Briefs, Belief and the Bar

Learning housing law as the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 unfolds is like studying anatomy in the middle of surgery. You work through cases, master doctrines, and memorise statutes—only for Parliament to rewrite the rules just as you’re grasping them.

As a second-year LLB student aiming for the Bar, I’ve been watching this Act with particular interest. I haven’t settled on a practice area, but housing law stands out because it impacts real people—families, single parents, young professionals, and older renters—whose day-to-day security relies on rules most have never encountered. The key legal principles we study—fairness, reasonableness, access to justice—are woven into the fabric of housing law.

This Act is more than just another law to memorise—it fundamentally reshapes how renting operates in England. It’s a powerful reminder of my motivation for studying law: real change often happens quietly, in everyday moments and private spaces, long before any courtroom debate.

Here’s how I understand the Act as a law student.

The end of ASTs and Section 21 — a seismic doctrinal shift

For decades, the private rented sector has depended on assured shorthold tenancies (ASTs), introduced by the Housing Act 1988. I’ve spent countless hours studying their development and how Section 21 enabled landlords to evict tenants without providing a reason.

The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 dismantles that structure:

• ASTs are abolished entirely.
• All new tenancies become periodic assured tenancies by default.
• Section 21 “no-fault” evictions are removed.¹

As a student of both housing and constitutional law, I find this development fascinating. Parliament is undoing one of the most significant possession powers landlords have ever held. The legal landscape is moving from landlord flexibility to tenant security—a doctrinal shift you typically encounter only in textbooks, but this time, it’s unfolding in reality.

Rent increases, rent in advance, and contract fairness

In law school we are constantly encouraged to ask:
“Is this rule fair? And fair to whom?”

The Act’s reforms around rent and payments directly engage that question:

• Rent increases limited to once per year and subject to tribunal challenge.
• Rent in advance capped at one month for new tenancies.
• Rent bidding prohibited — landlords cannot encourage tenants to outbid each other. ^{2 3}

These reforms lean toward consumer protection principles. Contract law, housing law and public policy all intersect here — a perfect example of how law balances economic reality against fairness.

Pets, discrimination, and dignity in renting

Housing is personal. It’s about dignity, stability, family and daily life. The Act reflects this:

• Tenants gain a right to request a pet, which landlords can only refuse on reasonable grounds.
• Discrimination against children or benefit-claimants (“No DSS”) is prohibited.⁴

These provisions go beyond technicalities—they are grounded in values. Entering the legal profession later in life, I’m reminded that law is, at its core, about people rather than paperwork.

Enforcement: database + ombudsman = access to justice in action

Public law talks endlessly about “access to justice.” This Act gives that principle real substance:

• A national landlord and property database improves transparency and enforcement.
• A Private Rented Sector Ombudsman gives tenants a way to seek redress without immediately entering the court system.⁵

For renters unfamiliar with the court system, these changes are significant. As a future advocate, I recognise how these reforms will transform the practical realities—not just the legal framework.

The Government’s timeline — what happens when

The Government recognises that this is a major reform and has set out a phased implementation plan.

Phase 1 — 1 May 2026

This is the big moment. The core reforms take effect:

• End of fixed-term ASTs
• Mandatory periodic tenancies
• Abolition of Section 21
• Updated grounds for possession begin to operate^{6 7}

Phase 2 — late 2026

• National landlord/property database goes live
• Landlords required to join the PRS Ombudsman
• Strengthened rent repayment order regime⁸

Phase 3 — 2027 and beyond

• Decent Homes Standard for private renting
• Further compliance and enforcement measures
• Energy efficiency requirements (subject to final regulations)⁹

As a law student, I’m most interested in seeing how these reforms play out in real life:
How will the courts interpret the new grounds?
Will tribunals approach rent disputes fairly and consistently?
Will the database prove effective for enforcement?
Will tenants truly grasp their new rights?

Experiencing a major legislative reform as it unfolds—rather than just learning about it from textbooks—has been an invaluable education.

Final Thoughts

The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 isn’t just a small revision—it represents a fundamental rebalancing of landlord-tenant law in England.

