The TDS Charitable Foundation survey demonstrates that 51% possess some familiarity with the legislation but struggle to comprehend what it will signify for their circumstances

Nearly seven in 10 private sector tenants in England have either not encountered or lack understanding of the Renters’ Rights Act, according to a new study.

The TDS Charitable Foundation survey, which involved more than 1,000 respondents from the private rental sector, demonstrates that just more than half of tenants (51%) possess some familiarity with the legislation but struggle to comprehend what it will signify for their circumstances. A further 18% remain entirely ignorant of the new law’s existence.

The findings emerge as the government details plans to deliver the most substantial reform of the rented market in nearly four decades. The legislation, scheduled to come into effect on May 1 next year, will fundamentally reshape the rental landscape through the abolition of ‘no-fault’ eviction provisions, the elimination of fixed-term tenancies, enhanced protections against excessive rent adjustments, and strengthened access provisions for families with dependants and individuals receiving state assistance.

Results of the survey further demonstrate substantial demand for educational material, with 82% of renters indicating they wish to receive greater information regarding how the legislation will affect them.

When questioned regarding their preferred methods of receiving information, 41% indicated a preference for succinct written materials hosted on a dedicated online platform. Email newsletters were favoured by 35%, while 26% expressed interest in audiovisual materials including online tutorials, and 21% preferred physical documentation.

Landlords, like tenants, are seeking greater clarity on the new law.

Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, stressed that unless the government urgently publishes all the guidance documents and written material needed to update tenancy agreements to reflect the changes to come, the plan will prove less a roadmap and more a path to inevitable failure.

Without this, landlords, tenants, agents, councils and the courts will be left without the information required to adapt, creating utter confusion at the very moment clarity is most needed, Beadle said.

The government has pledged to initiate an informational campaign targeting the tenant population; however, this initiative is not expected to commence until four weeks preceding the Act’s effective date.