The return of the Renters (Reform) Bill…or is it?

The King’s Speech yesterday confirmed that legislation will be introduced to ‘give greater rights and protections to people renting their homes’. The Renters (Reform) Bill that was due to be introduced until the recent general election was called, will now be superseded by Labour’s own version of the bill, the Renters’ Rights Bill.

On 17 July, Prime Minster Sir Keir Starmer stated that the Renters’ Rights Bill will ‘introduce tough new protections for renters, end no-fault evictions and raise standards to make sure homes are safe for people to live in’.

The finer details of what the Renters’ Rights Bill will cover are unknown at this stage, however, it is understood that it will cover:

• the abolishment of Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions
• additional possession grounds to enable landlord’s to recover their properties when needed
• the introduction of the Decent Homes Standard in the private rented sector (which is the application of Awaab’s Law)
• the prohibition of discrimination against tenants on benefits or those with children
• strengthening of local authorities’ enforcement powers
• the creation of a central database for landlords, tenants and local authorities to store and share key information
• the formation of a new property ombudsman service
• providing tenants with the right to request to keep a pet.

The Renters’ Rights Bill, as it stands, appears to cover the majority of the key aspects from the now, defunct, Renters (Reform) Bill. However, just how much further this Bill will go to achieve the new Government’s intention to ‘level decisively the playing field between landlord and tenant’ remains to be seen. The key will be in the detail of the new Bill’s provisions. So, we, along with landlords, agents and tenants are waiting in anticipation for further details to be published.

We will be providing further updates on the Renters’ Rights Bill as new information is released. In addition, we anticipate holding a forum (both online and in-person) in the autumn to provide key details of the new Bill and its implications are on all those involved with the private rental sector. If you would like to be informed of the details of this event as they become available or if you have any questions relating to these reforms, please contact Alice Harris  or Ellie Mullins.