| Year | Name of Act | Affecting |
| 1974 | Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 | Provide a safe place of work. Provide safe equipment. Ensure staff are properly trained. Carry out risk assessments. Provide proper facilities. Appoint a competent person to oversee health and safety. |
| Control of Pollution Act 1974 | controls noise on construction sites | |
| 1977 | Rent Act 1977 | introduced significant changes to the regulation of rent in the private sector, creating protected tenancies and establishing fair rent mechanisms |
| Protection from Eviction Act 1977 | Designed to safeguard the rights of residential occupiers and ensure that landlords follow proper legal procedures when seeking possession of a property. | |
| Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 | Restrictions on excluding liability for personal injuries | |
| Criminal Law Act 1977 | Restriction on use of force to secure entry to property. | |
| 1980 | Housing Act 1980 | The Right to Buy scheme was introduced, allowing council tenants to purchase their homes at a discount |
| 1984 | Building Act 1984 | Consolidated Building Regulations |
| 1985 | Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 | Section 11 defines landlord is responsible for property maintenance. |
| 1986 | Gas Act 1986 | If gas is present, a contract is deemed to have arisen (with the occupier) as soon as a customer moves into a property. |
| 1987 | Consumer Protection Act 1987 | This Legislation means that landlords have a legal obligation and a duty of care to tenants to ensure that the electrical installation and the electrical equipment supplied is safe. |
| 1988 | Furniture and Furnishings (Fire Safety) Regulations 1988/1989, 1993 and 2010 | Set levels of fire resistance for domestic upholstered furniture, furnishings and other products containing upholstery. |
| Housing Act 1988 | This Act revolutionized the private rental sector by introducing Assured Shorthold Tenancies (ASTs) as the default tenancy type. It provided more flexibility for landlords and simplified the process of regaining possession | |
| 1989 | Electricity Act 1989 | Similar to Gas Act 1986 |
| 1990 | Environmental Protection Act 1990 | Provided allowances for tenants to pursue prosecution of landlords where poor housing conditions are considered a “statutory nuisance” and/or “prejudicial to health”. Cases typically arise around properties where a “nuisance” results from emissions of smoke, fumes, and gases, or other factors such as damp, noise, light or waste levels impacting the local environment. |
| 1995 | Disability Discrimination Act 1995 | Made it unlawful to discriminate on the basis of an individual’s disability, regarding employment, provision of goods and services, education and transport. In relation to housing, the legislation protects the disabled and those with mental health difficulties from eviction and other actions which could jeopardise their health or safety. Significantly, the Act’s stipulations apply regardless of the landlord’s knowledge of their tenants’ disability. |
| 1996 | Housing Act 1996 | Mostly aimed at Councils and Social Landlords. Addressed homelessness and housing allocation, introducing measures to assess and assist homeless individuals and families. |
| Party Wall Etc Act 1996 | Requirement to give notices in relation to party wall work | |
| Family Law Act 1996 | Deals with security of tenure for spouses where the departing partner is the sole named tenant | |
| 1997 | Protection from Harassment Act 1997 | Outlawed harassment of an individual, and protect victims of harassment. |
| 1998 | Gas Safety (Installation and use) Regulations 1998 | Introduced annual gas safety checks. |
| 1999 | Rent Act (Maximum Fair Rent) Order 1999 | Introduced a formula for calculating maximum fair rent for Rent Act regulated tenancies. |
| 2000 | Building Regulations 2000 | Substantially expanded requirements when carrying out building work. |
| Utilities Act 2000 | Specified maximum resale price for gas. | |
| 2001 | Housing Benefit Regulations 2001 | Tidied up Housing Benefits |
| 2002 | Land Registration Act 2002 | Introduces a new scheme for protecting the interests of registered proprietors against the acquisition of title by persons in adverse possession, or “squatters”. A squatter will be able to apply to be registered as proprietor after ten years’ adverse possession. |
| The Electrical Safety Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002 | Duties in relation to customers installations outside the building which would present a danger to the public. | |
| Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 | Restrictions on forfeiture. Control over administration charges. | |
| 2003 | The Immigration (Restrictions on Employment and Residential Accommodation) (Prescribed Requirements and Codes of Practice) and Licensing Act 2003 (Personal and Premises Licences) (Forms) Order 2021 | Requires ‘right to rent’ check on all potential occupants. Updated after Brexit. |
| 2004 | Housing Act 2004 | Brought about Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS):HMO Licensing, mandatory and additionalSelective Licensing (non HMOs)EPC’s (Energy Performance Certificates)Tenancy Deposit ProtectionHMO management regulationsLandlord’s repairing obligationsProhibition orders – preventing landlords from letting out properties that fail to meet the required standards for health and safetyEmpty Dwell Management Orders (EDMOs)Rent Repayment Orders Fire Safety, especially in HMOs. |
| Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 | Powers of entry to obtain information to investigate fires. |
| 2006 | Health Act 2006 | Prohibition on smoking in common parts. Obligation to display no smoking signs. |
| Housing Health and Safety Rating System (England) Regulations 2005 | Introduces 29 recognised risk categories that should be minimised. | |
| 2010 | Equality Act 2010 | Consolidated many acts, simply meaning no-one should be discriminated against. |
| 2011 | Localism Act 2011 | Allows Local Authorities to set local Council Tax Changes to the tenancy deposit protection rules: 14-day time limit extended to 30 days. |
