Landlord association reports surge in calls as Renters’ Rights Act comes into force

More than 1,000 landlords a day have been contacting a landlord association, with many feeling apprehensive now that the Renters’ Rights Act is in force.

The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) told The Express that landlords are particularly concerned about fines of up to £40,000 for those who repeatedly break the rules.

Under the Renters’ Rights Act, Section 21 has been abolished and all fixed-term tenancies have also been scrapped.

Landlords fearful over Renters’ Rights Act

The NRLA told The Express that in the days leading up to the Renters’ Rights Act coming into force, thousands of landlords contacted the association, with many expressing concern about the changes.

Ben Beadle, chief executive of the NRLA, told The Express: “Landlords are fearful about the changes, and they’re fearful about the consequences of getting it wrong, and they’re looking for reassurance from the NRLA that they’re doing things right.

“They’re not necessarily carping about the changes, they’re seeing the changes, and they are wanting to be good and compliant landlords, but they are fearful.

“What I hope is that the thought of the changes are going to be much worse than the reality, but for some landlords, if you hit a bad tenant and you’re not able to evict your tenant in a timely way, that’s going to be problematic and I think that’s what investors are fearful around.”

Mr Beadle added that the NRLA was “struggling to keep up” with around 1,000 calls a day.

The news comes as research suggests two in five landlords are unlikely to continue letting homes following the implementation of the Renters’ Rights Act.

A study by property consultancy firm Allsop found that 41% of landlords said they are unlikely or very unlikely to continue letting, rising to 51% among single-property landlords, following the abolition of Section 21.