Fewer renters moving as section 21 notices decrease – Generation Rent

A new Generation Rent survey reveals a decline in Section 21 notices and a drop in rent increases.

In a poll of 711 renters about the upcoming Renters’ Rights Act, despite a drop in Section 21 notices, the number of Section 8 notices has risen.

The survey comes ahead of the implementation of the Renters’ Rights Act on 1 May 2026.

Decline in Section 21 notices

According to the survey, the proportion of people having to move has fallen since 2024, which Generation Rent say is a result of a decline in Section 21 notices.

In the survey, the tenant group claim former Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s decision to cut the higher rate of capital gains tax from 28% to 24% in the Spring Budget 2024 “led to the receding of a spike in evictions following the tax cut for landlords, meaning fewer have been selling up this year. It may also be due to fewer landlords evicting to raise the rent, because rents on new tenancies haven’t been rising as quickly this year.”

In this year’s Autumn Budget, Chancellor Rachel Reeves raised tax rates on dividends, property, and savings income by 2 percentage points.

Elsewhere, the survey reveals that the proportion of renters being served a Section 8 eviction notice has increased.

The tenant group claim this could be due to rising rent arrears caused by the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) being frozen.

Generation Rent predict that, with the upcoming Renters’ Rights Act, eviction trends will change, with the number of eviction notices expected to fall once Section 21 is abolished.

The survey says: “We should see a further fall in these numbers after May 2026, and Section 8 should become the only game in town for landlords who want to evict tenants.

“Along with Section 21 going, there will be no fixed terms, so no moment of anxiety that might prompt renters to move out if they can’t commit for another year, and landlords will not be able to ask a tenant to leave without a formal Section 8 notice, so these reports should decline as well.”

Rising market rent most common reason for rent increases

The survey also reveals the proportion of renters who had not moved in the past year and were asked to pay higher rent has not increased.

Despite nearly two-thirds (63%) of renters reported being asked for a rent increase. The size of rent increases appears to be falling, with 15% of respondents saying they were charged at least £100 more per month in the 12 months up to September 2025, compared to 22% in October 2024.

The most common reason given by landlords for a rent increase was rising market rents a further 4% attributed rent hikes to advice from letting agents. Generation Rent claim mortgage payments “have never been the main reason for rent increases”, despite evidence that more landlords are struggling to pay their mortgages than ever before.

Despite the Generation Rent survey finding that 27% of private renters did not feel confident asking their landlord to fix something that is the landlord’s responsibility, this means that 73% did feel confident.

A government survey also reveals that the majority of private renters have had a positive experience in the private rented sector, with satisfaction higher for landlords (70%) than for property management agencies (62%).

The full Generation Rent can be viewed by clicking here.