The Renters’ Rights Bill, introduced to parliament earlier this month, is the latest piece of registration designed to strengthen legal protection for renters.
As recently as earlier this year, the then Conservative government were promising changes under the Renter’s Reform Bill. However, the bill was shelved ahead of the General Election.
Following Labour’s victory in July’s general election, the new government introduced its own housing legislation to parliament. Now called the Renters’ Rights Bill, the laws cover many of the same topics as the previous bill, with some amendments and additions.
What is the Renters’ Rights Bill?
The bill is a collection of legislation intended to ‘decisively level the playing field between landlords and tenants’, according to housing minister Matthew Pennycook.
The key goals of the bill are:
- A ban on no-fault evictions under Section 21
- An extension of Awaab’s Law – which requires landlords to repair urgent issues with 24 hours, investigate hazards within 14 days and fix them within 7 days of investigating. The law will now cover the private sector.
- A ban on mid-tenancy rent increases
- Stronger rights for tenants to request a pet
- A ban on landlords and agents accepting rents above those listed for a property to fight tenant ‘bidding wars’
- An end to fixed-term tenancies, replacing them with periodic two-month notice periods for tenants and four-month notice periods for landlords
- A ban on landlords refusing tenants in receipt of benefits
How will the bill affect me?
Currently, the bill has not become law, so there will be no immediate changes to existing tenancies.
Instead, the proposed changes will be debated in the House of Commons, with potential changes being made just as we saw with the Renter’s Reform Bill.
The bill will be read in parliament twice, debated, and go through the committee stage, report stage, and a third reading. If it passes, the Renters’ Rights Bill will then be read in the House of Lords under the same process.
If the bill passes both houses it will become law.
Will the Renters’ Rights Bill end no-fault evictions?
One of the most important features of the Renter’s Rights Bill – and an aspect that was removed from the Conservative draft of the bill – is a ban on no fault evictions under Section 21.
Currently, Section 21 of the 1988 Housing Act allows for No-Fault evictions. This means landlords can evict their tenants at any time without cause.
Under the new law, landlords will only be able to evict tenants under specific allowed circumstances.
