A proptech platform has warned that many landlords are unprepared for compliance requirements under the Renters’ Rights Act, with a critical deadline approaching at the end of this month.
According to LeaseSafe, a platform launched this month, the primary issue is landlords failing to provide tenants with the mandatory Information Sheet on the Act. The sheet must be delivered to tenants before 31 March, with non-compliance carrying fines of up to £7,000.
Common compliance errors
The company has identified three recurring patterns of non-compliance among landlords. These include mishandling requests to keep pets, confusion over who is responsible for issuing the Information Sheet, and attempting to reissue Section 21 ‘no fault’ eviction notices that are no longer valid under the new framework.
Richard Offenbach, founder of LeaseSafe, said: “The three patterns we keep seeing aren’t bad-faith landlords cutting corners. They’re good landlords applying the old playbook to a new framework. Pet requests handled by text, Information Sheets assumed to be the agent’s job, Section 21 notices in a holding pattern – all reasonable under the previous rules, all exposed under the new ones.”
Responsibility confusion
A significant number of landlords believe the obligation to issue the Information Sheet rests with their letting agent rather than themselves. However, in most agency arrangements, the legal obligation falls directly on the landlord, as standard agent terms typically do not cover the new statutory requirement.
The legislative changes have created challenges across the buy-to-let sector, with mortgage applications reflecting broader uncertainty in the rental market. Meanwhile, other property reforms continue to face scrutiny over implementation details.
New pet regulations
Under the Act, tenants now have strengthened rights to request permission to keep a pet, and landlords are prohibited from charging additional rent for pet ownership. The changes represent a shift in the regulatory framework governing the private rental sector.
LeaseSafe offers small portfolio landlords a compliance prompt service designed to track and alert them to statutory requirements. The platform’s launch comes as the sector adjusts to multiple regulatory changes affecting landlord obligations and tenant rights.
