- New Housing Hand survey sheds light on major lack of understanding of the Act among renters
- 29% of renters don’t know what the Renters’ Rights Act is, while 37% have heard of it but don’t know what it involves
- 42% find the UK rental market ‘confusing’ right now
On the brink of the biggest change to renting in a generation, with the Renters’ Rights Act implementation commencing from 1st May 2026, UK rental services provider Housing Hand has revealed that 78% of renters don’t know how it impacts their rights. Only 22% of tenants, just over 1 in 5, felt they did – down from 1 in 4, 25%, in 2025.
The insights are from Housing Hand’s second annual survey of UK private rental sector tenants, as presented in its newly published Understanding Renters in 2026 report.
Around 1,700 renters took part in the survey, including student renters and working professionals. At the time the survey was undertaken, three months prior to the Renters’ Rights Act’s implementation date, 88% of renters admitted they didn’t know when that date was.
Graham Hayward, Managing Director of Housing Hand, which provides guarantor, depositless and other services designed to make finding and renting a home easy, comments: “Confusion is rife in the rental sector, with significant knowledge gaps among tenants as to precisely what the Renters’ Rights Act is and how it affects them. Such large-scale change is, of course, never entirely smooth sailing, but it seems there is still much to be done in terms of getting the message out there about how renting is changing.”
The need for clarity of information is clear; Housing Hand found that 42% of renters find the UK rental market “confusing” right now.
Interestingly, of the 22% of renters who feel confident they understand the Act’s implications for their rights (a figure that drops to 19% for student renters), many are considering the longer-term impact of the changes on different types of tenancies. 1 in 5 renters who understand the Act say they will choose to rent a different type of property due to the changes it introduces, while another 27% may consider doing so.
Graham Hayward goes on to comment: “The next couple of years will be a very interesting time for the rental sector, as tenants’ choices reflect a growing appreciation for their new rights. Understanding of the Renters’ Rights Act may be limited currently, but as awareness grows we will see the sector evolve in new ways and stand ready to support both our renter clients and accommodation providers and landlords through these changes.”
Housing Hand’s Understanding Renters in 2026 report also delves into how tenants feel about renting, how far in advance they plan their rental finances, their understanding of guarantors, Right to Rent checks and depositless schemes, and much more. The comprehensive snapshot of the current rental sector landscape is available to download at www.housinghand.com/understanding-renters-in-2026.
For more information, please contact Housing Hand on +44 (0) 207 205 2625 or visit www.housinghand.com
