If you’re a landlord with a long-term tenancy, you’ll already be aware that the rules are
changing. The Renters’ Rights Act, due to come into force in May 2026, marks one of the
biggest shifts in the private rental sector in a generation — and it’s prompting a growing
number of landlords to look seriously at serviced accommodation as an alternative.
What’s Actually Changing
The headline change is the end of no-fault evictions for long-term tenancies. Under the
current system, landlords can end an assured shorthold tenancy using a Section 21
notice without needing to give a specific reason. Once the Renters’ Rights Act is
implemented, that option disappears. Landlords will need to rely on specific, legally
defined grounds to regain possession of their property.
For many landlords, this represents a fundamental shift in how much control they have
over their own asset. According to MHCLG research published in 2026, a number of
landlords feel this change tips the balance too far against them — and, notably, the
same research found evidence that it’s actively pushing some landlords to consider
short-term rentals as an alternative to long-term letting.
The Planning Picture Is Shifting Too
It isn’t only tenancy law that’s changing. The government has introduced a new C5
planning use class specifically for short-term lets, separating them formally from
standard residential use (C3) for planning purposes. Alongside this, a national
registration scheme for short-term rentals is being developed.
Both of these changes add a genuine layer of complexity for landlords who self-manage.
Understanding which use class a property falls under, whether planning permission or a
change of use is required, and keeping up with registration obligations as the national
scheme rolls out is not a small undertaking — particularly for owners who are only
managing one or two properties around a full-time job.
Why This Is an Opportunity, Not Just a Headache
It would be easy to read all of this as simply “more regulation, more hassle.” But for
landlords willing to take a professionally managed approach, these changes open up a
genuine opportunity rather than just a compliance burden.
More control over your property. Serviced accommodation doesn’t rely on Section 21,
and it isn’t affected by the same long-term tenancy eviction framework in the first place,
because guests are staying under licence agreements rather than assured shorthold
tenancies. That means landlords retain far more flexibility over when and how their
property is used — whether that’s for their own use, a sale, or simply changing strategy
— without navigating the same possession process the Renters’ Rights Act tightens for
long-term lets.
A route away from the parts of the framework causing concern. For landlords who
feel the new tenancy rules shift the balance too far, serviced accommodation offers a
legitimate, well-established alternative — one where regaining possession isn’t
dependent on proving specific statutory grounds.
Someone else carries the compliance load. The new C5 use class and the incoming
national registration scheme mean short-term letting is becoming more regulated too —
but this is exactly where a professional operator earns their keep. Rather than a landlord
trying to track planning use class questions, registration requirements and evolving
compliance obligations on top of a full-time job, a management company like EzeeBnB
absorbs that complexity entirely, staying on top of the regulatory landscape as it
develops so the landlord doesn’t have to.
The Bigger Trend
What we’re seeing is a genuine shift in the market. Landlords who once saw long-term
letting as the simpler, lower-effort option are now finding that serviced accommodation
— properly managed — offers more flexibility and, in many cases, less personal
exposure to regulatory risk than the traditional tenancy route. At the same time, the
short-term letting sector is professionalising in its own right, with new planning and
registration requirements that reward operators who take compliance seriously.
That’s precisely the gap EzeeBnB is built to fill: giving landlords the flexibility and control
that’s driving them away from long-term lets, while handling the growing compliance
requirements of the short-term sector on their behalf.