Tice promises a ‘Great Repeal Bill’ on housing rules
Photo: UK Parliament, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Reform UK has singled out the incoming Renters’ Rights Act as one of the first pieces of legislation it would scrap if it enters government – a move that could have major implications for landlords, letting agents and the wider buy-to-let market.
The Act, passed last year and due to take effect on 1 May, will abolish section 21-style “no‑fault” evictions in England and restrict landlords from demanding more than one month’s rent upfront. It also introduces a package of wider protections for England’s 11 million private renters.
Speaking in Birmingham, Reform deputy leader Richard Tice said the party would use a new “Great Repeal Bill” to roll back what he described as “daft regulations”, including the Renters’ Rights Act, new employment protections, net‑zero requirements and zero‑emission vehicle mandates.
Tice, who says he has three decades’ experience in property development and previously ran listed developer CLS, argued that the Renters’ Rights Act is already having a chilling effect on investment in the private rented sector by discouraging landlords and constraining supply. That, he said, was pushing up rents even before the law formally comes into force.
He framed the proposals as part of a broader pro‑growth, pro‑business agenda that would sit under a new “Great Office of State” covering housing, business, trade and energy – a department he said he would personally lead.
Alongside deregulation of the rental market, Tice called for a faster planning system and fewer obstacles to housebuilding. Reform would look to give “trusted” partners – such as major retailers and volume housebuilders – more autonomy to get schemes off the ground, balanced by harsher penalties if they breach planning rules or government expectations.
Tenant groups, however, warn that dismantling the Renters’ Rights Act would reverse hard‑won gains for renters and entrench poor standards in parts of the PRS.
Campaign organisation Generation Rent said the policy would hand a “gift” to bad landlords and return households to more insecure tenancies and substandard homes. Chief executive Ben Twomey argued that renters have spent years pushing for basic safeguards and that public opinion is broadly behind stronger protections for tenants.
Reform’s stance also puts it directly at odds with the Labour government, which has championed the Renters’ Rights Act as a flagship reform to “rebalance” the relationship between landlords and tenants. Prime minister Keir Starmer has accused Reform of threatening both workplace rights and renters’ protections, casting the party’s platform as hostile to the interests of working households.
For the mortgage and housing industry, the proposals highlight a sharpening political divide over how to tackle pressures in the private rented sector.
On one side sits Labour’s approach of tightening standards and security for tenants, with the risk – critics say – of driving some landlords out of the market. On the other is Reform’s promise of a lighter‑touch regime aimed at boosting supply and investment, but which tenant advocates fear would leave renters exposed to unfair practices and unsafe homes.
With more landlords already reassessing their portfolios in light of tax changes, regulatory reform and higher rates, the direction of travel on rental legislation – whether towards the Renters’ Rights Act or a potential repeal – will be watched closely by lenders, intermediaries and property investors alike.
