The Renters' Rights Act 2024 represents the most significant overhaul of residential tenancy law in England for a generation. For housing professionals managing cases involving hoarding disorder, the changes are not merely procedural — they alter the legal risk calculus in ways that make specialist, evidence-based intervention more important than ever.

The End of Section 21

The abolition of Section 21 "no-fault" evictions is the headline change. Previously, landlords and registered providers could end a tenancy without giving a reason, provided the correct notice was served. That route is now closed.

All possession proceedings must now be brought under Section 8, using one of the specified grounds in Schedule 2 of the Housing Act 1988 — as amended by the new Act. For hoarding cases, the most commonly cited grounds are likely to be:

• Ground 12 — breach of a tenancy condition (such as a requirement to keep the property in a reasonable state)
• Ground 13 — deterioration of the property or its furniture
• Ground 14 — nuisance or annoyance to neighbours, or conviction of a relevant offence

Each of these grounds requires the landlord or provider to demonstrate the breach to the court's satisfaction. That means evidence — inspection reports, photographs, correspondence, and records of the steps taken to support the tenant before proceedings were issued.

The Equality Act Remains Central

Nothing in the Renters' Rights Act diminishes the obligations that housing providers already carry under the Equality Act 2010. Hoarding disorder is frequently associated with recognised disabilities — including OCD, ADHD, autism spectrum conditions, depression, and anxiety disorders. Where a tenant's hoarding behaviour is connected to a disability, the provider must demonstrate that it has considered and offered reasonable adjustments before pursuing possession.

Courts have shown increasing willingness to scrutinise whether providers have genuinely engaged with this obligation. A possession claim that proceeds without a documented record of reasonable adjustments and specialist support is vulnerable to challenge — and, in some cases, to a finding of unlawful discrimination.

Stronger Security of Tenure Changes the Calculus

The Act also introduces a new periodic tenancy system, replacing fixed-term assured shorthold tenancies. Tenants will have greater security of tenure from the outset, and the bar for possession is higher.

For housing professionals, this means that the informal leverage that sometimes accompanied the end of a fixed term — the implicit threat of non-renewal — is no longer available. Cases that might previously have been resolved through that mechanism will now need to be managed through formal support and, where necessary, formal proceedings.

The practical implication is clear: early identification and specialist intervention are now more valuable, not less. A case that is addressed at an early stage, with appropriate support and a documented record of engagement, is far easier to manage than one that has been allowed to deteriorate to the point where possession proceedings are the only remaining option.

Decent Homes Standard Extended to the Private Rented Sector

The Act extends the Decent Homes Standard to private rented properties for the first time. Local authorities will have new powers to enforce the standard, and landlords who fail to meet it face civil penalties.

Where hoarding has caused damage to the fabric of a property — damp, structural deterioration, pest infestation — the landlord may face enforcement action from the local authority as well as the challenge of managing the tenancy. This creates an additional incentive to address hoarding cases proactively, before the property falls below the standard.

What This Means in Practice

The combined effect of these changes is to make the legal environment for hoarding cases more demanding, not less. Providers who rely on informal pressure or procedural shortcuts are more exposed than before.

What works — and what the legal framework now effectively requires — is a documented, person-centred approach:

• Early identification of hoarding behaviour, before it reaches crisis point
• Referral to specialist support, with a clear record of the referral and the response
• Reasonable adjustments offered and documented
• Multi-agency coordination where social care, mental health, or fire safety are involved
• Realistic timescales, communicated clearly to the tenant

At Hoarding Helpers, we work alongside housing teams to provide exactly this kind of structured, evidenced support. We produce completion reports that document the work carried out and the condition of the property — records that are valuable both for case management and, if it comes to it, for legal proceedings.

If you have a case you would like to discuss, please get in touch. We are happy to talk through the options before a formal referral is made.