Tenant Protections: 7-Jurisdiction Comparison (UK APT, NY HSTPA, FL, CA, AU, NZ, FR)

Last verified: 2026-05-02

The headline differences between residential tenancy regimes — “the UK abolished Section 21” or “New York has rent stabilization” or “France has DPE bans” — hide the practical day-to-day differences a landlord or tenant actually feels. This guide compares seven jurisdictions across the seven things that matter: deposit protection, no-fault eviction, rent control, repair obligations, notice periods, term length, and rent increase caps. Statute citations included.

Quick Answer (TL;DR)

• Most tenant-protective: UK Renters’ Rights Act 2025 (Section 21 abolished, default Assured Periodic Tenancy), New York HSTPA 2019 (rent stabilization + good cause).
• Most landlord-flexible: Florida (60-day no-cause termination, Chapter 83), Canada Alberta (no rent control).
• Strongest deposit protection: UK (mandatory schemes, double penalty), Sweden / France (interest-bearing accounts).
• Strongest rent control: France (encadrement zones), New York City (rent stabilization), Ontario (annual cap).
• Most balanced: New Zealand (RTA 1986 + RTA 2024 amendments), Australia (varies by state).

Comparison Table at a Glance

Country-by-Country Deep Dive

United Kingdom (England) — Renters’ Rights Act 2025

Statute: Renters’ Rights Act 2025 (RRA 2025); Housing Act 1988 as amended.

The RRA 2025 implemented in 2026 is the largest tenant-protection reform in 30 years:

• Section 21 (no-fault eviction) abolished — Sch 1 of RRA 2025 amends s.21 of Housing Act 1988.
• All Assured Shorthold Tenancies convert to Assured Periodic Tenancies (no fixed term).
• Schedule 2 of HA 1988 (mandatory + discretionary grounds) expanded to 37 grounds.
• Rent increases — once per 12 months, statutory notice (Form 4), tenant may challenge to First-tier Tribunal under s.13.
• Pet rights — s.45 RRA 2025: tenant may request a pet, landlord must respond in 28 days; refusal must be reasonable.
• Awaab’s Law — 14-day repair window for hazards posing serious health risk.

Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/

New York — HSTPA 2019 + Good Cause Eviction

Statute: Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act 2019; Rent Stabilization Law (Admin Code §26-501); Real Property Law §238 ff.

NYC has two layered regimes:

1. Rent Stabilization (apartments built pre-1974, ≥6 units, regulated rent).

• Annual rent guideline issued by Rent Guidelines Board (RGB Order). 2024 Order 56 set 1-year renewal at 2.75%, 2-year at 5.25%.
• Mandatory renewal lease offer (HSTPA §6); landlord cannot refuse to renew.
• Succession rights for family members in tenant’s unit.

2. Good Cause Eviction (Real Property Law §238) — extended statewide 2024.

• Applies to “covered” non-rent-stabilized units.
• Eviction only on enumerated grounds.
• Rent increase >10% or >5%+CPI is “presumptively unreasonable”.
• Landlord may rebut by proving cost basis.

Deposit cap: RPL §238-a — security deposit limited to 1 month’s rent.

Source: https://hcr.ny.gov/

Florida — Landlord-Friendly Statute

Statute: Florida Statutes Chapter 83, Part II (Florida Residential Landlord and Tenant Act).

Florida is at the landlord-friendly end of the spectrum:

• No state rent control. Florida Statute §125.0103 prohibits local governments from enacting rent control without state declaration of housing emergency.
• Termination of month-to-month by 30 days written notice without cause (FS §83.57(3)).
• Annual lease termination at end of term — no renewal obligation.
• Deposit: no statutory cap (FS §83.49). Landlord must hold in separate non-interest bearing account, OR interest-bearing with 75% interest to tenant, OR post a surety bond.
• Eviction grounds: non-payment (3-day notice, FS §83.56), non-compliance (7-day cure or 7-day non-curable notice).

Source: https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2024/Chapter83/

California — Tenant Protection Act 2019

Statute: California Civil Code §1947.12 (rent cap); §1946.2 (just cause); local rent control ordinances.

The Tenant Protection Act of 2019 (AB 1482) layers state-level protections on top of local rent control:

• Rent cap: annual increase capped at lesser of (a) 5% + local CPI, or (b) 10%.
• Just-cause eviction (§1946.2) after 12 months of tenancy.
• Exemptions: single-family homes if owner-occupied + ≤2 units; new construction <15 years old; certain affordable housing.

Local ordinances (San Francisco, Los Angeles, Berkeley, Oakland, Santa Monica) impose stricter rules.

Source: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/

Australia (NSW) — RTA 2010 + No-Grounds Reform 2025

Statute: Residential Tenancies Act 2010 (NSW); RTA Amendment Act 2025.

