Shelter claim Renters Reform Bill is a game changer for tenants

Shelter has responded to the Renters Reform Bill White Paper with Polly Neate, Chief Executive, saying:

“The Renters’ Reform Bill is a gamechanger for England’s 11 million private renters. Scrapping unfair evictions will level the playing field. For the first time in a long time, tenants will be able to stand up to bad behaviour instead of living in fear.

“This White Paper promises people safety and security in their home, and it makes clear that landlords need to play by the rules. Gone will be the days of families being uprooted and children forced to move school after being slapped with a Section 21 no-fault eviction for no good reason.

“As these plans move through Parliament, they’ve got to keep their teeth to drive up standards and professionalise private renting. For every renter trapped in a never-ending nightmare of moving from one shoddy rental to the next, the Renters’ Reform Bill cannot come soon enough.”

Shelter goes on to say in their response:

The Renters Reform Bill cannot come soon enough as newly released figures by Shelter and YouGov show three-quarters of private renters in England, equivalent to 8.5 million people, have endured poor or dangerous conditions in their homes, such as mould, broken boilers, and electrical hazards, in the last year.

Previous research from the charity also demonstrates how insecure private renting currently is, with a private renter in England handed a Section 21 no-fault eviction notice every seven minutes by their landlord. The damaging impact of these unfair evictions is borne out in the latest government homelessness figures with homelessness due to no-fault evictions up 37% on pre-pandemic levels.