Landlords are panicking ahead of the Renters’ Rights Act — I got evicted

For the past six months, Harris, 26, had been renting a home in London he truly loved.

But when he was suddenly issued two months notice — despite having signed a year-long contract — he found himself back on the property websites, scrolling for hours in search of a new home.

Harris and his three flatmates, who moved into their Lewisham flat in September 2025, were given little explanation, and simply told that their landlord had ‘decided to take the property back’.

In less than 24 hours, an eviction like this will be unlawful — but Harris believes his landlord managed to make one happen, just before the new Renters’ Rights Act comes into force.

Harris tells Metro: ‘This was a pretty blatant opportunity to get us out before May 1 while avoiding any loss of money.’

The Renters’ Rights Act is set to be the biggest shake-up to renting in England since the Housing Act was passed in 1988.

It’ll empower tenants with new rights, as well as introduce new rules for private landlords.

Rent increases will be closely regulated, bidding wars will be no more, and it’ll also mean that a section 21, also known as a no-fault eviction, will no longer be allowed.

But Harris’ experience isn’t unique. Data from SpareRoom finds that, since the Act was first given Royal Assent, 11% of tenants in England have either been evicted or have received notice of a looming eviction. In London, this figure rises to 12%.

All in, Harris, who works in film and TV, was paying £850, including bills. This amounted to almost half of his monthly paycheck, which is around £2,000.

He reflects: ‘It was pretty disappointing. I’d found somewhere I thought was a good place.

‘I don’t think the calibre of us as tenants, or the impact it would have on us, was taken into consideration at all when we were served the eviction.

‘I’ve ended up moving to a new property, with 10 days of crossover paying for rent in both places.

‘And, I’m still waiting for my deposit to come back from the previous place. ‘I’ve taken a good chunk of money out of my savings just to cover myself.’

Looming evictions

Further SpareRoom research finds that many renters have faced panicked action from their landlord in recent weeks.

In fact, 43% of the tenants who were served notice since the Act was given Royal Assent were told it was because their landlord had decided to sell up.

And, 9% of those say their landlords eventually admitted it was because of the Renters’ Rights Act.

While a landlord can still serve a no-fault eviction until 11.59pm tonight, the good news is that this form of forced departure will become illegal from May 1.

No-fault evictions have historically been a leading cause of homelessness, which has ‘forced families out of their homes and left renters living in constant insecurity.’

Chelsea Phillips, from community union ACORN, tells Metro: ‘Since the ban on no-fault evictions was first promised in 2019, more than 114,000 Section 21 court claims have been issued, according to research by Shelter.

‘People are forced out of their homes, scrambling to find somewhere else to live and facing the real risk of homelessness overnight.

‘Scrapping no-fault evictions is a major step forward and a huge win. It means renters can finally feel secure in their homes and no longer live under the shadow of eviction.’

While any evictions issued before May 1 will remain valid, no more can be implemented.

On the other hand, though, some feel the legislation isn’t radical enough.

Previously writing for Metro, Green MP Carla Denyer said: ‘There is more that needs doing to protect renters from rogue landlords – like giving tenants the right to withhold rent for serious disrepair, or making it easier to get rent paid back following an illegal eviction.’

Green Party leader Zac Polanski has also called for rent controls, which are, notably, missing from the new legislation.

What do landlords think?

According to research from LegalForLandlords, as a result of the Renters’ Rights Act, 50% of landlords are planning on implementing more stringent measures when vetting new tenant applications.

This could include strengthening income and affordability checks, references from previous landlords, and credit checks.

From Friday, landlords will only be able to rely on very specific, revised circumstances – all of which fit under something called Section 8 – to evict tenants, including:

• The landlord wanting to move either themselves or their family into the property (which will only be allowed after 12 months)
• The landlord wanting to sell the property (also only allowed after 12 months)
• Redevelopment or demolition, which would require an empty property
• At least three months’ worth of rent arrears
• Continuous anti-social behaviour from tenants.

Simon Sekhon, Group CEO at LegalForLandlords, tells Metro: ‘The Renters’ Rights Act is understandably prompting concern among landlords, particularly around the abolition of Section 21 and the shift from fixed term to periodic tenancies.

‘At its core, the issue isn’t simply the removal of ‘no-fault’ evictions, but the perceived loss of certainty over how and when a landlord can regain possession of their property, something that can complicate financial planning and longer-term investment decisions.’

For rattled renters like Harris, though, a new beginning dawns.

‘So many landlords just make so much money from being landlords,’ he concludes.

‘I hope this makes things a little bit more difficult for them and encourages them to sell up, to put more houses back on the market for people who want to buy.’

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