Most renters believe the Renters’ Rights Act will improve protections in the private rented sector, but many also worry that the reforms could reduce rental supply and push rents higher over time, according to new research reported by Property Industry Eye.
The report, based on Barclays’ latest Property Insights data, said awareness of the legislation has risen sharply since the Bill passed last October. Six in 10 renters now say they understand the aims of the Act, compared with 19% previously, while 62% believe the reforms will improve housing conditions and tenant protections.
At the same time, the research points to a more complicated operating picture for landlords. Around 45% of renters believe restrictions on evictions and rental bidding wars could lead to higher rents, and the same proportion fear landlords may leave the sector, reducing supply.
Why this matters for landlords
The findings are useful because they show the Renters’ Rights Act is no longer just a policy issue being debated by landlords, agents and campaigners. Tenants are becoming more aware of the new rules, and many now have clearer expectations about security, property standards and fair treatment.
That shift changes the day-to-day backdrop for landlords. A tenant who understands the broad aims of the Act may be more likely to ask questions about notices, rent changes, repairs, bidding, paperwork or how a tenancy is being managed. That does not mean every concern will be legally correct, but it does mean unclear communication and poor records are more likely to create avoidable friction.
Here4 Landlords has already covered the Renters’ Rights timetable and what landlords should prepare for now. The Barclays data adds a tenant-sentiment layer to that picture: awareness is growing, confidence in reform is rising, and worries about supply are still very much alive.
Tenant confidence does not remove supply pressure
The research suggests renters are broadly supportive of stronger protections. Property Industry Eye reported that 62% believe the reforms will improve housing conditions and tenant protections, with a similar proportion saying the legislation would make it easier to challenge unfair treatment from landlords.
That is the confidence side of the story. The pressure side is that many renters also expect knock-on effects. If landlords sell, delay investment, reduce availability or become more cautious about letting decisions, tenants may feel the result through fewer options and higher competition for suitable homes.
For landlords, the practical point is to avoid treating tenant confidence and landlord pressure as separate issues. A market can have stronger tenant protections and still be under strain. The useful question is how clearly each landlord can show that their property, paperwork and communication are being handled properly in a changing market.
Costs and complexity remain part of the picture
The same report said caution is also visible among homeowners considering additional properties. Only 11% said they planned to buy an extra property within the next two years, while affordability, running costs and higher taxes were cited as barriers. Nearly seven in 10 said they would not want to become a landlord because of the costs and complexity involved.
That does not prove a sudden landlord exodus. It does, however, underline the wider conditions that landlords are operating in: higher compliance expectations, tax and cost pressures, mortgage and insurance costs, repair obligations, tenant affordability issues and tighter scrutiny of how homes are managed.
Recent Here4 Landlords coverage of record rental arrears and tenant pressure points to the same wider theme. Landlords are not just responding to one Act. They are managing reform, affordability, standards, local enforcement and portfolio costs at the same time.
Communication becomes more important
One practical consequence of rising tenant awareness is that routine communication needs to be cleaner. Landlords and agents should be careful that rent discussions, repair updates, deposit handling, notices, tenancy documents and property-access arrangements are clear, dated and easy to evidence.
This is not about overloading tenants with paperwork. It is about avoiding confusion. If a repair is reported, there should be a record of the report, the response, the contractor instruction and the outcome. If a landlord or agent sends a statutory document, there should be a record of what was sent, when it was sent and how it was served.
That matters even more during reform periods, when tenants may be hearing partial summaries from news stories, social media, campaign groups, landlords, agents and friends. A calm written explanation, backed by official guidance where relevant, is less likely to create problems than informal messages that later become hard to interpret.
What landlords should watch next
The next useful signal will be whether tenant concern about supply starts to show up in live market data: available rental stock, void periods, rent levels, arrears, possession claims and local authority enforcement activity. Landlords should also keep watching official Renters’ Rights guidance, because tenant expectations will increasingly be shaped by government documents rather than only by sector commentary.
There is no need to treat one survey as a forecast. It is better read as a snapshot of sentiment after a major reform became more visible to ordinary renters. The message is mixed: tenants want stronger protection, but many also understand that landlord behaviour and rental supply could change.
The safe landlord takeaway is practical rather than speculative. Keep compliance records current, make repair and rent communication clear, check official updates before changing process, and avoid relying on informal commentary where a live tenancy, possession issue, tax point, mortgage condition or legal question is involved.
