“Accidental landlords” could find themselves breaking the law from 1 May, a Warwickshire law firm is warning.

Martin Large of Brindley Twist Tafft & James (BTTJ), who advises landlords on the upcoming Renters’ Rights Act 2025, said families letting out inherited properties from deceased parents were just as subject to the new regulations as professional landlords.

“There is a common myth that it is only if you rent out properties as a business that you will be affected, but this is not true,” he said.

“The UK’s private rental sector is undergoing its most significant transformation in decades, with sweeping changes reshaping how landlords and tenants interact.

“The intention is to create a fairer, safer and more transparent rental market, but the new law covers any private rental, not just landlords with significant portfolios” he pointed out.

It is estimated there are around 11 million renters in the UK, and the new Act aims to increase tenant security and applies to all private landlords, regardless of how they acquired the property.