Newham Council has established a dedicated board to oversee the implementation of the Renters' Rights Act 2025, aiming to bolster tenant protections across the borough.
The decision, made by Interim Chief Executive Paul Martin on April 29, 2026, approves a comprehensive implementation plan for the new legislation, which significantly enhances tenant rights and introduces new responsibilities for local authorities. The Renters' Rights Act 2025, which commences on 1 May 2026, imposes new and substantial responsibilities on local authorities
and creates breaches (civil) and 'offences' (criminal)
where laws are not complied with. This includes a significant focus on enforcement and an expectation that local authorities will take specified enforcement actions in response to breaches of the new landlord legislation,
as well as a new council duty to investigate illegal evictions.
A key component of this plan is the adoption of a revised Private Sector Housing Enforcement Policy, effective from May 1, 2026. This policy incorporates government guidelines and the Renters' Rights Act 2025 requirements. It details how civil penalties will be determined, with a discretionary 10% uplift on civil penalty starting points applied to reflect Newham's higher-than-average rents. Average private rents in Newham are approximately 34% higher than the national average of £1,423, demonstrating the significantly elevated housing costs faced by Newham residents. This uplift is intended to ensure that penalties remain a credible deterrent in the local market
and will be reviewed annually to ensure it acts as a deterrent and does not exceed the average rent increase for Newham.
To manage the implementation, a Renters' Rights Act Project Board has been formed, chaired by the Director of Housing Needs. This board will meet monthly to monitor progress, financial expenditure, and agree on future actions. All involved services are to progress the actions outlined in the implementation plan. The Renters' Rights Act Project Board is set to meet monthly and monitor progress, financial expenditure, and agree future actions.
The Renters' Rights Act 2025 will abolish Section 21 no-fault
evictions, limit rent increases to once per year, and prohibit landlords from inviting or accepting offers above the advertised rent, thereby preventing bidding wars. It also introduces new civil and criminal offences for landlords who fail to comply, with increased maximum civil penalties of up to £40,000.
Financially, the implementation will be supported by new burdens funding from the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, totalling £168,000 for preparation costs, and an allocation of £600,000 for 2026/27 and £300,000 for 2027/28 to manage the impact on homelessness services. Further funding of approximately £364,000 for 2026/27 is allocated for additional enforcement. The implementation plan includes mechanisms to ensure the effective and timely distribution of this funding.
Legally, the Act imposes mandatory duties on the Council, and the revised policy is essential for legal enforcement. The decision aligns with the Council Priority 5: 'Homes for our residents', aiming to ensure high-quality, well-managed, and safe rented housing.
An Equality Impact Assessment for the proposal concludes that it has a strong positive equality impact, particularly for groups disproportionately affected by poor-quality private rented housing, such as disabled residents, Black and Global Majority communities, and low-income households. Mitigating actions include multilingual guidance, proportionate enforcement, and officer training.
However, there is a risk that some landlords may leave the market, reducing the supply of affordable private housing in Newham.
The report also notes that Despite enhanced powers, the Act's success depends on Newham Council's capacity to enforce the new standards, particularly given the reliance on proactive rather than reactive management.
More information on the decision can be found in the Public reports pack 29th-Apr-2026 Officer Key Decision and the Public minutes 29th-Apr-2026 Officer Key Decision.