Tenants welcome greater flexibility and protection, while landlords warn of growing pressure on Cardiff’s housing market. The beginning of May brought a sense of relief for Melvin, a student renter in Cardiff. The Renters’ Rights Act 2026 came into force on 1st May, marking the biggest overhaul of England’s rental sector in 40 years.
Like many students in Cardiff, he has experienced the uncertainty that comes with shared housing, changing friendships, and long fixed-term contracts that can leave students tied to houses they no longer want to live in. With new rental reforms coming into effect across England, renters like him hope similar changes could eventually reach Wales and make the housing market feel less rigid. While the reforms mainly apply to England, renters and landlords in Cardiff say the debate reflects wider pressures within student housing markets across the UK. “I feel like rolling contracts would be a breath of fresh air and especially for students, as they are more uncertain and picky with whom they share space with,” said Melvin.
The reforms, introduced through the UK government’s new renters’ rights changes, will abolish ‘no-fault’ evictions where a landlord asks a tenant to leave even if the tenant has done nothing wrong. Similarly, rolling tenancies in place of many fixed-term contracts are introduced. Landlords will also face tighter restrictions on rent increases and rental bidding wars.
For tenants, particularly students and young renters, the reforms are being seen as a move towards greater flexibility and protection in an increasingly expensive rental market. In Cardiff, where areas such as Cathays and Roath are dominated by student housing, the changes could significantly affect how students rent and move between properties. However, while renters have welcomed the reforms, landlords are concerned over what the long-term effects could be.
Hannah Walters, a property owner in Cardiff, said that stronger tenant rights were necessary given the current state of the housing sector. “There needs to be further protection for renters in the current market.” Gary, a Cardiff-based landlord, said property owners are facing growing financial pressures. “There are more costs now than there used to be,” he said. “Safety checks, fire alarms, agencies, everything has become more expensive.” He also said that uncertainty surrounding the reforms is making some landlords reconsider staying in the rental market. “Some owners are already choosing to sell HMOs,” he said, raising concerns about the future availability of student housing in Cardiff. For Melvin and other tenants, the reforms are about more than just contracts and policies.
He also believes problems surrounding tenancy deposits still need greater attention. “In most cases the deposits are deducted unfairly,” he said, arguing that the process for disputing charges should be made clearer and easier for renters. The reforms may offer tenants more security and flexibility, but they also arrive at a time when both renters and landlords feel increasing pressure from Cardiff’s housing market. In a city heavily dependent on student housing, the reforms could mark the beginning of a significant change in the relationship between tenants, landlords and the rental market itself.
At the same time, some landlords warned that the changes arrive during an already difficult period for property owners. Alongside the new reforms, many say they are dealing with higher operating expenses, stricter compliance requirements and increasing agency fees, adding further strain to the rental sector.