Post navigation
NextLandlords are more prepared for MTD ahead of April deadline than expected Print
Letting agents and landlords are increasingly turning to rental insurance ahead of the Renters’ Rights Act coming into effect in May, new data shows.
Analysis from Goodlord, a UK lettings tech platform offering services including Rent Protection Insurance, found a 41% rise in demand for rental insurance products between September and December 2025. The surge followed the Renters’ Rights Bill receiving Royal Assent on 27 October, after years of debate in Parliament.
“The passing of the Bill into law really focused minds across the sector,” said Oli Sherlock, managing director of insurance at Goodlord. “There had been so many false starts over the years, it took Royal Assent for lots of agents to truly step up their preparations. We saw an absolute explosion in rent protection demand as soon as the Bill cleared the final stages; it was like a massive alarm had sounded across the market.”A recent survey of 234 letting agents and landlords conducted by Goodlord found that 76% said the Renters’ Rights Act had increased their likelihood of taking out insurance. Eleven percent said their position was unchanged, while 1% said they were less likely to take out insurance as a result of the Act.
The Act, which comes into effect on 1 May, introduces a range of new rules for the private rented sector. These include the abolition of so-called ‘no fault’ evictions (Section 8), meaning landlords must follow a more complex process to regain possession of a property (via a Section 13 notice).
Tenants will also be able to formally challenge rent increases, and agents can no longer request more than one month’s rent in advance, which becomes due on the first day of the tenancy.
Industry professionals have raised concerns about potential delays in eviction proceedings, longer rental disputes, and last-minute tenancy cancellations.
Rental Protection Insurance typically covers agents and their landlords in the event that tenants miss or withhold rental payments, as well as additional outlays such as legal costs and property damage.
“The Act is bringing in a lot of change and the market is recalibrating accordingly,” adds Sherlock. “Lots of the major causes of concern – whether that’s around court back-logs, gazundering, or disappearing tenants – may not come to pass in the volumes some predict, but agents and their landlords clearly don’t want to take any chances at a time of such market uncertainty.”
Back to Homepage
