Renters reform bill to return with amendments

The government’s renters reform bill will come back to the House of Commons after the Easter parliamentary recess on 15 April. The return of the bill, which could mean the end of Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions, will bring amendments addressing concerns about its impact on the private rented sector.

The government says its “landmark” renters reform bill will create a fairer private rented sector for both tenants and landlords.

First promised in the 2019 Conservative manifesto, it was introduced to parliament in May last year. However, its progress has stalled amid concerns that the court system would not cope with a potential increase in possession claims.

A group of 50 Conservative MPs have called for changes to the bill, claiming its measures could encourage landlords to sell up, reducing the supply of homes to rent.

Housing Minister Jacob Young has written to Tory MPs saying he has listened to their concerns and will bring forward amendments when the bill returns to the commons after Easter.

These include a requirement on tenants to have lived in a property for at least four months before giving two months’ notice to leave. There will also be a review of the justice system, before ending section 21, to make sure the courts can cope with any additional workload.

Ben Beadle, Chief Executive of the National Residential Landlords Association said: “The government has a mandate to end section 21 repossessions. Our focus has been on ensuring that the replacement system works, and is fair, to both tenants and responsible landlords. The changes being proposed would achieve this balance. Ministers now need to crack on to ensure the bill can proceed with the scrutiny it deserves.”

Read more about this story on the Landlord Today website.