytch (who runs the Propertymark helpline) on letting agent concerns.
• A one hour Q&A session at the end of both days where speakers will answer delegates questions

Delegates should come away with a pretty clear understanding of how the bill will affect them and their business.

We expect to provide further ‘bonus content’ nearer the time.

Date and cost

The Conference has been set for March, as by then we should have a pretty clear idea of what the final bill will look like. It may even have received the Royal Assent.

We have decided on an online event as it will be easier for everyone to attend.

We will also be recording the Conference, and delegates will get access for the following 3 months.

I hope you and your staff will be able to attend this important event.

The cost of the conference per person is £270 (£225 + VAT).

I look forward to seeing you (virtually) on 11 and 12 March 2025.