The activists who were so influential in steering the shape of the Renters Reform Bill under the old Conservative government are now seeking to shape Labour’s new Renters Rights Bill.
The new Bill was announced in yesterday’s King’s Speech when the sovereign stated that the government would give “greater rights and protections to people renting their homes, including ending 'no fault' evictions and reforming grounds for possession” through a new Renters’ Rights Bill.
However, Shelter and Generation Rent are already pressing for more powers for tenants, with Polly Neate - Shelter chief executive - stating: “The new Renters Rights Bill has to be a fresh start at reforming broken private renting. Not only does this mean urgently scrapping no fault evictions, but also setting clear limits to in-tenancy rent increases. The government cannot allow landlords to continue to force tenants out of their homes with eyewatering rent hikes.”
And Ben Twomey, chief executive of Generation Rent, also expects this Bill to go much further than the Tories’ failed attempt. He says: “It is welcome to see the end to no-fault evictions included in the government’s plans. After five years of promises from the previous government, with no improvements at the end of it, renters are understandably demoralised and wary of new commitments. The government faces a big test to reassure voters that it can quickly turn promises into action and change things for the better.
“These reforms must therefore go further than the previous government planned, with real support for tenants whose landlord wants to sell or move back in to prevent homelessness. This includes more time to enjoy our homes without fearing eviction, and more notice and financial support if this happens. Similarly, empowering tenants to challenge rent increases won’t work if we still end up with rents rising faster than our incomes.”
He also wants rent control powers to be given to the Metro Mayors across England, all but one of which are Labour.
Twomey continues: “The housing crisis has different impacts depending on where you are in the country. In many cases, metro mayors will know better than Westminster what is needed to make sure their constituents can afford a decent home. They are also in a good position to try out new ideas that could spread elsewhere. This legislation is an opportunity to give metro mayors powers to slam the brakes on soaring rents, and allow breathing space for those areas hardest hit by the renting crisis.”
Shelter’s Polly Neate - who has long campaigned for an increase in social housing as a long term solution to the housing crisis - also comments on the new government’s overall housebuilding and planning reform aspirations, and says: “If this government truly wants to deliver the biggest increase in social house building in a generation, any new planning legislation must be focussed on delivering 90,000 social rent homes a year.
“Private developers will not deliver the target 1.5m homes by themselves – councils need the means to build genuinely affordable homes too. Otherwise, their plans will fail, like countless governments before them, and homelessness will remain at a record high.”
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