Comprehensive guide to new tenant rights

As practitioners, we are acutely aware that major reforms to the private rented sector represent one of the most significant shifts in residential landlord and tenant law in recent years. Against that backdrop, this guide is both timely and highly valuable.

What immediately stands out is the author’s ability to distil what is an extensive and potentially complex piece of legislation into a format that is accessible, practical and useful for busy legal professionals. The book is well written, with each topic addressed in clear, concise language that avoids unnecessary complexity, while still providing the level of detail practitioners require.

Ward succeeds in guiding the reader through the legislation’s key provisions in a logical and structured manner, offering a comprehensive overview of the reforms and their likely practical implications. Importantly, the book does not simply summarise the legislation but presents the material in a way that allows the reader to quickly understand the real-world impact on practice.

The new grounds for possession are particularly well documented, as are the penalties for non-compliance and the details of the new investigatory powers of the local authority. There is useful information for not only property lawyers, but also litigators acting for tenants and advisers to landlords regarding local authority enforcement. 

This is an essential resource for any lawyer whose work involves residential lettings, whether acting for landlords, tenants, managing agents or advising more broadly on property matters. It strikes the ideal balance between technical detail and readability – detailed enough to be authoritative, yet presented in a way that remains highly digestible.

Joanne Parsons is a partner in the real estate team at Aaron and Partners, Shrewsbury, who specialises in residential property