Former Tory MP warns of Renters’ Rights Bill consequences and media bias

Former Tory MP blasts one-sided media for misrepresenting landlords and says the Conservatives’ Renters (Reform) Bill was a compromise to avoid even worse reforms under a future government.

In a video interview with eviction expert and founder of Landlord Action, Paul Shamplina, Theresa Villiers, former Tory MP for Chipping Barnet, argues the court system must be ready to take on possession cases.

Ms Villiers also says Section 24, which restricts tax relief on buy-to-let mortgages for landlords, has been tough on landlords.

Something that is even worse

Under the last Conservative government, with the Renters’ Reform Bill, Ms Villiers says she did want the Bill to pass, but was worried about certain elements.

She said: “We were given reassurances as MPs that the government was very serious about dealing with court delays.

“The big anxiety about losing Section 21 is that everyone has to go through the courts to get their property back, that could compound the problem and cause very serious difficulties for landlords.”

“I was urging my Conservative colleagues to back the compromise and wait until the courts are ready because if we don’t and there’s a change of government, we might get something that is even worse.”

Vast majority of landlords do a good job

Ms Villiers says despite the media narrative many landlords take care of their tenants.

She said: “The vast majority of landlords do a good job for their tenants and invest in their properties.

“There’s a very one-sided debate in the media and they pick out certain poor cases where landlords have behaved badly and that misrepresents the reality of the private rented sector.”

Court backlog must be addressed

On the Renters’ Rights Bill, Ms Villiers says that whilst reform is needed, the court backlog must be addressed first.

She said: “There’s consensus that tenants need greater protection, but we don’t want to skew the system so far that it creates unintended consequences.

“We need to make sure the court system is ready and able to deal with the increase in possession proceedings.”

Ms Villiers points out that the Labour government must help keep small landlords in the private rented sector.

She said: “It’s a real shame if small landlords feel like they are being pushed out and what we need to do with this new legislation is make sure we get a sensible balance that gives tenants more security but is also fair to landlords.”

Ms Villiers says the Renters’ Rights Bill must not be a repeat of legislation in Scotland that has pushed landlords out of the market and caused rents to skyrocket due to rent controls.

Section 24 has been harsh on landlords

Ms Villiers adds Section 24 has been very tough on landlords.

She says: “It seems particularly harsh in that every other business is generally allowed to deduct interest.

“I hope in the future there may be some scope to reverse it and go back to the old system but that always depends on the public finances.”

The full video with Paul Shamplina and Theresa Villers can be seen below and for help and advice about tenant eviction then contact Landlord Action below.