The Renters (Reform) Bill brings reforms that benefits both renters & landlords. Landlords will be able to recover properties from problem tenants more easily and tenants will be empowered to challenge poor practices.
- Ending 'no fault' evictions, empowering renters to challenge poor landlord practice without fear of losing their home.
- New powers for landlords to reclaim properties from anti-social tenants.
- Ensuring tenants and landlords are well-informed about their rights and obligations with a new digital Property Portal.
- Tenants will now have a legal right to have pets in their homes.
Eleven million tenants across England will benefit from safer, fairer and higher quality homes thanks to a once-in-a-generation overhaul of housing laws.
The Renters’ (Reform) Bill, introduced to Parliament today, delivers the government’s 2019 manifesto commitment to abolish Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions which will empower renters to challenge poor landlords without fear of losing their home.
The new Bill also protects over 2 million landlords, making it easier for them to recover properties when they need to – so they can sell their property if they want to, move in a close family member, or when tenants wilfully do not pay rent. Notice periods will also be reduced where tenants have been irresponsible – for example breaching their tenancy agreement or causing damage to the property.
This builds on the strong progress this government has already made over the last decade to increase protections for tenants, including giving councils stronger powers to drive criminal landlords out of the market by introducing Banning Orders through the Housing and Planning Act 2016; and shielding tenants from excessive deposits and fees through the Tenant Fees Act 2019.
The reforms will strengthen powers to evict anti-social tenants, broadening the disruptive and harmful activities that can lead to eviction and making it quicker to evict a tenant acting anti-socially.
To ensure the new tenancy systems works for landlords and tenants, it will be introduced alongside a reformed courts process. For the minority of evictions that do end up in the courts, more of the process will be digitised – reducing delays.
A new Ombudsman will provide quicker and cheaper resolutions to disputes, while a new digital Property Portal will enable landlords to understand their obligations and help tenants make better decisions when signing a new tenancy agreement. This will give confidence to good landlords, while driving the criminal minority out of business.
Tenants will also be given the legal right to request a pet in their home, which the landlord must consider and cannot unreasonably refuse. Landlords will be able to require pet insurance to cover any damage to their property.
Commenting, Leo Docherty MP said:
"This Bill will help reform the manner in which our private rented sector, ending the Section 21 'no fault' evictions, and giving landlords new powers to swiftly recover properties from anti-social tenants and those failing to pay their rent. These measures will help to improve trust and communication between tenants and their landlord.
"Across Aldershot, the vast majority of our landlords provide good quality housing to those privately renting, however, there have been far too many cases across the country where families have been evicted from landlords who have failed to adequately maintain homes. The Bill will ensure these injustices are tackled and with recent additional powers provided to the Housing Ombudsman, mean that everyone can live somewhere which is decent, safe and secure."