The West Midlands Mayor, Richard Parker, is urging landlords to get ready ahead of the Renters’ Rights Act coming into effect on 1 May 2026. He warns that councils will use new powers to improve housing standards, support responsible landlords, and crack down on rogue landlords.

Key points for landlords:

• Fines: Up to £7,000 for breaches, rising to £40,000 for repeated or serious offences
• Rent repayment orders: Tenants or councils can force landlords to repay rent for offences
• New rules: Ban on Section 21 evictions, limits on rent increases to once per year, cap on rent in advance to one month, bans on rental bidding wars, and prohibition of discrimination against tenants with children or benefits
• Pet requests: Landlords must consider reasonable requests to rent with a pet

Mayor Parker emphasised: “Everyone deserves a safe, secure and decent home… while many landlords do right by their tenants, there are others that don’t, leaving young children in damp, unhealthy homes.”

The West Midlands has 225,000 privately rented homes, but a quarter fail minimum standards of decency, with issues like damp, mould, and cold.

Looking ahead, the Act will introduce:

• A Landlord Ombudsman to help resolve disputes
• A mandatory landlord database detailing PRS properties

Landlords are encouraged to use the coming months to understand the changes, audit their properties, and ensure compliance.