Alex is Sprintlaw’s co-founder and principal lawyer. Alex previously worked at a top-tier firm as a lawyer specialising in technology and media contracts, and founded a digital agency which he sold in 2015.
Contents
- The Reform Everyone Feels - Even If They Aren’t Talking About It
- Possession Is No Longer a Straight Line - And Tech Needs to Reflect That
- The Era of the Continuous Tenancy
- Transparency as a Feature, Not an Obligation
- The Opportunity for Proptech Builders
- Where Sprintlaw Fits In
- What This Means for the Future
- Want to revisit the foundations?
For years, proptech platforms have been steadily improving the renting experience: faster onboarding, cleaner documentation, better maintenance tracking, smarter payments. And for the most part, they were building around a legal system that remained largely unchanged. Technology kept moving; the law stayed still.
In England’s private rented sector, the Renters’ Rights Act changes that equilibrium. The reforms are being introduced in stages rather than as a single overhaul, but together they reshape how agents work, how landlords make decisions and how tenants experience the entire lifecycle of a tenancy.
For proptech founders and product teams, this isn’t a side-note. It’s an invitation: a chance to design tools that don’t just digitise the old world, but support the new one.
The Reform Everyone Feels - Even If They Aren’t Talking About It
Most commentary around the Act focuses on abolition of Section 21 or the move toward open-ended tenancies. But beneath those headlines is a deeper shift: renting is becoming a more structured, evidence-driven system.
Letting agents now have to keep clearer records. Landlords want more visibility. Tenants expect processes that make sense - and leave a trail.
Those shifts create tension for any agency still relying on email chains, spreadsheets or legacy software. And this is exactly where proptech becomes not just helpful, but essential. Tools that were once conveniences are becoming the infrastructure that supports clarity, compliance and communication.
Some of these expectations are driven by the Act, while others come from the wider regulatory and consumer-protection environment that is steadily pushing the sector towards higher standards. The platforms best placed to serve this market are the ones that understand that shift not as a regulatory burden, but as a design challenge.
Possession Is No Longer a Straight Line - And Tech Needs to Reflect That
Under the old system, possession often followed a predictable arc: serve a notice, wait, proceed. A timeline existed. It had flaws, but it was linear.
The post-Act world isn’t linear. It’s conditional.
A possession journey now depends on what happened earlier in the tenancy - communications, inspections, arrears conversations, complaints, landlord intentions. In other words: the story.
Proptech platforms that thrive in this environment will be the ones that help agents tell that story clearly. That might mean capturing evidence as it happens, guiding users through the right next step, flagging when key information is missing, or simply organising communications in a way that makes sense months later.
It’s not about adding more features - it’s about understanding the narrative agencies must now build, and helping them build it without friction.
The Era of the Continuous Tenancy
Perhaps the most under-discussed change is the gradual move toward open-ended tenancies. Fixed terms were the rhythm of renting for decades: a start date, an end date, a renewal discussion. Most software in the sector was built around that rhythm.
But open-ended tenancies move differently. There is no natural expiry point. The important moments are quieter: a change in circumstances, a routine update, a maintenance cycle, a rent review, a shift in relationship dynamics.
Platforms need to evolve with that shift. Dashboards that once revolved around tenancy start and end dates now need to account for an ongoing relationship. Notifications may change. Workflows may need to become more cyclical and less calendar-bound. Even how data is presented to landlords and tenants may need a rethink to reflect a world where continuity - not renewal - is the norm.
What’s emerging is a tenancy model that looks more like a service relationship than a simple contractual cycle. Proptech is well placed to reflect that.
Transparency as a Feature, Not an Obligation
The Renters’ Rights Act places new emphasis on clarity - not just in fees and processes, but in how agents communicate with the people they serve. At the same time, broader regulatory and consumer trends are pushing in the same direction: people expect to understand what is happening and why.
In this climate, the most valuable software isn’t the one with the longest feature list; it’s the one that helps people make sense of complex situations.
A landlord wants a simple way to see what the agent has done and what stage a tenancy is at. A tenant wants a clear record of how their repairs have been handled and what to expect next. An agent wants information presented in a way that supports, rather than complicates, their compliance obligations.
A platform that surfaces information cleanly becomes a trust-building tool. One that hides complexity behind vague labels or cluttered dashboards risks undermining that trust.
The platforms that will lead the next era aren’t those that try to automate the entire experience away, but those that illuminate it.
The Opportunity for Proptech Builders
For founders, the story here is not that the law is suddenly forcing change. It’s that the law is finally aligning with changes that were already underway.
Renting is becoming more fluid, more data-centred, more relationship-based.
Agents are embracing digital workflows.
Tenants expect modern interfaces.
Landlords want clarity rather than guesswork.
The Renters’ Rights Act doesn’t create a brand-new market for proptech - it sharpens the need for thoughtful, well-designed tools that reflect the realities of renting as it is now, not as it was a decade ago.
Platforms that can help agents document tenancies effortlessly, give landlords visibility without overwhelming them, guide users through structured decisions and translate legal expectations into intuitive workflows will become core infrastructure in the sector.
The winners will be the tools that don’t simply digitise paperwork, but make compliance and communication feel natural.
Where Sprintlaw Fits In
Sprintlaw occupies a unique intersection between letting agency practice and proptech innovation. We see how agents are adjusting to the reforms, and we see how software products can either support that shift - or unintentionally create new risks.
Sprintlaw can help with legal compliance, and with reviewing and redrafting your documents.
For platforms and founders, we can make sure your product and processes align with legal requirements.
For agents adopting new tools, we can ensure your documents stay consistent with both the law and the technology you rely on.
When law and technology evolve at the same time, alignment matters more than ever.
What This Means for the Future
The new landscape rewards clarity, structure and strong documentation. Proptech platforms that support these values will shape the next decade of renting. There’s a real opportunity for those who understand both the practical needs of agents and landlords, and the capabilities of modern software.
If you’d like support with legal materials, Sprintlaw can help.
Want to revisit the foundations?
If you’d like to go back to where this journey begins - and understand the core principles that drive every reform discussed in this series - you can return to the first article:
What Is the Renters’ Rights Act? (Letting Agent Edition)
It provides the context that makes the operational, commercial and technological changes far easier to navigate.
If you would like a consultation on the Renters Rights Act, you can reach us at 08081347754 or team@sprintlaw.co.uk for a free, no-obligations chat.
