Citizens Advice helping hundreds of tenants as Renters’ Rights Act comes into force

Citizens Advice helping hundreds of tenants as Renters’ Rights Act comes into force

Citizens Advice adviser discussing renters’ rights and eviction support with a tenant
8:01 AM, 5th May 2026, 1 week ago 12

A charity claims it is helping more than 200 renters a day with a combination of issues, including disrepair, Section 21 evictions and rent hikes, as the Renters’ Rights Act comes into effect.

According to Citizens Advice, in March 2026, it helped 2,335 people with Section 21 evictions, 1,829 with disrepair issues such as damp and mould, and just over 1,075 with rent increases.

Across the month, this equates to an average of 214 people a day supported with a combination of these issues.

Historic power imbalance in the PRS

Amy Hughes, advice manager at Citizens Advice, said: “The Renters’ Rights Act is a huge moment for private renters. It will address the historic power imbalance in the private rental sector and give tenants the security they deserve in their homes.

“Our advisers have seen the devastating impact ‘no fault’ evictions can have. Now landlords will only be able to evict tenants for specific reasons, like rent arrears, antisocial behaviour, or where they need to sell the property.

“For too long, tenants have faced the threat of eviction for simply speaking out against bad landlord behaviour or poor conditions. The new laws will see an end to these retaliatory practices and deliver a welcome boost to private renters’ rights.”

PRS plays a vital role

The news comes as the Renters’ Rights Act has now come into force, with charities previously warning of an eviction surge. Acorn told The Guardian that Section 21 evictions accounted for one in five reports from members in October, rising to nearly one in three by January.

However, as reported by The Independent, many landlords are weighing up their options, with rising costs and regulatory changes prompting some to reconsider their portfolios.

Megan Eighteen, president of Propertymark, told The Independent: “Higher mortgage rates, increased taxation and continued regulatory change have all contributed to some landlords reassessing whether their investment remains viable, particularly those with smaller portfolios or tighter margins.

“The private rented sector continues to play a vital role in meeting housing demand, and supporting responsible landlords to stay in the market is key to maintaining stability for both tenants and the wider housing system.”


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Comments

  • Member Since June 2019 - Comments: 801

    9:04 AM, 5th May 2026, About 1 week ago

    Just a shame they do not help landlords with problems – all citizens are apparently not equal.

  • Member Since January 2015 - Comments: 1463 - Articles: 1

    11:19 AM, 5th May 2026, About 1 week ago

    And refuse to help landlords with rogue tenants despite their wages being paid for by income taxes paid by landlords.

  • Member Since May 2016 - Comments: 1582 - Articles: 16

    12:06 PM, 5th May 2026, About 1 week ago

    Another one-sided 60 % Tax-payer funded so-called “Charity”
    No ‘ charities ‘ should be funded by the Tax-payer . !

  • Member Since May 2014 - Comments: 621

    1:58 PM, 5th May 2026, About 1 week ago

    Just like the Leasehold Advisory service who were originally set up by the government as an impartial free service to advise leaseholders and freeholders.
    Now they will no longer advise freeholders but our taxes pay for this service.

  • Member Since December 2023 - Comments: 1606

    5:14 PM, 5th May 2026, About 7 days ago

    They should also be busy with Section 8 No Fault evictions.

  • Member Since August 2016 - Comments: 509

    10:20 PM, 5th May 2026, About 7 days ago

    It would be sad if the essential nature of the CAB had changed to a simple socialist advoisory group.

    I am over 80, now retired. Solicitors of my vintage may recall kinder times when they were sent to do voluntary work at their local CAB. Great experience, for some a huge awakening. Real people sometimes crumbling before your eyes under debt, family-wrecking worry. At that level, too many landlords (certainly on Tyneside where I served articles) were nasty rogues presiding over slums. One property I visited had what looked like mushrooms on the walls and a foul stink. The landlady who behaved like a local queen advised me to walk round my car before leaving, just make sure all the wheels were still there?

    The vast majority of individual CAB case workers were worldly-wise and too busy to play with political bees in their bonnet. They sought solutions that worked, so the person seeking advice wouldn’t come back.. If the Great Leader pontificated like in this article, it didn’t seem to change what those workers did in real life.

  • Member Since February 2026 - Comments: 4

    5:22 PM, 6th May 2026, About 6 days ago

    1829 repair, 1075 rent increases. What proportion of those are from the exempt social housing sector. 85% satisfied with PRS before RRB 20% higher than social housing despite apatently outrageous tents charged…who really needs to be legislated for here?

  • Member Since October 2022 - Comments: 211

    7:01 PM, 6th May 2026, About 6 days ago

    Reply to the comment left by Cider Drinker at 17:14
    Hear, hear, they are going to have such a shock when they discover that the much-vaunted ban on no-fault evictions was a complete and utter lie and a shameless exercise in gaslighting the gullible masses. Section 8 will become the new section 21 for no-fault evictions. Future landlords will be able to check how tenants responded and those that had to be dragged through the courts and evicted by force will never have a another chance.

  • Member Since August 2024 - Comments: 13

    9:36 AM, 7th May 2026, About 5 days ago

    It’s not balanced though is it giving very right to the tenants and cant get you property back thats why landlords are leaving in a mess

  • Member Since January 2020 - Comments: 94

    11:40 AM, 7th May 2026, About 5 days ago

    Reply to the comment left by Chris @ Possession Friend at 05/05/2026 – 12:06
    By the government funding CAB, it saves paying civil service pay rates and keeps the cases at arms length. Many in CAB are volunteers and do a fantastic job in fighting the government DWP against legitimate benefit claims. If CAB get involved with tenants claims then they are likely to have legitimate claims and we as landlords have to buck our ideas up and make the properties worthy of renting out.

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