Lords slammed as ‘self-interested’ for blocking Renters’ Rights Bill

Tenant organisations, including Shelter, have slammed ‘self-interested landlords in the House of Lords’ for delaying the Renters’ Rights Bill.

According to the i newspaper, 10 peers who have tabled amendments to the Bill, including keeping fixed-term tenancies, are landlords themselves.

The news comes after senior figures within the Conservative Party have allegedly engaged in confidential discussions with landlords to derail the government’s Bill.

Allow fixed-term tenancies to continue

In research shared with the i newspaper, the Renters’ Reform Coalition reveals nearly one in five (162) sitting peers in the House of Lords are landlords, with more than 100 having financial interests in property and lettings.

The i claims at least 10 of the peers tabling amendments that advance the interests of landlords are landlords.

Despite critics claiming the amendments “advance the interests of landlords”, the amendments also help tenants.

Lord Strasburger, Lord Carrington, and Lord Jamieson, who are landlords, have tabled amendments to allow fixed-term tenancies to continue, which they say “certain groups rely on.”

In the student rental market, fixed-term tenancies are vital as they give security to tenants and landlords.

If fixed-term tenancies are abolished, landlords would have no guarantee that their flats would be available to rent at the start of the academic year, which would also cause chaos for students.

Amendment to help smaller landlords still issue Section 21 notices

Lord Hacking, another landlord and Labour peer, has proposed that renters should pay their landlords’ legal costs if they challenge a rent increase and are unsuccessful.

Lord Jackson of Peterborough, who is also a landlord, has tabled an amendment which would allow smaller landlords with five or fewer properties to still be able to issue Section 21 notices.

The Renters’ Rights Bill aims to abolish Section 21 notices as soon as the Bill becomes law.

His amendment says: “Many smaller landlords are less likely to have the capacity to fund legal proceedings.”

The Earl of Kinnoull, a Conservative peer who receives rent from cottages, has proposed reductions to fines for landlords limits the local housing authority’s power to impose a financial penalty of £40,000 to £7,000.

The peer has also tabled an amendment for a introduce a new option of a landlord pet damage deposit.

Another of his amendments would make it harder for landlords to be fined by courts if they discriminate against tenants on benefits or with children.

Help landlords regain possession

Lord Carter of Halesmere has tabled amendments to help landlords regain possession.

Under the Bill, the threshold for rent arrears would increase from two to three months before a landlord could enforce repossession by serving notice.

However, one of the amendments, proposed by Lord Carter of Haslemere, keeps the existing two-month threshold in place when the Bill comes into force.

The second amendment would allow landlords to continue using rent arrears caused by delays in universal credit payments as a ground for possession.

Other Lord members who are also landlords include Lord Truscott who has tabled an amendment to still allow a tenant to pay up to 12 months of rent in advance, if mutually agreed with the landlord.

The Earl of Leicester and the Lord Bishop of Manchester also have landlord interests.

Renters’ Rights Bill is deeply flawed

Mairi MacRae, director of campaigns and policy at Shelter, told the i newspaper that the government must not be swayed by “self-interested landlords”.

She told the i newspaper: “It beggars belief that a handful of self-interested landlords in the House of Lords are cooking up cynical schemes designed to bring the progress of the Renters’ Rights Bill to a standstill.

“Renting reform is too important and too urgent to be held hostage by vested interests.

“If the government is serious about making renting more secure and affordable, it must resist this last-ditch attempt to weaken the Bill.”

The Renters’ Reform Coalition and tenant organisation ACORN echoed Shelter’s thoughts and claimed to the i newspaper “these Lords to stop playing political games with the lives and wellbeing of renters.”

However, as the Conservative party points out, the Renters’ Rights Bill will cause unintended consequences for the private rented sector and lead to a reduction in supply.

A Conservative party spokesperson told the i: “We have been warning that the bill is deeply flawed and will lead to a reduced supply of rental homes, which will increase the cost of renting and affect young people.”