The Rental Reality | DSS Select
What happens when legislation designed to protect tenants makes some landlords question whether renting out their properties is still worthwhile?
The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 represents one of the most significant reforms to England’s private rented sector in decades.
Its objectives are clear: strengthen tenant protections, improve housing standards and create a fairer rental market.
But behind those ambitions lies an uncomfortable question.
Could stronger tenant protections unintentionally make finding a rental property more difficult?
For tenants, the reforms promise greater security. For landlords, they introduce new responsibilities and changes to how tenancies operate.
Both perspectives deserve attention.
And with England already facing serious housing affordability pressures, the consequences could extend far beyond individual landlords and tenants.
The Popular Narrative: A Victory for Tenants
For years, tenants have raised concerns about insecurity within the private rented sector.
Under the previous system, Section 21 allowed landlords to regain possession without establishing tenant fault, provided the relevant legal requirements were satisfied.
Critics argued that this created uncertainty for renters who could face losing their homes despite paying rent and maintaining their properties responsibly.
The Renters’ Rights Act seeks to address this imbalance.
Its reforms include abolishing Section 21 no-fault evictions, restructuring tenancy arrangements, strengthening protections against rental discrimination and introducing additional measures intended to improve standards and accountability.
For many renters, these changes represent long-overdue protections.
A home is more than a financial transaction. It provides stability, supports employment, enables children to remain in school and helps families establish roots within communities.
Greater security can therefore have benefits beyond the tenancy itself.
But legislation cannot be judged solely by its intentions.
The real test is whether it improves housing outcomes without creating new barriers to accessing accommodation.
The Landlord's Perspective: Who Carries the Financial Risk?
Landlords are frequently portrayed as holding all the power in rental relationships.
However, owning a rental property does not necessarily mean enjoying substantial profits.
Many landlords face mortgage repayments, insurance premiums, maintenance expenses, taxation and increasingly complex regulatory obligations.
Rental arrears can quickly affect their ability to meet those commitments.
For landlords, the removal of Section 21 raises questions about recovering possession when circumstances change.
Although legitimate possession grounds remain available, landlords may worry about court delays, administrative requirements and the cost of resolving disputes.
These concerns are particularly relevant to smaller landlords who own one or two properties.
Unlike larger property businesses, they may have limited financial reserves to absorb prolonged periods without rental income.
Some landlords may respond by selling properties, increasing rents where lawful or applying more demanding affordability criteria.
Others may adapt successfully and continue operating.
The important distinction is that landlord concerns about financial exposure are not automatically opposition to tenant rights.
A sustainable rental market requires both responsible landlords and effective tenant protections.
The Tenant's Perspective: Security Shouldn't Be a Luxury
Now consider the other side.
Tenants also carry significant financial and personal risks.
Moving home can involve deposits, removal costs, disruption to employment and difficulty finding suitable accommodation.
For households with children, disabilities or limited incomes, an unexpected move can be particularly damaging.
Tenants may also hesitate to report disrepair if they fear losing their homes.
Stronger legal protections can help address these concerns.
The Renters’ Rights Act aims to make tenancy arrangements more secure while preserving lawful routes for landlords to regain possession.
It also strengthens protections against discrimination affecting prospective tenants receiving benefits or living with children.
These measures are particularly relevant to Universal Credit recipients who may already encounter difficulties securing private rental accommodation.
However, legal rights alone cannot guarantee access to housing.
A tenant may have stronger protection once housed but still struggle to find a landlord willing to accept their application.
Security matters. But so does availability.
The Uncomfortable Reality: Could Both Sides Lose?
This is where the debate becomes complicated.
If landlords face greater uncertainty, some may become more cautious about whom they accept.
Applicants with higher incomes, stronger credit histories or substantial savings could appear more attractive.
Meanwhile, households receiving Universal Credit, people with irregular earnings and those unable to provide guarantors may encounter additional obstacles.
That creates a potential contradiction.
Could legislation intended to protect vulnerable renters indirectly disadvantage them during the application process?
It is a legitimate question, but not a proven outcome.
Changes in rental supply and landlord behaviour depend on multiple factors, including mortgage costs, taxation, local demand and housing availability.
It would be misleading to attribute every landlord selling a property or every rent increase to the Renters’ Rights Act.
Equally, dismissing concerns about unintended consequences would be premature.
The reforms should be evaluated through evidence: landlord participation, available rental properties, eviction outcomes, affordability and tenant experiences.
Good housing policy must work in practice, not merely sound convincing in principle.
Who Is Responsible for Making the Reforms Work?
The government has responsibility for creating workable legislation and ensuring that enforcement systems function effectively.
Local authorities need sufficient resources to uphold housing standards and respond to unlawful practices.
Courts must be capable of handling legitimate possession claims without unreasonable delays.
Landlords have responsibilities to maintain safe properties, comply with legislation and treat prospective tenants fairly.
Tenants must meet their tenancy obligations, including paying rent and looking after their homes.
Letting agents also play an important role in ensuring referencing and application procedures are lawful and proportionate.
No single group can resolve the challenges facing the private rented sector.
And legislation alone cannot overcome a shortage of affordable housing.
A fair rental market requires accountability from everyone involved.
The DSS Select Perspective: Protection Without Exclusion
At DSS Select, we believe tenant security and landlord confidence should not be treated as opposing objectives.
Tenants deserve safe, stable homes and fair access to accommodation.
Landlords deserve clear rules, proportionate responsibilities and effective mechanisms for addressing genuine tenancy problems.
The concern is not whether tenants should have stronger rights.
It is whether those rights are supported by practical systems that allow the private rented sector to function effectively.
This is especially important for households receiving Universal Credit.
If landlords become increasingly selective, applicants already facing barriers could find themselves competing for fewer opportunities.
DSS Select supports an approach that encourages informed landlord participation, fair tenant assessment and better understanding between both sides.
Rather than relying on assumptions, the industry should focus on affordability, responsible referencing, clear communication and sustainable tenancies.
The success of the Renters’ Rights Act should ultimately be measured by real outcomes.
Are tenants more secure?
Are responsible landlords remaining in the market?
And are vulnerable households finding it easier or harder to access suitable accommodation?
Those answers will matter more than political promises or industry predictions.
The Final Question
The Renters’ Rights Act was designed to create a fairer rental market.
But fairness cannot be measured by tenant protections alone if accessing a home becomes increasingly difficult.
If stronger tenant rights result in fewer landlords offering rental properties, will the people the legislation was designed to protect ultimately benefit?
Or could effective reform demonstrate that tenant security and landlord confidence can coexist?
The answer will depend on how the legislation works in practice.
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