Reform UK has pledged to scrap the Renters’ Rights Act if it wins the next General Election, framing the policy as a response to what it describes as a shrinking supply of private rented homes and rising rental costs.

The party’s deputy leader and new business, trade, and energy spokesperson, Richard Tice, argues the legislation is an example of “well-intentioned legislation that is having the opposite effect”, and says landlords are reassessing whether the sector still offers a workable balance between risk and reward.

From a landlord perspective, the most immediate point raised by Tice is operational: he said many landlords are concluding it has become too difficult to remove a tenant if they want to sell, or if a tenant is not paying. In his view, the Renters’ Rights Act has moved beyond its original intent and is pushing landlords to exit.

Tice states “There’s a balance of risk and reward – too many [landlords] are saying ‘enough is enough’. The Act is well-intentioned around period of notice to quit but it’s gone way beyond this.

“If you take it too far it will have the opposite effect. Property numbers are reducing – if you reduce supply, the prices go up.”

Reform’s broader argument is that regulation is contributing to falling rental stock, and that this reduced supply then feeds directly into higher rents. The party leader, Nigel Farage, linked this to pressures on tenants’ household budgets and to supply constraints more generally, claiming a 60% reduction in private rental availability in his own constituency of Clacton since 2020.

Farage commented “The percentage of people’s income being spent on rent – it’s a disaster – we need more supply of property to rent.

“There’s a chronic problem with social housing and a profound sense of unfairness that people who come to this country in small dinghies can be on the social housing list.”

Alongside the repeal pledge, Reform also set out additional housing-related measures. Tice promised to make getting planning permission easier, and the party announced plans for a new British Sovereign Wealth Fund that it says would ultimately fund thousands of new homes.

Tenant Groups React

However, tenant groups have reacted sharply to Reform’s stance, arguing the pledge would reverse protections they see as necessary. The chief executive of Generation Rent, Ben Twomey said “Forcing people back into insecure and unsafe homes is not a promise, it’s a threat levelled at England’s 11 million private renters.

“Our homes are the foundations of our lives, so it is disgraceful to see Reform UK pledging to roll back new and essential protections that would improve the quality of our homes and help us to stay in them for longer.

“Reform UK had nothing to say at the debates about the Renters’ Rights Bill when it was passing through Parliament.

“They also haven’t spoken to renter groups like us about their plans, which would be a gift to unscrupulous landlords who are responsible for the poor conditions renters face right now.

“Renters have fought for decades for laws that give people greater security in their jobs and homes. “The public widely supports the new laws to protect us, so we urge Reform UK to show renters more respect and think again about what they are offering voters.”