Renters’ Rights Bill amendments clash over Section 21

All those courses run by the NLRA and others were rather premature me thinks. But then a good money earner or am I just cynical, lol.

Section 21 is often used to evict tenants with antisocial behaviour problems. If a person cannot behave reasonably towards his fellow citizens then homelessness is often the only option.

I’m afraid the Government will railroad over these fantastic calls to sanity, just as they did with the amendments requested in the Commons. But maybe the House of Lords can prevail and demonstrate that it still has a vital role in questioning political measures that are well intentioned but badly thought through. I haven’t been able to get the Ministry of Housing etc to admit it is aware of the Law Commission Report of 2006 (presumably commissioned by the Labour Government) and the experience in Wales.

Worth checking Wikipedia for the low down on Baron John Bird, especially his quotes.I am sure he means well but many small landlords have also lifted themselves out of poverty and he should recognise this.

Baroness Bybrook’s amendments to S21 for small landlords indirecty acknowledge 2 things:

1. The courts can’t manage now let alone with the extra workload
2. S21 is issued for a good reason.

Is it so difficult to acknoweldge both probelms openly and transparently before we steamroller ahead with the RRB?

S21 can also be used when the tenants is manipulative and only allow increase of 50 to 100 pounds a year, so after 3 years the increase is only 10% and service charges get increased for the landlords at 11 to 15% each year, so after 3 years the service charges are over 30% more. Meanwhile the landlord continues the pay for maintenance but not for broken furniture. The tenants don’t wish to pay for breaking a side board cabinet or a panel of the oven. Oven works fine but they have sellotaped a panel. Landlords don’t wish to have further breakages. Also there are other serious matters like expensive curtains gone and flimsy, transparent curtains in its place for ceiling to floor windows/curtains. Enough is enough. S21 given with 3 months 3 weeks notice to leave at the end of May, so it can be rented out for the market rent of £650 more pe month. They have a use of swimming pool, all leisure facilities for free. They still insist they can increase the rent by £50 per month and continue to stay. So I shall be sending a formal S13 to increase the rent as per market rent and all breakages to be fixed.

They forget that we are not Social Housing. We are private citizens.
If the bad tenants are evicted , then hopefully good tenants will replace them.
However if ten of thousands of Landlords sell up. The properties will still be occupied but by owners.

Before the Government started there attacks on private landlords everything was was working well.

These amendments by their lordships are very sensible. Much more so than anything we have heard in the Commons.
It has always struck me as odd that the Government wants to ensure continuity and security of tenure for tenants, but then proposes periodic tenancies from day one.
It is also clearly mad to introduce a beefed up version of S8 if the courts can’t handle the current workload.
I might just add that young people are leaving this country because so much of it simply doesn’t work. The courts, legal system generally, HMRC, HMLR are all dysfunctional.
If working age people need to move around the country as part of a free labour market, how is that going to work if there are no rental properties because landlords have sold up?
Do Shelter and others realise how much damage their lobbying does to the economy?

S21 notices are limited to ASTs and ASTs are being abolished so I don’t see how s21 can be retained in any form.

I thought the amendments were, on the whole, helpful.
My main concern, however, is that protection offered by guarantors, rent guarantee insurance and advance rent are going to be an either/or option, so tenants could move in having paid nothing up front, with guarantors being limited to an equivalent of 6months rent.
Without the full guarantor, I will have to severely restrict any properties I have left.
This does not take into account the long court delays, or cost of significant repairs.
My other issue, is in payments made direct to landlords by the DWP. They can reclaim from the landlord any benefit paid in error (such as when the tenant failed to report a working partner living in). I learned this to my cost, when 8 months housing costs were reclaimed from me, not the tenant, after he boyfriend moved in.