| Energy Act 2011 | Introduced the Green Deal | |
| 2012 | Deposit Protection of Tenants Monies 2007 (Revised 2012) | The timeframe in which landlords were required to submit their tenants’ deposit to a scheme increased from 14 to 30 days. At the same time, tenants were given the legal right to sue in the event of a landlord not returning their deposit monies. |
| Local Government Finance Act 2012: Council Tax Exemptions | Allows Councils to alter council tax discounts for second homes and empty properties. | |
| 2014 | Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 | Closure Notices and Orders New mandatory ground for possession Ground 7A New discretionary grounds for possession Grounds 14(aa) and Ground 14ZA |
| Redress Schemes for Lettings Agency Work and Property Management Work | Agents must belong to a redress scheme | |
| 2015 | Deregulation Act 2015 (and Revision) | Retaliatory Evictions: prohibited landlords from serving a Section 21 notice (no-fault eviction) in response to a tenant’s legitimate complaint about the condition of the property. Prescribed Information: Landlords are required to provide tenants with certain prescribed information, including a copy of the government’s “How to Rent” guide, gas safety certificate, and energy performance certificate. Deposit Protection: The Act clarified and strengthened deposit protection rules. Limitations on Rent Increases: Restrictions were introduced on the frequency of rent increases for Assured Shorthold Tenancies (ASTs), limiting landlords to one rent increase per 12-month period. Abandonment of Property: The Act provided a process for landlords to deal with abandoned properties, streamlining the process for regaining possession in such cases. Changes to Section 21 Notices: The Act introduced changes to the Section 21 eviction process, including restrictions on serving a Section 21 notice during the first four months of a tenancy and the introduction of a six-month notice period. |
| 2015 | The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015 | Landlords are required to install smoke alarms on each floor of a rented property where there is living accommodation. Carbon monoxide alarms must be installed in rooms containing a solid fuel-burning appliance. |
| The Assured Shorthold Tenancy Notices and Prescribed Requirements (England) Regulations 2015 | Requires landlords to serve an EPC, gas safety certificate and how to rent booklet or lose the right to use section 21 notices. | |
| Consumer Rights Act 2015 | Requirement for contract terms and notices to be fair. | |
| The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 | Sets out which developments do not need planning permission to go ahead. Sets out the procedure for implementing Article 4 directions in an area. | |
| Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 | Obligations to ensure minimum safety and health requirements on construction sites. | |
| 2016 | Finance Bill 2016: Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT), Wear and Tear Allowance | Applied a 3% surcharge on Stamp Duty Land Tax rates for buy-to-let properties and additional homes. Exchanged the 10% annual wear and tear allowance for a new system to cover replacement costs only |
| Finance Bill 2016: Section 24 | Introduced a restriction on tax relief on buy-to-let mortgages. | |
| Immigration Act 2016: Right to Rent | Requires private landlords to conduct background checks into potential tenants from outside of the United Kingdom. | |
| Housing and Planning Act 2016 | Creates a rogue landlord database. Introduces banning orders. Introduces civil penalties. | |
| 2018 | Minimum Energy Efficiency Rating (MEES) | Stopped rental of properties with EPC rating less than E (F or G). |
| Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation (Mandatory Conditions of Licences) (England) Regulations 2018 | Creates a licensing condition to comply with local authority waste disposal schemes. Minimum room sizes for licenced properties. Removes three storey requirements for mandatory HMO licensing. | |
| Data Protection Act 2018 | Introduces a number of new requirements around data protection. | |
| Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 | Allows tenants to sue landlords regarding property conditions without first seeking assistance from the local authority |
| 2019 | Tenant Fees Act 2019 | Banned most letting fees paid by tenants in the private rented sector in England. |
| 2020 | Breathing Space Regulations | Provide eligible individual debtors with problem debt a period of protection from their creditors known as a “breathing space moratorium”. The aim is to give people the time to access professional debt advice, without the stress caused by spiralling debt and impending enforcement action. However, payment of all “ongoing liabilities” must continue during this time. |
| The Heat Network (Metering and Billing) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 | Obliges landlords with heat networks to perform a cost assessment and install meters or heat cost allocators by 1 September 2022 if it is cost effective to do so. | |
| 2021 | The Assured Tenancies and Agricultural Occupancies (Forms) (England) (Amendment) and Suspension (Coronavirus) Regulations 2021 | Updated the Section 8 and Section 21 forms |
| Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold Property) Act 2021 | Obliges landlords of multi-occupied dwellings to respond to access requests from telecommunications installers. | |
| Fire Safety Act 2021 | Sets out requirements for duty holders/owners for multi-occupied residential buildings. | |
| The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development etc.) (England) (Amendment) Order 2021 | Creates new permitted development rights for properties that were previously in commercial use | |
| The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 | Makes electrical safety checks mandatory for all PRS properties. |
Note that some of this legislation has been amended/superseded.
