Renters’ Rights Reform: Updates

What landlords & letting agents
need to know…

Since December 2025, rental properties are being assessed and enforced in a very different way. This isn’t about paperwork. It’s about risk, evidence and legal exposure.

Is the property safe, compliant, and fit for habitation?

Local authorities and regulators now focus on one thing above all else.
Councils are actively using the Housing Health & Safety Rating System (HHSRS) to assess properties against 29 defined hazards — including damp and mould, excess cold, fire safety, electrical risk, and structural issues. If hazards are found and you cannot show professional evidence that they were assessed or managed, enforcement action may follow.

What has Changed?

• Civil penalties can reach up to £40,000

• Council inspections are increasing

• The PRS Ombudsman expects professional-grade evidence

• “It wasn’t there at the start” is no longer a defence

• A standard inventory may protect a deposit but it does not protect against enforcement.

  • Inventories:

  • Record condition
  • Support deposit disputes
  • Join a growing network of like-minded individuals
  • Full support and training given

What You Should Be Doing Now

Landlords and agents should be able to demonstrate:
• Proactive HHSRS risk profiling
• Fire, legionella, smoke & CO checks
• Clear, auditable documentation
• Provide a continuous “Golden Thread” of evidence
If it isn’t assessed and documented, it doesn’t protect you.

  • Compliance evidence:

  • Demonstrates safety
  • Defends against councils & Ombudsman
  • Protects Landlords
  • Protects Lettings Agents

How VeriSmart Helps

• VeriSmart goes beyond traditional inventories by providing:
• Integrated HHSRS, Fire & Legionella assessments
• Verified, high-fidelity reporting
• Evidence designed for scrutiny
• True protection for the new era of renting