100 days into the Renters’ Rights Act, Housing Hand reports 50% increase in rent guarantor applications

  • Landlords are clearly managing changing risk landscape
  • Demand for guarantors has surged – but claims haven’t followed suit
  • Housing Hand has settled around £7M in payouts to accommodation providers over past 5 years
  • 100 days after the implementation of the Renters’ Rights Act on 1st May 2026, the UK’s market-leading rental services provider, Housing Hand, reports an increase of over 50% in rent guarantor applications.

 

Graham Hayward, Managing Director, Housing Hand, comments:

“The growth in rent guarantor applications we have received in the last 100 days has been phenomenal, as the market manages its changed risks in the new Renters’ Rights Act landscape. Most landlords (PBSA are largely RRA exempt) can’t request or take more than one month’s rent upfront anymore, so they’re asking renters to provide guarantors instead.”

Landlords are also relying on rent guarantor firms to manage their Know Your Customer obligations – landlords want the confidence that a trusted provider has covered sanction, PEP and source of income checks.

Interestingly, while Housing Hand has seen a massive surge in demand for its rent guarantor services, it hasn’t seen a huge increase in claims for missed rent. The business has settled around £7M in payouts to accommodation providers in the past five years, running at an average of c. £1.5M per year. That average is unchanged, despite the huge legislative shifts brought about by the Renters’ Rights Act.

 

Graham Hayward, Managing Director, Housing Hand comments:

“The overall volume of payouts remains pretty static, demonstrating the efficacy of the work we do with accommodation providers to minimise their risk. The rental landscape has changed significantly, and driven up demand for rent guarantors enormously, but landlords who have worked proactively with guarantor services have largely taken the changes in their stride. For those landlords who do need to make a claim, we’re able to settle digitally within 21-27 days through our 24/7 online portal.”

For more information, please contact Housing Hand on +44 (0) 207 205 2625 or visit www.housinghand.com