Opinion: Renters’ reforms are overdue – but for tenants in Sheffield, they’re a step forward
Major changes to renting have come into force marking one of the biggest overhauls of the private housing system in decades
For the first time in my adult life, a change in housing policy feels like it has made a tangible difference to me as a renter.
The government’s new Renters’ Rights reforms introduce what, on the surface, look like common-sense changes: more flexibility for tenants, limits on rent increases, and an end to so-called “no-fault” evictions.
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But in a sector that has long lagged behind, even common sense can feel like progress. And progress is overdue.
Renting is no longer a marginal experience. According to the latest English Housing Survey, around 4.7 million households now rent privately, roughly double the proportion seen in the 1980s and 90s.
Despite this, tenants have often had limited control over the places they call home: and I have experienced that imbalance first-hand.
When I moved back to Sheffield for work, I needed somewhere quickly and ended up in a one-bed garden flat. It wasn’t luxurious, but it fit what I thought was my budget at the time.
What I didn’t know - what you can’t know from a viewing - was what living there would actually be like.
As the seasons changed, problems started to appear. Snails came through a broken door that was never properly fixed.
In winter, the flat was freezing. In summer, the floor would sweat - condensation building under cheap flooring and leaving it damp, even with a dehumidifier running constantly.
Even the basics didn’t work: the flat was “furnished”, but the mattress didn’t fit the bed, and I wasn’t allowed to replace it.
As my first salaried job, I also misjudged how far my income would stretch. The reality was that rent, bills and council tax left very little room for anything else.
Despite the flat’s condition, once I’d signed a 12-month tenancy, none of that mattered. I was stuck.
The new rules change that equation. If a property no longer offers value for money, tenants have a route out.
That feels like a basic standard that most other industries already meet - and one that should have been met for renters a long time ago.
The end of Section 21 evictions marks another major milestone.
“No-fault” evictions have never made sense to me. I remember walking to primary school with my best friend who told me her family had been asked to leave the home they’d lived in for 10 years - with just a few months to find somewhere new.
At that age, none of us understood it. One day she was there - then she was gone, with a new house, new school and a life she hadn’t chosen.
For many families in Sheffield, renting isn’t temporary - which is why ending no-fault evictions and giving tenants more security matters.
The bigger issue hasn’t gone away. Rents are still high, supply is still limited, and for many of us, affordability remains the real challenge.
But although it will not fix everything - it does begin to rebalance a system that has long favoured landlords. And for once, it feels like the rental market is starting to work a little more in favour of the people paying into it.