Children and families facing the ‘cruel threat’ of no fault evictions have waited ‘far too long already,’ says housing secretary as bill returns to parliament
Angela Rayner has said she is determined to pass the Renters’ Rights Bill into law ‘as soon as possible’, as the legislation returns to parliament today for its second reading.
The government has said that the speed at which it has progressed the bill so far, with the second reading less than a month after the bill was first introduced on 11 September and within the first 100 days in office, demonstrates its commitment to getting the legislation in the statute book as soon as possible.
The previous government stood on a manifesto to end no fault evictions in 2019. The Renters (Reform) Bill, which included a commitment to ending section 21 evictions, was introduced in May 2023 but its progress stalled due to concerns about its impact on landlords and the courts.
The Conservative government then ran out of time to pass the law before the election in July.
>> See also: New Renters’ Rights Bill would ban ‘no fault’ evictions and bring Awaab’s Law to private rental sector
>> See also: Mayor slams shelving of renters reform bill amid a 52% rise in no-fault evictions in the capital
The legislation will allow tenants to challenge unreasonable rent increases through a tribunal, while landlords will be limited to raising rents only once a year and only to the market rate, a measure intened to end unfair rent hikes.
The bill will also ban ‘bidding wars’. Landlords will be unable to advertise a rental property without specifying a set rent amount and will be unable to accept any offers above the advertised rent price.
The government has said tenants will also benefit from faster dispute resolution through a new Ombudsman service, reducing the need to go through the court system.
The Decent Homes Standard and Awaab’s Law will also be extended to the private rental sector, to help reduce the number of poor-quality privately rented homes and empower tenants to raise concerns about damp, dangerous and cold homes.
Local councils will be equipped with greater powers to crack down on unscrupulous landlords, with maximum fines for serious offenders increasing to £40,000.
A new database for landlords to share important information on their property standards, showing their compliance with the law and helping councils tackle any criminal landlords.
Tenants will also have the right to request a pet, and landlords cannot unreasonably refuse. They will also be able to challenge any unfair refusals.
The deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, said: “I am determined to get this Bill into law as soon as possible. The thousands of children and families living in unsafe housing or under the cruel threat of a Section 21 eviction notice have been waiting far too long already.
“We will deliver on our promise to renters and transform the sector into one where families can put down roots, where children can grow up in healthy homes, and where young people can save for their future.”
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