The government has formally repealed the Vagrancy Act from 29 June, ending the use of a nearly 200-year-old law that criminalised rough sleeping and begging in England and Wales. Ministers say the change is part of a wider move away from punishment and toward homelessness prevention and housing support.
The repeal lands alongside the government’s National Plan to End Homelessness and comes with a fresh reminder that ministers now see no-fault eviction reform as part of the same picture. In announcing the change, the government again linked Section 21 to rising homelessness pressure.
For landlords, this is not a direct change to rental rules. But it does matter because it shows how ministers are tying homelessness policy, temporary accommodation pressure and private rented sector reform into one political story – and that often shapes what comes next on enforcement and regulation.
Government is linking homelessness policy to rental reform
In its announcement, the government said repealing the Vagrancy Act is meant to stop vulnerable people being pushed away from support and to focus instead on prevention, backed by funding for homelessness services and social housing. It also repeated that abolishing Section 21 through the Renters’ Rights Act is part of the same strategy.
This follows Landlord Knowledge’s report on ministers saying Section 21 pushed thousands into homelessness, which showed how firmly the government wants to connect landlord policy with the wider homelessness debate. The repeal of the Vagrancy Act gives that argument another public milestone.
At the same time, ministers stressed that powers to deal with anti-social behaviour remain in place under other legislation. That matters for landlords and agents because it suggests the government wants to avoid any impression that local authorities have lost tools to respond where behaviour causes genuine nuisance or distress.
What landlords should watch next
The immediate effect is symbolic and legal rather than operational for most landlords. But the broader message is that housing policy is being framed around prevention, support and fewer routes into homelessness. That can feed into future debates on temporary accommodation standards, possession policy and council enforcement priorities.
Landlords should also note the scale of the wider policy package being presented around the repeal. The government tied the move to its £3.6 billion homelessness plan, its long-term affordable housing funding and updated guidance on the use of anti-social behaviour powers. That means the repeal is being sold as one part of a much bigger housing narrative, not a standalone legal tidy-up.
The government’s full announcement is available on GOV.UK.
What this means for landlords
- If you manage higher-risk tenancies: anti-social behaviour powers still remain in force even as the Vagrancy Act is repealed.
- Watch for: more policy moves that link homelessness prevention to private rented sector enforcement.
- Bottom line: the repeal itself does not rewrite landlord rules, but it shows the direction of government housing policy very clearly.
Editor’s view
The repeal will be welcomed by homelessness groups, but landlords should focus on the political signal behind it. Ministers are building a housing story where prevention, enforcement and rental reform are all joined up.
Author: Editorial Team – UK landlord & buy-to-let news, policy, and finance
Published: 29 June 2026
Sources: GOV.UK
Related reading: Government says Section 21 pushed thousands into homelessness
