Morning, Thursday, 30th April 2026
Online
This conference will focus on next steps for the private rented sector in England.
As the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 moves towards implementation through a three-phased rollout and ahead of the expected introduction of secondary legislation, it will be an opportunity to discuss priorities and key issues for delivery.
Sessions will assess implications and approaches to tackling potential challenges in adopting the new regime, examining implications for housing standards, tenant welfare, landlords, and security, as well as the impact on the wider private rental sector market.
Adapting to new frameworks
Focusing on the transition to a new tenancy framework, sessions will address questions around clarity on commencement and secondary legislation, expectations for local authority enforcement, landlord preparedness, and readiness of courts to handle rent disputes and evictions. Approaches to improving tenant and landlord awareness and access to information and support will be considered.
Delegates will discuss how landlords and agents can respond to new compliance requirements, including the role of technology in improving monitoring of housing conditions. Implications of Section 21 no fault eviction abolition and reforms to Section 8 criteria will also be assessed, including the effect of changes to the balance of power between tenants and landlords, with discussion on approaches for handling cases of significant rent arrears and the way forward for mediation.
Standards, compliance & sector transition
Sessions will examine what transitioning to periodic contracts may mean for tenant security and landlord confidence, and how stronger standards under Awaab’s Law and the Decent Homes Standard can be delivered.
The creation of a national database and a new mandatory Private Rental Sector ombudsman will be discussed, as well as expectations for secondary legislation, and implications for enforcement capacity, compliance costs, and the role of local authorities.
Delegates will also assess stakeholder readiness, including what is needed for letting agents to be able to meet new compliance duties, and resourcing commitments for local enforcement, along with wider implications of the 2025 Autumn Budget, including the increase in income tax on property income.
Energy efficiency, building safety & design
Delegates will examine measures in the recently published Warm Homes Plan which proposes new protections for renters and wider energy efficiency programmes, assessing their potential effectiveness in supporting decarbonisation and energy efficiency targets. There will be discussion on proposed mandatory timelines for landlords to meet minimum EPC-C standards, including proposed spending threshold caps and exemptions, and implications for affordability and rent levels. Key themes include priorities for assessment and local authority enforcement, as well as the impact on fuel poverty and tenant health.
Sessions will also assess how best to support regulatory transition, as well as wider considerations for ongoing identification and remediation of dangerous cladding. This includes longer-term priorities for housing safety, building design, and resilience to risks such as flooding, drawing on lessons from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry and recent research on new-build vulnerabilities.
Housing market implications
In the wider context of national housing policy, delegates will consider issues for housing supply, landlord confidence, and market stability. Discussion will examine how housebuilding reform might impact long-term price and supply dynamics in the sector, including financial implications for Build to Rent models and access to financial investment.
Options for rent control in high-cost areas and the treatment of tenants under Right to Rent rules will be discussed, alongside priorities for supporting access to affordable rents, monitoring adherence to new anti-discrimination measures for property letting, and options for supporting the viability of long-term home ownership ambitions. Wider alignment with the recently published National Plan to End Homelessness and Fuel Poverty Strategy will also be discussed, considering effective approaches across the sector to identifying and supporting those at higher risk, including data sharing and access to emergency support.
Further areas for discussion include how reform may affect the student housing market and consumer behaviour, looking at the potential of exemptions for purpose-built student accommodation to mitigate potential adverse effects for providers.
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates. As well as key stakeholders, those already due to attend include officials from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government; Department for Business and Trade; Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Department for Energy Security and Net Zero; Home Office; NI Assembly; and the Welsh Government.
