The Renters' Rights Act and repairs: what has actually changed for tenants?

Most attention on the Renters' Rights Act 2025 has gone to Section 21 abolition. Ending no-fault evictions for private tenants is a big change, and rightly well covered. But the Act also changed repair rights and housing standards. Those changes are less well understood.

The Decent Homes Standard now applies to private rentals

Before the Renters' Rights Act, the Decent Homes Standard, the baseline for what a decent home looks like, applied only to social housing. The Act extends it to private renting for the first time.

The Decent Homes Standard requires a home to be free from Category 1 hazards under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System, in a reasonable state of repair, with reasonably modern facilities, and reasonably warm.

In practice, private landlords now have a stronger, clearer legal duty. The standard goes beyond what Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 required on its own.

Councils have new enforcement powers

The Act gives councils stronger powers to investigate and act on complaints about private rented homes. Councils can more readily issue improvement notices, and act against landlords who let properties fall below the Decent Homes Standard.

This matters for tenants. The council route, contacting environmental health and asking for an HHSRS inspection, now rests on clearer legal authority.

Section 21 abolition: the repair link

Section 21 abolition matters for repairs in a practical way, not just because it removes the fear of revenge eviction.

Before abolition, many private tenants held back from complaining about repairs. They feared a Section 21 notice in response. That fear is now gone. Tenants can report disrepair, ask for council inspections, and pursue claims without the shadow of a no-fault eviction.

The Deregulation Act 2015 protections against revenge eviction belonged to the old Section 21 world. They are no longer needed in the same way, but the principle carries into the new framework.

What has not changed

A number of things remain the same.

Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 still applies. Your landlord's duty to keep the structure, exterior, heating and plumbing in repair has not changed.

The Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 still applies. You can still take your landlord to court directly if your home is unfit to live in.

The Housing Health and Safety Rating System still applies. Council environmental health teams still inspect using HHSRS. Category 1 hazards still trigger mandatory action.

Awaab's Law still applies only to social housing. Private tenants are not yet covered by its specific deadlines.

What tenants should do now

Do you rent privately with repairs left undone? The legal ground under you is firmer than it was. You can:

• Report disrepair to your landlord in writing
• Request a Housing Health and Safety Rating System inspection from your council
• Pursue a claim under the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act or Section 11, with no threat of a no-fault eviction in response

If you are unsure about your position or want to know whether your situation gives rise to a claim, call 0800 030 4669 for free advice.

No upfront cost. You only pay if you win, and the fee comes out of the compensation, not your pocket. If you don't win, you pay nothing.

Support For Tenants is a trading name of Cyntex Group Ltd, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority as a Claims Management Company. FRN 1020217. Registered in England and Wales.