Changes post Renters’ Rights Act prompt more cautious tenant vetting
One in four landlords say they have faced challenges regaining possession of properties from tenants after the abolition of Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions following the introduction of the Renters’ Rights Act in May.
The findings, from a snap poll of 250 landlords by Goodlord, found that as a result of the increased complexity, 2 in 5 landlords have adopted more cautious tenant vetting procedures to ensure they have the right tenants first time. However, less than 1 in 10 (9%) are increasing their investment in tenant retention.
Tenants can now only be evicted via a Section 8 notice, which requires clearly defined grounds, a longer administrative process and often court delays.
Goodlord also surveyed 2,001 UK tenants, finding that 5% of tenants have still been served or threatened with “Section 21-style” evictions, despite them being banned since May.
The £4.1bn cost of fraudulent applications
It comes as another recent Goodlord report found that fraudulent tenancy applications are costing the private rental sector an estimated £4.1bn in financial losses every year, with 41 tenancy applications per 1,000 flagged for suspected fraud between July 2025 and June 2026.
Nishma Parekh, director of referencing at Goodlord, said: “These findings point to a market where getting tenant selection right the first time is more critical than ever, given how much harder it has become to reverse a bad match once a tenancy begins.
“Our fraud report made it clear that landlords were already facing a costly problem before the Renters’ Rights Act came in. Now that possession is harder to secure when things go awry, the cost of signing the wrong tenants has only gone up.
Goodlord’s poll also highlighted the wider impacts of the RRA. It showed that half (50%) of landlords have noticed an increased compliance burden as a result of the legislation, with a further 29% affected by higher compliance and insurance costs. 1 in 4 landlords (23%) report higher letting agent fees since 1st May, and 1 in 10 (10%) have experienced longer void periods between tenancies.
