More Rights, More Security? What the New Renters’ Rights Act Means for Black Women

England’s biggest overhaul of renting laws in decades will bring new protections for tenants, with potential implications for Black women facing housing insecurity.

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England’s new Renters’ Rights Act 2025 will come into force on 1 May 2026, bringing some of the biggest changes to renting laws in decades. The reforms will ban Section 21 “no fault” evictions, stop landlords from increasing rent multiple times a year and give tenants greater protection from being forced out of their homes without reason.

The legislation comes as housing insecurity continues to affect many renters across Britain. This is particularly relevant to Black and minority ethnic individuals who are statistically more likely to face eviction, frequent moves and unaffordable rent increases.

Goodbye No-Fault Evictions

One of the biggest changes introduced by the act is the banning of Section 21 evictions. Previously, landlords could ask tenants to leave without giving a reason, often with only two months’ notice. From May 2026, landlords will instead need to provide a legal reason and evidence if they want to evict tenants.

The reform could particularly benefit minority ethnic renters. Research by Generation Rent found minority ethnic renters were 36% more likely to have been threatened with eviction than white British and Irish renters.

When asked whether discrimination still exists within the rental market, a London-based estate agent, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “I think it would be unrealistic to say it doesn’t happen at all. Obviously, most agents and landlords wouldn’t openly admit to discriminating, but unconscious bias definitely exists in parts of the industry.”

By requiring landlords to provide legal grounds for eviction, the act aims to reduce arbitrary and informal removals from rented homes.

More Notice, But Rent Is Still High

The act will also limit rent increases to once per year, with landlords required to give tenants at least two months’ notice. Tenants will also be able to challenge increases they believe are above market value through a tribunal.

This could be significant for Black women facing affordability pressures within the rental market. Generation Rent reported that 52% of minority ethnic women struggled to find affordable housing close to work, while minority ethnic renters were 38% more likely to have been threatened with an unaffordable rent increase.

The reforms may offer tenants more protection against sudden rent increases, but they do not cap rental prices themselves. According to the Office for National Statistics, average UK private rents rose by 4.0% between December 2024 and December 2025, meaning affordability remains a major concern despite the new protections.

“I think rents will probably continue rising, to be honest,” the agent added. “The reforms might give tenants more security, which is a positive thing, but they don’t actually solve the supply issue.”

Longer Term Security

Another major change is the end of fixed-term tenancy contracts. Instead of renters having to renew contracts every six or 12 months, tenancies will automatically continue unless the tenant decides to leave or the landlord has a valid legal reason to end the agreement.

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This aims to provide renters with greater long-term stability. Generation Rent’s 2024 polling found that 52% of ethnic minority renters had moved more than once in the previous five years, compared to 32% of white renters.

For renters experiencing repeated moves, the reforms could reduce the pressure of constantly facing the end of a tenancy agreement.

The estate agent stated that the changes may help renters feel more settled in their homes. “I think they will help people feel a bit more secure because the fear of no-fault eviction has been a huge issue for years,” they said. “But affordability is still going to be the main problem for a lot of renters, especially in cities like London.”

More Protection, But Is It Enough?

While the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 has been described as “the biggest reform to the private rented sector since the late 1980s” by the House of Commons Library, questions remain over whether greater legal protection will translate into greater housing security. For many Black women navigating rising rents and instability in Britain’s private rental sector, the reforms may improve rights on paper, but not necessarily eliminate the inequalities shaping their experience of renting.