The delayed Renters’ Reform Bill is set to have its much-anticipated second reading in the House of Commons next week, Westminster sources have told i.
The legislation will reinforce the rights of more than nine million households in England and Wales.
The return of the Bill will allay the fears of housing and poverty experts as well as those who lobby on behalf of private renters that the Bill – which will ban Section 21 ‘no fault evictions’ – was stuck in the long grass and shelved ahead of the Kings’ Speech due to Conservative infighting.
Putting the Bill on the list of parliamentary business for next week would ensure that it carries over into the next parliamentary session and does not need to be reannounced.
As things stand, Section 21 evictions – which enable landlords to evict renters at short notice without having to give them a reason – are a leading cause of homelessness.
According to the housing charity, Shelter, this sort of eviction has caused a 50 per cent rise in homelessness in the space of one year, between May 2022 and May 2023.
In Scotland, Section 21 evictions were banned in 2017, and in Wales they were banned at the end of 2022.
Other new rights for renters proposed by the Renters’ Reform Bill include the creation of a new Private Rented Sector Ombudsman, which will provide fair and impartial dispute resolution more quickly than the court system can, a Privately Rented Property Portal to help landlords understand their legal obligations and demonstrate compliance and, finally, give private renters the right to request a pet, which the landlord must consider and cannot unreasonably refuse.
Tom Darling, the campaign manager of the Renters’ Reform Coalition – a group that includes 20 organisations such as tenants’ unions and the National Union of Students (NUS) – told i: “It’s great that the bill is finally set to come to Parliament for a second reading, but frankly it shouldn’t take this long for the Government to deliver on their own modest proposals.
“Thousands of households have already been made homeless while waiting for this bill and renters can’t afford to wait much longer for decent, secure homes. We’ll be pushing in Parliament to strengthen the Bill so that it delivers the change renters have been promised.”
Ben Twomey, chief executive of Generation Rent, told i: “Ending S21 no-fault evictions will protect millions of families across England, so we’re delighted to see the Bill is likely to move forward after so much delay.”
One thing not addressed by the Bill is the cost of renting.
New data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has found that the annual inflation rate of private rental prices in the UK started to increase significantly in the second half of 2021 and has continued to climb since.
The ONS said private rental prices paid by tenants in the UK rose by 5.7 per cent in the 12 months to September 2023. This represented the biggest annual percentage change since comparable records started in January 2016.
The ONS has found that private rental prices in London increased by 6.2 per cent in the 12 months to September 2023, which was the highest annual percentage change since the data for London started in January 2006.
A Government spokesperson told i: “The Government will deliver a fairer private rented sector for tenants and landlords through the Renters (Reform) Bill. The Bill, which delivers our manifesto commitment, is progressing through Parliament and a second reading will follow shortly.
“We are easing the pressure of rising rents by investing over £30 billion on housing support this year on top of record financial support worth around £3,300 per household.
“We’ve also maintained our £1billion boost to local housing allowance, while discretionary housing payments provide a safety net for anyone struggling.”
