The deadline has been and gone, but for the majority of Britain’s managed tenants, the paperwork never arrived.
New research suggests that almost 60 per cent of tenants in managed properties have seen no changes whatsoever to their tenancy documentation, despite managing agents having until 31 May to distribute the new paperwork required under the Renters’ Rights Act (RRA), which came into force on 1 May.
The findings come from property management specialist Rushbrook & Rathbone, which surveyed 1,105 UK tenants living in managed properties to gauge how the sector has responded to the most sweeping overhaul of tenancy law in a generation.
The picture they paint is one of widespread silence. Just 29 per cent of tenants say their management company has thoroughly communicated and explained the changes brought in by the RRA, while half report receiving no communication at all. With the implementation period now closed, many tenants remain in the dark about what the legislation means for their tenancy in practice, and whether their property manager has done what the law requires.
That uncertainty is corroding confidence in standards. Only 40 per cent of managed tenants believe their property fully meets the new RRA requirements on health and safety hazards, including damp and mould, a concern sharpened by the fact that just 41 per cent say their manager has historically dealt with maintenance issues without delay. Long-standing shortcomings, the data suggests, may simply be rolling on unresolved under the new regime.
Indeed, since hearing about the RRA, a striking 91 per cent of tenants report seeing no noticeable change at all from their property manager, with just 7 per cent observing improvements. Only 19 per cent say their manager has responded proactively to issues such as damp, mould or safety concerns within the home, while 69 per cent say their manager has either taken no visible action or they simply don’t know, a knowledge gap that itself points to the sector’s communication failure. That inertia carries real risk: as we recently reported, councils are dispensing with warning letters and moving straight to financial penalties for non-compliance.
The documentation failure may prove the most consequential finding. Under government rules, every tenant on an existing agreement should have received the official Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet by 31 May, with fines of up to £7,000 for a single breach. Yet 59 per cent of tenants say their agreements have not been updated to reflect the changes, and nothing new has landed on the doormat.
Little wonder, then, that trust is thin. Just 32 per cent of tenants believe their manager is fully compliant, 42 per cent believe there are at least some gaps in compliance, and 26 per cent simply don’t know. For landlords who delegate their obligations to managing agents, that final figure should give pause, particularly given the National Residential Landlords Association’s repeated warnings that responsibility for compliance ultimately cannot be outsourced. For portfolio investors, the case for maintaining a continuous evidential record of property condition and maintenance has rarely been stronger.
Roma Sharma, managing director of Rushbrook & Rathbone, said: “With the implementation period now behind us, tenants should have confidence that their property manager has taken the necessary steps to comply with the new legislation and communicate any relevant changes.
“However, our findings suggest that many tenants remain uncertain about what has changed, what protections are now in place, and whether their property manager has fully adapted to the new requirements.
“At the same time, the absence of visible action, particularly when it comes to issues like damp, mould and general safety, points to a wider problem within parts of the industry, where compliance risks becoming a box-ticking exercise rather than a genuine commitment to raising standards.
“For property managers, this is a clear moment of accountability. Those who fail to communicate transparently and act decisively risk falling short of both their legal obligations and tenant expectations. By contrast, there is a real opportunity for responsible operators to set themselves apart by being proactive, responsive, and fully aligned with both the letter and the spirit of the new law.”
