Renters Reform Bill can only work with landlords’ backing

The chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association says the controversial Renters Reform Bill will only succeed if landlords’ feel satisfied with its provisions.

The Bill - first introduced into the House of Commons in May - today begins its Second Reading, the next stage in the lengthy process of its passage through both Houses of Parliament before it becomes law.

Today’s events follow many months of speculation over whether the Bill would have to be modified or ditched to meet the requirements of some Conservative backbench MPs.

NRLA boss Ben Beadle says: “The uncertainty over whether the Bill will proceed or not has made it difficult for landlords and renters to plan for the future. 

“As they consider the Bill, MPs and Peers will need to make sure it secures the confidence of responsible landlords every bit as much as tenants. Should the Bill fail to secure the confidence of landlords the shortage of homes will only worsen, ultimately hurting renters.

“It is crucial that problems with the Courts are addressed alongside the Bill progressing through Parliament. As the cross-party Housing Select Committee has warned, an unreformed court system risks undermining the Government’s planned changes to the sector.

“Ministers have pledged to guarantee improvements to the court system, and we will continue to work with them to ensure this happens.” 

The Bill delivers the Tories’ 2019 manifesto commitment to abolish section 21 evictions which will - in the government’s words - “empower renters to challenge poor landlords without fear of losing their home.“

 The new Bill also claims to “protect” over two million landlords, making it easier for them to recover properties when they need to – so they can sell their property if they want to, move in a close family member, or when tenants wilfully do not pay rent. 

Notice periods will also be reduced where tenants have been irresponsible – for example breaching their tenancy agreement or causing damage to the property.

There will also be a “reformed courts process … for the minority of evictions that do end up in the courts, more of the process will be digitised – reducing delays.”

 A new mandatory Ombudsman for landlords will be introduced while a new digital Property Portal will list landlords’ obligations “and help tenants make better decisions when signing a new tenancy agreement.”

Tenants will also be given the legal right to request a pet in their home, which the landlord must consider and cannot unreasonably refuse. 

Landlords will be able to require pet insurance to cover any damage to their property.  

The government will also bring forward legislation as part of the Bill to:  

- apply the Decent Homes Standard to the private rented sector for the first time;

- make it illegal for landlords and agents to have blanket bans on renting to tenants in receipt of benefits or with children:

- strengthen councils’ enforcement powers and introduce a new requirement for councils to report on enforcement activity.

We're excited to announce that we're working on building a shiny new website for readers of Landlord Today! As part of this process, commenting on articles will be temporarily disabled. We look forward to sharing our new and improved Landlord Today website with you shortly!