Rental discrimination

Families with children and renters on benefits have historically struggled to find homes in the PRS.

The Renters’ Rights Act changes that families with children and renters on benefits have historically struggled to find homes in the PRS. The Renters’ Rights Act changes that.

Proposed Changes

Rules around rental discrimination are being tightened to protect families with children and renters on benefits.

BAN ON DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICES - From May 1, 2026, the Renters’ Rights Act will build on the list of protected characteristics outlined in the Equality Act 2010 to include families with children, benefit recipients, and those on housing allowance. This will outlaw “No DSS” bans, which have been a common practice in the PRS until now.

It should be noted that the Renters’ Rights Act and the Equality Act 2010 will remain two distinct pieces of legislation.

CONTRACT CHANGES In addition to the expanded list of protected characteristics, the Act will render all terms in rental mortgages, contracts, and leases that ban benefit recipients or families unenforceable.

What are protected characteristics? 

A protected characteristic is a personal attribute protected from unlawful discrimination under the Equality Act 2010 in the UK. They include:

• Disability (mental and physical)
• Race
• Religion or belief
• Sex Sexual orientation
• Gender reassignment
• Pregnancy and maternity
• Age
• Marriage and civil partnerships

The Renters’ Rights Act adds families with children and benefit recipients to the list

IMPLICATIONS

Tenants will be further protected from discrimination, while landlords and letting agents will have to be more mindful of their practices.

NO MORE “NO DSS” 

Once a common sight in rental listings, No DSS notices will be banned outright by the new legislation. This means that letting agents and landlords will have to remove it from their listings and ensure that it is not included in any tenancy agreements. The property ombudsman can hand out fines of up to £60,000 for non-compliance.

FAIRER EVALUATIONS

Landlords and letting agents must now consider every prospective tenant on their individual circumstances; blanket bans against families or benefit recipients will be a complete no-go. By documenting your decision-making processes, agents and landlords can stay compliant with the law and offer a more inclusive tenancy journey. 

How we as your agent can help.

Industry-leading referencing and documentation promote an inclusive tenancy process.

STREAMLINED REFERENCING

Our PRO Referencing helps to keep you compliant with housing and discrimination laws.

Our process is completely free of any bias.

IN-BUILT LEGISLATION

All policies and tenancy agreements built within our Tenancy platform are automatically kept in line with any and all relevant legislation.

This means that you can rest assured that your contracts are always up to date with the latest legislation.

IMPORTANT AUDIT TRAILS

Hopefully, you will never need to defend yourself from an accusation of discrimination. But if you do, Our Tenancy Software documents all tenant pre-qualification and provides a full audit trail to reinforce your case. 

Landlord risk is rising. Here’s how to stay protected. Please click the link