Yet more polling data finds positivity amongst the public about the Renters Right Act but little awareness of what it actually means.
An Ipsos poll shows three-quarters of Britons (73%) and an even higher proportion of those currently renting privately (85%) have heard of the Act.
But one in four (23%) haven’t heard of the Act and 22% say they have heard of it but know nothing about it.
Private renters are more clued up, but 1 in 8 of this tenure (12%) haven’t heard of the Act, 14% say they have but know nothing.
People are more positive than negative about its impact – 36% are positive, 10% negative – but most are lukewarm (22%) or don’t know (31%).
However, they warm to it after seeing a selection of the Act’s main provisions.
Half (52%) expect it to have a positive impact, 11% expect a negative impact. 7 in 10 (69%) private renters expect it to have a positive impact (just 4% are negative).
The abolition of Section 21 evictions is the most well-known change – 71% of people have heard of this but 22% of the public haven’t and nor have 13% of private renters.
One in three or more of the public – at least one in five private renters – haven’t heard of six other provisions including changes designed to bring more financial security to renters:
- 33% hadn’t heard that landlords will only be able to increase rents once a year (20% of private renters);
- 38% hadn’t heard that landlords and agents will have to list rental properties with a fixed price and will be banned from encouraging or accepting bidding wars (24% of private renters);
- 38% hadn’t heard that landlords will only be allowed to take/accept one month’s rent in advance (25% of private renters).
A third are very (11%) or fairly concerned (22%) about their ability to pay their rent/mortgage repayments at the moment.
As was the case in May 2022, more private renters are very or fairly concerned about their ability to pay the rent at the moment (51%) than are not (46%) – the equivalent figures were 54% and 45% four years ago.
There is a continued shortage of confidence about affordability.
Three-quarters of the public are not very/at all confident about homes becoming more affordable to rent in Britain in the next few years (73%) and to buy (75%) affordability to buy.
Confidence is low/in short supply regardless of political affiliation.
Just 30% of 2024 Labour voters are confident about Britain building enough affordable new homes, 20% of Conservative voters, 19% of Lib Dems and 16% of those who voted Reform UK.
Fewer than 1 in 5 (17%) think the Labour Government is doing a good job at improving housing, a decline of 4ppts since May 2025.
There isn’t a clear view on a party that has a better approach to housing, with around one in four each thinking that Reform UK (25%), the Green Party (23%), and the Conservative Party (22%) would do a better job than the Labour Government at improving housing in Britain.
