Tenants now have more ways to challenge you
Since 1 May 2026, the Renters’ Rights Act has changed the balance between landlords and tenants in England. Most landlords in Bounds Green, Bowes Park and Wood Green aren’t doing anything wrong. But the Act gives tenants more routes to raise a complaint, and more reasons to use them.
That doesn’t mean every tenant is looking for a fight. It means small slips that once went unnoticed can now lead to a formal complaint, a council fine or a tribunal claim. A missed deadline, a late repair or the wrong paperwork is enough.
If you manage your own property, you carry that risk alone. This guide explains where the new pressure points are, what the ombudsman changes mean for you, and how a professional managing agent keeps you on the right side of the rules.
How the Act shifts power towards tenants
The first phase of the Act brought the biggest changes to renting in decades. Section 21, often called the “no fault” eviction notice, has gone. Assured shorthold tenancies have been replaced with periodic tenancies that roll on month to month with no fixed end date.
That means you can only regain possession using a legal reason, known as a statutory ground, and you’ll need evidence to back it up. Tenants know this, and many feel more secure about pushing back when something goes wrong.
Other Phase 1 rules also give tenants new grounds to challenge you:
- Rent increases: you can only raise the rent once a year using a formal Section 13 notice, and tenants can challenge the amount at a tribunal.
- Rent in advance and bidding: you can’t ask for more than one month’s rent upfront or accept offers above the advertised rent.
- Pets: tenants can ask to keep a pet, and you can’t refuse without a reasonable explanation.
- Discrimination: you can’t turn tenants away because they have children or receive benefits.
- Paperwork: new tenancies need a written statement of terms, and existing tenants had to receive the government information sheet by 31 May 2026.
Each rule is a new point where a tenant could say you got it wrong.
The ombudsman and tenants’ rights: what’s coming
You may have seen the Housing Ombudsman in the news. It currently handles complaints from social housing tenants, such as those renting from councils and housing associations. Its decisions are binding, which means landlords must follow them.
The Act creates a new service for private renters: the Private Rented Sector (PRS) Landlord Ombudsman. The government has said the Housing Ombudsman is its preferred choice to run it, although this hasn’t been formally confirmed. Membership will be compulsory for almost every private landlord, including those who manage their own homes. Mandatory membership is currently expected from 2028.
Once it’s live, a tenant who isn’t happy with how you’ve handled a repair, a complaint or your general conduct can take it to the ombudsman for free. The ombudsman can order you to:
- apologise or explain what happened
- carry out repairs or other remedial work
- pay compensation
Alongside this, the new PRS database starts rolling out from late 2026. You’ll need to register yourself and each property, along with safety certificates. Tenants will be able to check whether you’re registered, and councils will use the database to target enforcement.
Timings for both schemes could move, so check the latest government guidance before you plan around a date.
Where landlord complaints and disputes start
Most Renters’ Rights Act disputes don’t begin with a big event. They start with something small that gets left too long or handled without a paper trail. Common triggers include:
- repairs that take weeks, especially damp, mould or heating problems
- a rent increase served on the wrong form or at the wrong time
- a pet request refused without a clear reason
- missing gas, electrical or Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) documents
- a possession notice that uses a ground you can’t prove
- messages and agreements that only exist in a phone call
The cost of getting it wrong has also gone up. Councils can now issue civil penalties of up to £7,000 for breaches such as rental bidding, discrimination or failing to give tenants the right written information. More serious breaches, including electrical safety failures and unlawful eviction, can bring penalties of up to £40,000.
Tenants can also apply for a Rent Repayment Order in some cases. This is a tribunal order that can require you to repay up to two years’ rent.
If your property is in Haringey, check whether it also needs a licence from the council. Licensing rules sit on top of the Act, and a missing licence is another route to a fine.
How a good managing agent shields you from claims
Full property management won’t stop a tenant from complaining. What it does is make sure there’s very little for a complaint to stick to. Here’s how.
Compliance is tracked, not remembered
A managing agent keeps every certificate, licence and renewal date on file and acts before deadlines pass. That covers gas safety, electrical checks, EPCs, deposit protection and database registration once it opens.
Repairs are logged and dealt with quickly
Most ombudsman cases are about how a landlord responded, not just what went wrong. An agent records each repair request, arranges trusted contractors and keeps tenants updated. If a complaint comes later, there’s a clear timeline showing what was done and when.
Notices are served correctly
Rent increases, pet requests and possession notices all have rules on forms, timing and wording. An agent uses the correct process every time, so a claim can’t be won on a technicality.
There’s an independent buffer
When a tenant raises an issue, they speak to a professional rather than to you directly. That keeps conversations calm and focused on solutions, which is often enough to stop a disagreement turning into a formal dispute.
You’re backed by professional standards
A regulated agent belongs to a redress scheme and a professional body. Ellis & Co Bounds Green is a member of ARLA Propertymark and The Property Ombudsman, and holds Client Money Protection. That means the processes protecting you are checked independently.
Protect your Bounds Green rental before a dispute starts
The Act isn’t designed to punish good landlords. But it does expect every landlord to work like a professional, with clear records, fast responses and correct paperwork. For many people with one or two properties, that’s a lot to manage alongside work and family life.
Ellis & Co Bounds Green has been letting and managing homes in N11 and the surrounding area for more than 40 years. The team, based on Brownlow Road opposite Bounds Green underground station, manages properties across Bounds Green, Bowes Park, Wood Green, Palmers Green, New Southgate, Arnos Grove and Muswell Hill. They know the local housing stock, the Haringey licensing picture and what local tenants expect.
If you’d like to know where your current setup might leave you exposed, speak to the team. You can book a free lettings valuation, call 020 8881 5288 or visit the branch at 10 Queens Parade, Brownlow Road, N11 2DN. For more detail on the new rules, read the Ellis & Co Renters’ Rights Act guide for landlords.
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