1^st May 2024

Amended Renters (Reform) Bill makes slow progress

Having spent considerable time being debated – and amended – by MPs in the House of Commons, the long-awaited Renters (Reform) Bill has finally moved to the House of Lords.

The aim of the Bill is to make renting fairer for all tenants, but it has been the subject of much discussion among Members of Parliament, many of whom are also private landlords.

Having changed the deadline for scrapping Section 21 evictions for a third time, Levelling-Up and Housing Secretary Michael Gove transferred responsibility for passing the Bill to Housing Minister Jacob Young. The Bill’s passage has likely been slowed due to the number of concerns expressed by backbench MPs who are landlords themselves. It eventually passed to the Lords with a large number of amendments, including the indefinite delay to the proposed ban on Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions. This was despite the government’s published pledge to abolish Section 21 before the next General Election.

The revised Bill also includes the following amendments:

• Tenants will have to give two months' notice to leave their home, but only as long as they’ve been living there for four months or more
• Rent-to-rent legislation and court judgments will be changed to include immediate and superior landlords when improvement notices are served and will make both liable for rent repayment orders
• Selective licensing and the government’s plan to publish an online property portal will be reviewed

An online portal will enable local authorities to monitor landlords and will help landlords themselves to understand their legal obligations. Selective licensing, meanwhile, giving councils the power to license properties will be reviewed. Separately, a new Property Ombudsman will share data with the portal to prevent landlords from repeatedly entering duplicate information on different, but related, systems.

The government has pledged to publish a report on the impact of fixed-term tenancies on the rental market within 18 months of the Bill coming into force so that the effectiveness of the new tenancy rules can be evaluated. And finally, secondary legislation will impose a decent home standard for privately rented homes.

While these measures are broadly welcome, the contents of the Bill still remain controversial with both tenant and landlord groups feeling the measure do not adequately address their concerns.

Award Property Management are letting agents in Cambridge. If you would like help or advice with any aspect of your rental property, please call us on 01223 253703 or complete our enquiry form. We’d be happy to help and advise.

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