As a 41-year-old law student managing work, studies, and family, this Act reinforces my motivation for pursuing the Bar. Law has the capacity to safeguard the vulnerable, restore balance in relationships, and reintroduce fairness where it has faded.

Someday, I hope to argue possession cases, tribunal appeals, or discrimination claims based on these very provisions I’m learning now.

For the moment, I’m studying law at my kitchen table after my son’s bedtime—and witnessing it transform in real time.

— Manuel

Footnotes

1. Dentons – Overview of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025
   https://www.dentons.com/en/insights/articles/2025/october/28/the-renters-rights-act-2025 ↩︎
2. Pinsent Masons – Guide for Private Landlords
   https://www.pinsentmasons.com/out-law/guides/renters-rights-act-2025-guide-private-landlords-england ↩︎
3. The Independent Landlord – Renters’ Rights Act: 12 Key Provisions
   https://theindependentlandlord.com/rrb-overview/ ↩︎
4. LettingaProperty – Renters’ Rights Act 2025 Explained
   https://www.lettingaproperty.com/landlord/blog/renters-rights-act-2025/ ↩︎
5. Mortgage Solutions – Government Implementation Timeline
   https://www.mortgagesolutions.co.uk/news/2025/11/14/govt-unveils-implementation-timeline-for-renters-rights-act/ ↩︎
6. Propertymark – 1 May Implementation Date
   https://www.propertymark.co.uk/resource/1-may-is-the-date-for-tenancy-reforms-under-the-renters-rights-act.html ↩︎
7. Government Implementation Roadmap (PDF)
   https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6915beb8bc34c86ce4e6e730/Implementing_Renters_Rights_Act_2025_-_roadmap.pdf ↩︎
8. MHCLG – PRS Ombudsman & Database Guidance
   https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/private-rented-sector-ombudsman-guidance ↩︎
9. Property Industry Eye – Government Roadmap Article
   https://propertyindustryeye.com/government-reveals-roadmap-for-renters-rights-act-implementation/ ↩︎

Pupillage Interview Advice

“He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” — Micah 6:8

“The core of the rule of law is that all persons and authorities within the state, whether public or private, should be bound by and entitled to the benefit of laws publicly made.” — Lord Bingham, The Rule of Law (2010)

I have spent most of my adult life in a world very different from law — over 14 years in global shipping and logistics, overseeing operations, compliance, contracts, and facing real-world pressure that never fits neatly into a textbook. It was a career that shaped me: it sharpened my problem-solving skills, taught me to lead people, and required integrity in situations where it would have been easier to compromise.

But even as I was developing that career, something else was quietly growing alongside it — a persistent pull towards advocacy, justice, and the work of the Bar. I’ve always been attracted to the discipline of argument, the precision of language, and the importance of standing up for someone who needs a voice. For years, that calling remained beside me rather than in front of me — until now.

At 41, I’m pursuing that long-held aspiration by retraining for a career at the Bar. I’m approaching it not as a school-leaver or a university graduate with an empty CV, but as a husband, a father, a Christian, and someone who understands what it means to build a life, support a family, and start afresh with purpose.

Studying law at this stage of life looks different: my case notes sit alongside toy cars, my revision sessions sometimes start after bedtime stories, and my calling is no longer just about what I will do — but who I am becoming. My faith has played a significant role in this journey. It reminds me that justice isn’t just an academic concept — it’s a command. That advocacy isn’t merely a skill — it’s service. And that careers aren’t just built — they’re stewarded.

Over the coming weeks and months, this blog will explore:

• Studying law later in life and preparing for the Bar
• How faith informs my understanding of justice, argument, and ethics
• The realities of shifting from industry into legal training
• Balancing family, calling, ambition, and discipleship
• What I’m learning about pupillage, advocacy, and the legal profession

If you’re someone who’s also navigating a career shift, studying law, working toward the Bar, or trying to follow Christ in a professional world, you’re in the right place. I hope this space encourages you, challenges you, or simply reminds you that your journey doesn’t have to look like everyone else’s to be legitimate.

This is just the beginning — but it’s the right beginning.

Until next time,

Manuel