Cross-party open letter urges Renters (Reform) Bill action

Cross-party open letter urges Renters (Reform) Bill action

0:01 AM, 19th October 2023, About 6 months ago 3

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The government has been urged to end delays on the Renters (Reform) Bill that would ban ‘no-fault’ evictions and introduce other protections for tenants in England.

In an open letter shared with the Guardian newspaper, 60 cross-party Parliamentarians and the mayors of London and Manchester said the legislation was a manifesto commitment and the government was running out of time to deliver it.

The letter was organised by the Renters Reform Coalition, a campaign group that includes former Conservative housing secretary Eric Pickles, who said: “This bill really is the baseline when it comes to the change, we need to see in our housing system, so it is shocking that the government is prevaricating.”

Responsible landlords needed certainty to plan

The coalition said responsible landlords needed certainty to plan and comply with the new obligations in the legislation.

They also warned that further delays and uncertainty would create instability for them at a time when interest rates were rising.

The letter was signed by Sadiq Khan and Andy Burnham, the Labour mayors of London and Greater Manchester, two of the largest private rental markets in England.

Andy Street, the Conservative mayor of the West Midlands, did not sign it.

Other Conservative signatories putting pressure on Gove include the MPs Jo Gideon, Natalie Elphicke, Derek Thomas and Richard Bacon.

Liberal Democrats and Greens also backed the calls for the new laws to be passed swiftly.

New grounds for landlords to evict tenants

The ban on Section 21 ‘no-fault evictions will be coupled with new grounds for landlords to evict tenants because of anti-social behaviour.

The Bill was first promised in the 2019 Conservative election manifesto but was feared to be in jeopardy amid the threat of a mass rebellion by Tory landlord MPs.

In what has been cast as a victory for Gove, the housing secretary – who has been fighting Downing Street over the timing of reforms – a debate and vote on the Bill is now expected next week.

However, the Bill will not pass before the end of the Parliamentary session and is likely to become law only in the new year.

Emergency legislation to scrap Section 21 evictions

Labour has called for emergency legislation to scrap Section 21 evictions, linking them to a rise in homelessness.

In the House of Commons on Monday, Angela Rayner, the shadow secretary of state for levelling up, communities and housing, asked Mr Gove for an assurance that ‘the Renters (Reform) Bill will not be scrapped before the King’s speech’.

In a reply that left campaign groups fearing it would be dropped, Mr Gove said only: “We are reforming private renting.”

A government spokesperson said: “The government is absolutely committed to delivering a fairer private rented sector for tenants and landlords through the Renters (Reform) Bill.”


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Comments

Morag

11:36 AM, 19th October 2023, About 6 months ago

They truly learn nothing. Scotland is ahead of England on these reforms, and the Scottish PRS is being systematically destroyed for small landlords and all tenants. They just keep on going, thinking they haven't yet done enough to help tenants, when all they are doing is making matters worse at every turn.

Ian Narbeth

12:29 PM, 19th October 2023, About 6 months ago

I have sent the following to my MP. I am happy for any of you to adapt it to send to your MP.

"Now that the Government seems hell bent on passing this Bill, please will you or a colleague at least speak up in the House to warn MPs about the problems of dealing with antisocial behaviour?

The spin from the Civil Service is that the law will be changed to make it easier to evict for ASB using section 8. As my article here https://www.property118.com/renters-reform-bill-and-anti-social-behaviour/ makes clear, this is nonsense. Victims of ASB are just too afraid to give evidence against often violent tenants. By abolishing section 21 the Government will take away the most useful tool a landlord has to deal with anti-social behaviour. In consequence the rights of the weak and vulnerable must yield to those of the bully.

A further point for Mr Gove and the rest of the Tory party to consider is this: If s21 is so bad now, was it ever thus? The obvious answer is No. The 1988 Housing Act and the introduction of so-called "no fault" evictions led to a massive and welcome increase in properties available to rent. That freed up the labour market and allowed people to move jobs without fear of giving up their Council house.

Today's politicians, faced with a national shortage of housing and tenants faced with rapidly increasing rents in consequence tinker with section 21 at their peril.

I am resigned to this Bill going through. The consequences will be bad for landlords, bad for tenants and will not yield a single extra vote for Conservatives. Next up, clamour for rent controls when the Renters Reform Act drives more landlords out. "

Seething Landlord

13:29 PM, 19th October 2023, About 6 months ago

As my mother used to say, there is none so blind as those who won't see.

However, I do not share the view that government does not understand the problems and think that they are fully aware but have balanced the risks and concluded that it is better to appease the tenants' lobby than abandon their manifesto commitment to abolish S21. The impact assessment acknowledges that some landlords might leave the market but they seem happy to live with this and to assume that the exodus will be manageable. The housing minister said the other day when challenged about this that "there are plenty of landlords". Time will tell but maybe we have cried wolf too much in the past for our warnings to be taken seriously now.

Dealing with anti social behaviour in HMOs and the issues around student accommodation are the big problems with the Bill and I suspect that behind the scenes they are grappling with these and trying to find an answer short of abandoning the proposals altogether.

As for Shelter et al, they should be careful what they wish for - the consequences for tenants who are landed with CCJs instead of being able to walk away quietly do not seem to have been appreciated.

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