Laura Kent
Laura joined the Shoosmiths team as a professional support lawyer in 2021, having previously trained and qualified at Nabarro (which merged with CMS in 2017).
Based in the Leeds office, Laura supports Shoosmiths’ Property Litigation team across six UK locations, providing the legal advisors with professional support, knowledge and training. Laura's responsibilities include preparing and publishing updates and know-how, ensuring precedent and template material is current and complete, and delivering training sessions to trainees, new starters and the team as a whole.
Laura has previous ‘front line’ experience on both sides of the landlord and tenant relationship, in particular working with clients to manage retail, logistics and office assets (including mixed-use property).
Practice Area
Panel
- Specialist Panel
Qualified Year
- 2014
Experience
- CMS (2017 - 2021)
- Nabarro LLP (2012 - 2017 (merger))
Membership
- Property Litigation Association
Qualifications
- LPC (2010)
- GDL (2009)
- History BA (2007)
Education
- University of Southampton (2004-2007)
2 Contributions by Laura Kent
PRACTICE NOTES
Renters’ Rights Act 2025 (England): duties and restrictions for landlords and agents on assured tenancies; civil penalties and offences, including unlawful eviction and harassment; procedures, appeals and enforcement
This Practice Note summarises provisions in the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 (RRA 2025) that place duties on landlords, contractors and other relevant persons in relation to assured tenancies (ATs). It also addresses financial penalties and offences for breaches of those duties, penalties for unlawful eviction or harassment of occupiers, and guidance on procedure, appeals and enforcement. For further guidance, see Practice Note: Renters' Rights Act 2025—key provisions.
Duties of landlords and others (Part 1, sections 12–14)
RRA 2025, s 12 amends the Housing Act 1988 (HA 1988) by inserting new requirements binding landlords and those acting on their behalf. These obligations commence for private sector landlords on 1 May 2026.
Duty of landlord and contractor to give statement of terms (section 12)
New HA 1988, s 16D creates a duty on landlords and their contractors (see below) to provide the tenant, before the tenancy is entered into and subject to specified exceptions, with a statement of certain tenancy terms. A landlord that fails to supply the statement may incur a financial penalty of up to £7,000.
Who should give the statement?
Either the landlord should give the statement to the...
Property Disputes
PRACTICE NOTES
Renters’ Rights Act 2025: enforcement of financial penalties, extended HMO/selective licensing liability, improvement notices, and local housing authority enforcement duties and investigatory powers (England)
This Practice Note outlines the provisions of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 (RRA 2025) on imposing and recovering financial penalties for breaches of discrimination rules, rent requirements, landlord redress scheme duties and the private rented sector database. It also explains the widened scope of liability for offences relating to houses in multiple occupation and selective licensing, identifies who may receive improvement notices, and summarises local housing authorities’ enforcement duties and their investigatory powers to enter premises and seize documents. For more detail, see Practice Note: Renters’ Rights Act 2025—key provisions and The Renters’ Rights Act 2025—landlords’ duties, penalties and offences.
Commencement
For guidance on when provisions of the RRA 2025 take effect, see Practice Note: Renters’ Rights Act 2025—key provisions—Commencement. Also see:
Practice Note: Renters’ Rights Act 2025—legislation tracker
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) roadmap: Implementing the Renters’ Rights Act 2025
Financial penalties for breach of discrimination, rent and redress or database provisions
RRA 2025, s 102 and Sch 5 set out the procedure for enforcing financial penalties under:
RRA 2025, s 40—breach of anti-discrimination provisions (see Practice Note: The Renters’ Rights Act 2025—discrimination in the private rental sector in England and Wales)
...
Property Disputes
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