Labour calls for a ‘Renters’ Charter’

Labour calls for a ‘Renters’ Charter’

10:47 AM, 3rd April 2023, About A year ago 103

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Labour MP Diane Abbott appeared on ITV’s ‘Good Morning Britain’ today (Monday) to push for a renters’ charter that will help protect tenants.

The segment highlighted that the number of available homes for renting in the UK has dropped by a third in the last 18 months – but rent prices have seen a 20% increase in the last three years.

Now, Ms Abbott is calling on the government to encourage more responsible private landlords.

‘One of the problems of stratospheric rents’

She said: “Rents are stratospheric and one of the problems of stratospheric rents is that a lot of younger people are not going to be able to buy because every penny is going on rent.

“With landlords, we want to encourage good landlords, but we want to bear down on bad landlords.”

When asked what a bad landlord is by the presenter Kate Garraway, Ms Abbott replied: “A bad landlord is somebody that first of all uses the no-fault eviction to get you out, and a bad landlord is someone who puts up the rent every six months, every three months and that is what is causing renters so many problems.

“There’s no certainty because bad landlords just want to exploit the market.”

Government is set to end Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions

Ms Garraway highlighted that the government is set to end Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions, but Ms Abbott said there was no sign of the legislation.

She added: “It’s not down for debate in Parliament and a Labour government would put an end to no-fault evictions.”

Co-presenter Richard Madeley then asked Ms Abbott about the anecdotal stories of landlords charging potential tenants just to view a property.

Ms Abbott said: “They are now charging just to look at a property, some of them are charging a relatively small amount, £30, but some of them are charging hundreds of pounds.”

Ms Garraway said that a programme journalist had investigated and could find no evidence that landlords are charging potential tenants to view a property, other than in one or two anecdotal cases.

She added that the law, since 2020, has made the paying of these fees illegal and asked Ms Abbott where she was getting her evidence.

Accepted that hers was anecdotal evidence

Ms Abbott accepted that hers was anecdotal evidence and there was no survey evidence but ‘a lot of estate agents’ are saying that tenants are being charged and ‘this is something that needs to be cracked down on’.

Ms Abbott continued: “One of the things a Labour government would do is to bring in a renters’ charter and one of the things that would say is in no circumstances can landlords charge just to view a property.”

The presenter highlighted that there is already a law to prevent this from happening, so there would be no reason to bring in a law to deal with the issue but Ms Abbott replied: “But it doesn’t seem to be biting, does it? Because you hear too much anecdotal evidence, certainly in London, of people charging to view.”

This is the interview on Twitter from Good Morning Britain with Ms Abbott.


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Comments

G Master

10:56 AM, 4th April 2023, About A year ago

Reply to the comment left by Blodwyn at 04/04/2023 - 09:37
Not sure I'd agree with this statement. As soon as inflation comes down, interest rate comes down, we will be back in happy fields. This together with softening of the approach towards the landlords (2 week's notice when a tenant is in rent arrears etc.) we will be back voting for the Conservatives again.
We will also look at ULEZ expansion, Congestion Charge, difficult to drive on the roads etc. and by God, we will not think of bringing Sadiq Khan again.

Blodwyn

11:05 AM, 4th April 2023, About A year ago

Reply to the comment left by G Master at 04/04/2023 - 10:56
Time is very short? Too many distracting 'noises off' from the Rees-Moggs and their coterie and a seeming lack of a firm smack and telling them to shut up and get ready for a long opposition if they don't? Or perhaps they don't care any more? All very frustrating to this humble footsoldier!

Seething Landlord

11:18 AM, 4th April 2023, About A year ago

Reply to the comment left by G Master at 04/04/2023 - 08:17
All that you need is evidence of an agreement between you and the tenant that from a particular date the rent will be £XXX. You need to draft your own form of words to that effect, but best to keep it very simple. The key is that the variation can only be done by agreement and my normal approach is to discuss the matter with the tenant initially and then confirm what has been agreed by email. The circle is completed when the tenant starts to pay rent at the new level on the agreed date.

Beaver

11:25 AM, 4th April 2023, About A year ago

Reply to the comment left by Luke P at 04/04/2023 - 10:47
There has been a dramatic drop in availability of homes to rent. I was watching a Simon Reeves programme about Cornwall last weekend and that was talking about the shortage of property in Cornwall. They showcased a family on there who were being housed in a hotel because they'd had to leave the home they were renting. They had to leave the home they were renting because the landlord needed to sell. The programme wasn't very well balanced because there was nobody on there talking about why landlords need to do something different. They were also talking about the trend away from long-term rents and towards short-term lets.

If somebody is piling cost and risk on to you and stopping you from deducting your finance costs then you eventually reach a point where you have to sell or "do something different". And that "doing something different" is likely to be a short-term let. But if there was a Tenants and Landlords Charter that understood that...e.g. be a good tenant and you get one year's notice (except for a short term let)..cause antisocial behaviour you get two months notice...don't pay the rent but don't flag up to the landlord that the rent is going to be delayed then you get one month's notice....and the landlord can get you out if you don't pay. Then you wouldn't need no-fault evictions.

Seething Landlord

11:43 AM, 4th April 2023, About A year ago

Reply to the comment left by NewYorkie at 04/04/2023 - 10:16
Yes, quite so. We specify in our tenancy agreements that rent will be reviewed annually so I'm not advocating that there should be more frequent increases, just pointing out that rent can be varied by agreement at any time (at least until the proposals for the Renters Reform Bill take effect).

NewYorkie

16:46 PM, 4th April 2023, About A year ago

Reply to the comment left by G Master at 04/04/2023 - 10:56
...good luck with that!

Michael Barnes

17:11 PM, 4th April 2023, About A year ago

I would like to point out that S21 is not "no fault eviction"; it is "no reason needs to be given" eviction" (if one is lucky).

It is tenant organisations like Shelter and Generation Rent that have promoted the propaganda of "no fault eviction", and the gullible politicians have fallen for it.

Seething Landlord

17:41 PM, 4th April 2023, About A year ago

Reply to the comment left by Michael Barnes at 04/04/2023 - 17:11
And if memory serves me correctly it is also described as no fault eviction on form 6a.

rebecca anelay

20:43 PM, 4th April 2023, About A year ago

My final 2 properties are being section 21 this week, hopefully be sold before the housing crash and I will happily live off the interest, with slightly less money but hopefully some piece of mind. We have been pushed and pushed to the point that I have no sympathy for my tenants who have had fantastic houses at below average rents.
They can do what I did, buy a hovel with no heating and work your ass off until it's a home. ....But wait a minute this generation of entitled idiots would NEVER live in a house like that!!! As an ex teacher, maybe we should blame the education system for not teaching people that securing a home for themselves is the ONLY thing they should be spending their money on and making sacrifices until they are secure....
Being a Landlord has turned me into a nasty person! I cannot wait to be free from it!

NewYorkie

23:57 PM, 4th April 2023, About A year ago

Reply to the comment left by rebecca anelay at 04/04/2023 - 20:43
When we have worked so hard all our lives, made sacrifices to achieve what we have, and not asked for nor expected anyone's help, it's no wonder we feel so angry when someone who hasn't, feels they are entitled to what we have, without working or paying for it.

There's no difference between the Tories and Labour. Neither is interested in our situation. So, for the first time in 50 years, I will not vote Conservative.

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