Richard Tice has pledged that Reform UK would abolish Labour’s Renters’ Rights Act if the party wins the next general election, arguing the legislation is damaging growth and investment.
The Renters’ Rights Act 2025, due to take effect 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 a year at market rate, grants tenants the right to request a pet and bans discrimination against renters with children or those receiving benefits.
Speaking in Birmingham, Tice said Reform would introduce a “Great Repeal Bill” scrapping what he described as “daft regulations”, including new property rental rules. He argued the measures were well intentioned but risked harming jobs, investment and economic growth.
The proposal has divided opinion among property and financial experts.
Patricia Ogunfeibo, founder of tenant2owner, warned that scrapping the Act could generate instability. While acknowledging concerns about Labour’s approach, she said frequent reversals in housing policy left renters vulnerable to shifting political priorities.
Simon Bridgland, a broker at Charwin Private Clients, suggested a complete abolition was unlikely, predicting instead a dilution of the legislation. He argued that while improved standards were welcome, landlords had been hit with rising compliance costs, particularly around energy efficiency requirements, reducing incentives to remain in the sector.
Others cautioned that repealing the Act would not address underlying structural problems. David Stirling, an independent financial adviser at Mint Wealth, said the housing crisis stems primarily from insufficient supply. “Weakening tenant rights without increasing supply risks creating a more insecure rental market without making rents cheaper,” he said.
However, some in the property sector support Reform’s stance. Michelle Lawson, director at Lawson Financial, said the Act could reduce housing stock and push rents higher by driving landlords out of the market.
The debate reflects broader tensions in the rental sector, where rising mortgage rates, tax changes and tighter regulation have coincided with strong tenant demand and limited new supply.
With the private rented sector housing more than 4 million households in England, any move to reverse or amend the Renters’ Rights Act would have significant implications for landlords and tenants alike.
