What is the Renters' (Reform) Bill?
Promising the biggest reform to the private rented sector for decades, the Renters' (Reform) Bill will deliver the government’s commitment to “bring in a better deal for renters”, including abolishing ‘no fault’ evictions and reforming landlord possession grounds. It will legislate for reforms set out in the private rented sector white paper published in June 2022.
What are its key aims?
The objective of The Renters' (Reform) Bill is to ensure renters have access to a secure and decent home and that landlords retain the confidence to repossess their properties where they need to.
The Bill will:
- Abolish Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions
- Reform tenancy agreements, such that all tenancies become periodic (no end date)
- Introduce more grounds for possession for landlords where tenants are at fault
- Provide stronger protections against retaliatory evictions
- Introduce a new Ombudsman, which all private landlords must join
- Introduce a new Property Portal for privately rented properties in England
- Give tenants the right to request a pet
Additional measures the Government intends to legislate for include:
- Applying the Decent Homes Standard to the private rented sector
- Making it illegal for landlords or agents to apply blanket bans on renting to tenants in receipt of benefits or with children
- Strengthening local council’s enforcement powers and introducing new requirements for councils to report enforcement activity
What’s happened since our update last month?
The Committee Hearings, where MPs hear from lettings stakeholders have now been completed and we are now in the phase where MPs are putting forward amends to the bill, but with delays to the bill being heard for a third time in Parliament, the amendments have continued to be considered and where sensible have been added to the amendment paper, click here to review.
So, what’s holding up the third hearing?
Many distractions in and outside parliament, including deciding on a date for a general election, however, it's widely accepted that the Bill will receive considerable opposition if insufficient detail remains around Michael Gove’s announcement that the abolishment of Section 21 will be linked to ensuring that the courts are sufficiently reformed to cope with an increase in contested possession cases.
Suppose the Renters' (Reform) Bill does receive Royal Assent in its full form before the election. In that case, much of the detailed implementation guidance will need to be fleshed out by secondary legislation, around such things as the detail in the Decent Homes Standard and what and how information would be included in the Property Portal, etc.
The Bill’s passage can be tracked here.
