By Debbie Franklin, Director of Tax and property tax specialist
After several delays, The Renters Reform Bill was published on 17 May 2023.
A White Paper, published in June 2022, set out proposals to be legislated in the bill, which will change the way in which the relationship between landlords and tenants will work. The bill only applies in England.
Key measures include:
An end to no-fault evictions
Section 21 evictions will be abolished, which “will empower renters to challenge landlords without fear of losing their home”.
Landlords who need to sell the property or use it to house close family members will be enabled to recover their property. Similarly, measures will allow landlords to recover their property if tenants wilfully avoid paying rent, breach their tenancy agreement, or cause damage to the property.
The bill will strengthen landlord powers to evict tenants who act anti-socially. The list of anti-social activities for eviction purposes will be broadened.
An end to blanket 'no pet' policies
Tenants will have the right to request a pet in the home and landlords will have to prove why housing a pet is unreasonable. The landlord will be able to require pet insurance to cover any damage to the property.
Protections against 'back door' evictions
Landlords will still be able to increase rents to market value, but tenants will be able to appeal against excessively above-market rents that are purely designed to force them out.
A new ombudsman and property portal
A new Private Rented Sector Ombudsman will provide fair, impartial, and binding resolution to many issues and prove quicker, cheaper, and less adversarial than the court system. Additionally, a Private Rented Property Portal will provide landlords and tenants with advice on their legal obligations and rights.
In the press release accompanying the bill, the government states that it intends to bring forward legislation as part of the bill to:
- Apply the 'Decent Homes Standard' to the private rented sector for the first time.
- Make it illegal for landlords to impose blanket bans on benefit claimants or those with children.
You can read a guide to the Renters Reform bill here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/guide-to-the-renters-reform-bill