The 2025 RTA reform abolished “no-grounds” terminations effective 1 May 2025:

• Landlord must use a specified ground from RTA 2010 ss.84–89A (sale, owner move-in, family move-in, demolition, breach).
• Notice periods extended.
• Pet ownership default-positive — landlord may refuse only on specified grounds.

Bond: 4 weeks’ rent maximum (RTA 2010 s.159). Bond held by NSW Fair Trading Rental Bond Board (not landlord).

Source: https://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/

New Zealand — RTA 1986 + 2020/2024 Amendments

Statute: Residential Tenancies Act 1986; Residential Tenancies Amendment Act 2020 (no-cause termination removed); Residential Tenancies Amendment Act 2024.

• No-cause eviction abolished since 11 February 2021. Landlord must use s.55, 55A, 56, 57, 59 (sale, family move-in, refurbishment, breach).
• Bond: 4 weeks’ rent max (s.18). Held by Tenancy Services (MBIE).
• Rent increases once per 12 months (s.24). Tenant may challenge to Tenancy Tribunal.

Source: https://www.tenancy.govt.nz/

France — Loi du 6 juillet 1989 + Encadrement

Statute: Loi n°89-462 du 6 juillet 1989 (rapports locatifs); Loi ALUR (2014); Loi ELAN (2018).

• Default term: 3 years for unfurnished (Art. 10), 1 year for furnished (Art. 25-7).
• Encadrement des loyers — Paris, Lille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Montpellier and other zones tendues. Rent at re-let cannot exceed loyer médian de référence majoré.
• DPE-based rental ban (loi Climat 2021): G class banned for new lets from 1 Jan 2025; F class from 2028; E class from 2034.
• Deposit: 1 month rent (unfurnished) / 2 months (furnished). Returned within 1 month (no contestation) or 2 months (contestation).
• Termination by tenant: 1 or 3 months’ notice (zone tendue or not).
• Termination by landlord: 6 months before end of term, only for sale, owner move-in, or fault.

Source: https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F1311

Canada (Ontario) — RTA 2006 + Annual Guideline

Statute: Residential Tenancies Act 2006 (Ontario); LTB Rules.

• No-fault eviction prohibited. Landlord must use s.48 (own use), s.50 (demolition), s.69 (non-payment), or other enumerated grounds.
• Rent increase guideline 2026: 2.1% (announced annually by Ministry).
• Last-month rent (LMR) held by landlord; no security deposit otherwise (s.105).
• N4 notice for non-payment; N12 for landlord’s own use.

Source: https://tribunalsontario.ca/ltb/

Common Pitfalls (Gyoseishoshi View)

1. UK landlord serving Section 21 in 2026 — abolished by RRA 2025, notice is invalid; tenant cannot be evicted on this ground.

2. NYC landlord refusing to renew rent-stabilized tenant — HSTPA mandates renewal; refusal triggers tenant suit and DHCR penalty.

3. Florida landlord giving 30-day notice on annual lease — Chapter 83 only allows 30-day for month-to-month; annual lease ends naturally at term.

4. California landlord raising rent 8% under TPA when CPI was 2% — exceeds 5%+CPI = 7% cap; tenant lawsuit.

5. NSW landlord using “no grounds” termination post-1 May 2025 — invalid; tenant remains in possession.

6. NZ landlord exceeding 4-week bond — refund mandatory; Tenancy Tribunal penalty.

7. France landlord re-letting at higher rent in encadrement zone — civil claim by new tenant for refund.

8. Ontario landlord raising rent above 2.1% guideline — only allowed via above-guideline application to LTB.

Conclusion

Across these seven jurisdictions, the trend in 2025–2026 has been strongly tenant-protective — UK abolished Section 21, NSW abolished no-grounds, New York extended Good Cause, France banned G-class lets. Only Florida and Alberta remain firmly landlord-flexible. A landlord operating in multiple jurisdictions must template a different agreement for each. MmowW Scribe produces the compliant tenancy/lease pack for each jurisdiction with the current 2026 rules built in.

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Disclaimer

Legal information, not legal advice. MmowW Scribe is operated by a licensed Gyoseishoshi (行政書士) office in Japan. We are not solicitors, barristers, attorneys, avocats, or licensed legal practitioners in any jurisdiction.

Sources

• UK Renters’ Rights Act 2025: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/
• UK Housing Act 1988: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/50
• US NY HSTPA 2019: https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/RPP/238
• US NY DHCR: https://hcr.ny.gov/
• US FL Statutes Chapter 83: https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2024/Chapter83/
• US CA Civ Code 1947.12 / 1946.2: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/
• AU NSW Residential Tenancies Act 2010: https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/whole/html/inforce/current/act-2010-042
• AU NSW Fair Trading: https://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/housing-and-property/renting
• NZ Residential Tenancies Act 1986: https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/
• NZ Tenancy Services: https://www.tenancy.govt.nz/
• France Loi 89-462: https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/loda/id/JORFTEXT000000509310/
• France service-public location: https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F1311
• Canada Ontario LTB: https://tribunalsontario.ca/ltb/