Round up of housing law and news: March 2025
Renters' Rights Bill
The Renters' Rights Bill has been brought forward by the government to introduce major private rented sector reforms, including abolishing section 21 and assured shorthold tenancies.
The Bill is progressing through Parliament and is due to return to the House of Lords for the committee stage on 22 April.
The Bill is expected to become law later in 2025.
UK Parliament
Track the progress of the bill and read the latest version on the UK Parliament site.
Legislation
Increases in benefits and court fees from April 2025.
Benefits uprating from April 2025
The Social Security Benefits Up-rating Order 2025 increases benefits rates from April 2025, including universal credit, housing benefit, jobseeker's allowance, pension credit and employment and support allowance.
The Social Security Benefits Up-rating Order 2025
Increase in court fees from April 2025
The Court and Tribunal Fees (Miscellaneous Amendments) Order 2025 increases certain court fees from 8 April 2025. Fees set to increase include the fee for issuing a possession claim in the County Court, which will increase from £391 to £404 and the fee to lodge an appeal in the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber), which will increase from £242 to £250.
The Court and Tribunal Fees (Miscellaneous Amendments) Order 2025
Case law
Suitability reviews, service of notices after a tenancy has ended, and discretion to accept out of time reviews.
Suitability reviews and scope of local authority decisions
The Court of Appeal considered the scope of a local authority decision under a section 202 suitability review. The court found that the local authority was not obliged under the suitability review to consider what other duties might be owed towards the applicant.
Ofori-Addo v London Borough of Haringey [2025] EWCA Civ 277 (18 March 2025)
Service of notices after a tenancy has ended
The County Court held that a former tenant could not rely on the address the former landlord had provided under section 48 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987 to serve a valid tenancy deposit claim.
The court found that section 48, which requires a landlord to provide an address to their tenant for service of notices, did not apply to a former tenant and former landlord relationship. The landlord's address had changed, and the claim form was void.
Lumsden v Charles [2025] EWCC 7 (12 March 2025)
Discretion to accept an out of time review request
The High Court considered whether a local authority's decision not to accept an out of time review request was unreasonable. The homeless applicant submitted a review request five days after the deadline.
The court held that the authority's decision not to accept the review was not irrational and refused the application for judicial review.
News and guidance
Commonhold white paper, the Planning and Infrastructure Bill and more.
Proposal for new commonhold model for homeownership
The government has published a White Paper setting out its proposals to make commonhold the default tenure for homeownership in England and Wales. The proposal would see the abolition of leasehold ownership, and allow flats to be owned under a freehold model.
Report on disabled people in the housing sector
The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee has published the government’s response to a report on disabled people in the housing sector. The original report was published by the committee's predecessor, the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee in May 2024.
UK Parliament: Publication: Government response on disabled people in the housing sector report - Committees - UK Parliament
Second reading of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill
This House of Commons Library covers the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which had its second reading in the Commons on 24 March. The Bill covers proposals to amend planning law, and includes changes to the law around compulsory purchase orders.
House of Commons Library: Planning and Infrastructure Bill 2024-25 - House of Commons Library
Rough sleeping in England
This House of Commons Library briefing examines the causes and statistics of rough sleeping in England. The briefing includes data from 2010 to 2024 on the number of rough sleepers, and covers measures over recent years to reduce rates of rough sleeping.
House of Commons Library: Rough sleeping in England: Causes and statistics - House of Commons Library
Law Society calls for increased legal aid fees
The Law Society has welcomed the government's intention to increase legal aid fees, and has called for fees to increase by 95% to match legal aid levels from 1996 in real terms. The society has also called for greater flexibility in the delivery of legal aid.
Law Society: Legal aid fees must increase to protect this vital public service | The Law Society
Data and trends
Data on the affordability of private renting in England.
Private rentals in England unaffordable for key workers
New analysis from Shelter shows that private renting is increasingly unaffordable for key workers across England.
The analysis shows:
in 45% of local authorities in England, renting in the private sector is unaffordable for newly qualified nurses
the average rent for a one bed home is unaffordable to newly qualified nurses in 93% of local authorities in London and the South East
private rented homes are unaffordable for new teachers in 43% of local authorities in England
Shelter: Private rentals in almost half of England unaffordable to new NHS nurses - Shelter England
The monthly round up of legislation, cases, news and data from Housing Matters