What's coming (and what's just noise)
Landlord law generates a lot of frightening headlines about things that aren't law, and a passed Act isn't the same as a commenced one. This page is our plain-English read of where each thing actually stands, dated. It's commentary, not legal advice; the rules we actually track are on the home page, under The rules we watch, and on each home's checklist. What we have changed, and when, is on Rule changes.
Rules we already track, not law yet
The home page’s “On the horizon”, and any other rule we track whose date has not come yet. Each goes onto the homes it applies to on its date.
Energy standard equivalent to energy performance certificate (EPC) C by 2030: a plan, not law yet
from Oct 2030The government plans a higher standard for all tenancies by 1 October 2030, which it describes as equivalent to EPC C but measured on new EPC scores (fabric first, then heating or smart readiness), with no landlord required to spend more than £10,000 a home. It needs Parliament's approval first.
Landlord ombudsman membership
date being setMandatory redress-scheme membership, expected around 2028.
Private rented sector (PRS) database: registering an empty home
date being setAn empty home does not need registering yet. The government says future legislation will require one to be registered before it is marketed to let.
Private rented sector (PRS) database: register yourself and each home
from Dec 2026Register yourself and each let home on the PRS database by your region's deadline; each home shows its own date.
No commentary yet: the rules above are the whole list for now. When something starts making the rounds, our read on it lands here.
Written and kept current by the landlords who run Datestone. Commentary, not legal advice — nothing here creates a duty until it appears on your homes' checklists with a source and a date.