All social and private tenants will see some changes: 

• in the way their contracts are provided 
• in the way their homes are maintained 
• to how they communicate with their landlords 

All social and private landlords, including those who rent their properties through management companies or agents, will need to: 

• comply with the new law 
• make the necessary updates to their properties and paperwork 

Under the new law, tenants and licencees are now known as 'contract-holders' and landlords must replace the old tenancy agreements with 'occupation contracts'. 

The new law will make renting easier and provide greater security for tenants. 

Landlords must ensure that their contract-holders (formerly known as tenants) 

• Receive a written contract setting out rights and responsibilities; 
• Increase the ‘no fault’ notice period from two to six months; 
• Offer increased protection from eviction; 
• Improve succession rights, these set out who has a right to continue to live in a dwelling, for example after the current tenant dies; 
• Offer more flexible arrangements for joint contract-holders, making it easier to add or remove others to an occupation contract. 

For landlords, this will mean 

• A simpler system, with two types of contract: ‘Secure’ for the social rented sector and ‘Standard’ for the private rented sector; 
• Ensuring homes are fit for human habitation (FFHH). This will include, electrical safety testing and ensuring working smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors are fitted; 
• Abandoned properties can be repossessed without needing a court order.