This week MP for Penrith and The Border, Dr Neil Hudson, welcomed the Renters’ (Reform) Bill being introduced to Parliament which, when passed, will see eleven million tenants benefit from safer, fairer, and higher quality homes.
One law, it will abolish Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions which was a key manifesto pledge set forward by the Government ahead of the 2019 General Election. Dr Hudson ran on this manifesto and is proud to empower renters to challenge poor landlords without fear of losing their homes.
In Dr Hudson’s constituency with its high levels of tourism no fault evictions can contribute to the increase in short-term holiday lets which has all too often priced local people out of the communities they live and work in. More on this and the public consultation can be found here.
A Veterinary Surgeon by profession, Dr Hudson has also fought hard for tenants to be given the legal right to request a pet in their home. This measure was included in the Bill, meaning landlords must consider and cannot unreasonably refuse pet requests. Landlords will be able to require pet insurance to cover any damage to their property.
The 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.
Dr Neil Hudson, MP for Penrith and The Border, said:
“Having promised to abolish no fault evictions in the 2019 Conservative manifesto on which I ran, I am proud to help deliver on the priorities of the British public. This is great news particularly in rural Cumbria where renters can see themselves evicted from their communities in place of vacant second homes or short-term holiday lets.
“I’m a vet and an animal lover, so I know just how crucial pets are to the mental health and wellbeing of their owners. As such, I was delighted the Government listened to my calls and is making it much easier for renters to stay with their beloved furry or feathered friends.
“I look forward to standing up for this important piece of legislation as it progresses through Parliament.”
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.
In doing so, the reforms 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.
Housing Secretary Michael Gove added:
“Too many renters are living in damp, unsafe, cold homes, powerless to put things right, and with the threat of sudden eviction hanging over them.
“This government is determined to tackle these injustices by offering a new deal to those living in the private rented sector; one with quality, affordability, and fairness at its heart.
“Our new laws introduced to Parliament today will support the vast majority of responsible landlords who provide quality homes to their tenants, while delivering our manifesto commitment to abolish Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions.
“This will ensure that everyone can live somewhere which is decent, safe and secure – a place they’re truly proud to call home.”
The government will also bring forward legislation as part of the Bill to:
- Apply the Decent Homes Standard to the private rented sector for the first time, giving renters safer, higher quality homes and remove the blight of poor-quality homes in local communities. This will help deliver the government’s Levelling Up mission to halve the number of non-decent rented homes by 2030.
- Make it illegal for landlords and agents to have blanket bans on renting to tenants in receipt of benefits or with children – ensuring no family is unjustly discriminated against when looking for a place to live.
- Strengthen councils’ enforcement powers and introduce a new requirement for councils to report on enforcement activity – to help target criminal landlords.
- The Bill is a key part of the government’s mission to level up across the country and follows the wider housing reforms in the Social Housing Regulation Bill and Building Safety Act. These address the systemic issues identified following the Grenfell Tower tragedy on improving the safety and quality of social housing and how tenants are treated by their landlords.
Martin Lewis, founder of MoneySavingExpert.com, added:
“We have long needed a statutory single private rental Ombudsman – so I’m pleased to see it in the legislative plans. After all, disputes are often between two individuals – landlord and tenant – rather than between companies, so it can be very personal and difficult to sort. Crucially, it won’t be voluntary, all private landlords will be required to join the Ombudsman, and it will have legal authority to compel apologies, take remedial action and pay compensation.”
