More Protection for Tenants - Renters (Reform) Bill 2023

More Protection for Tenants – Renters (Reform) Bill 2023

Kathryn Brown

May, 17 2023 2 min read

The hugely anticipated Renters Reform Bill was introduced to Parliament today, following years of commitment from the Government to shake up the private rented sector.

The proposed changes are wide ranging but the headline grabbing announcement is the abolishment of Section 21 (known as the ‘no fault eviction’) notices. The Government is seeking to protect tenants from eviction without justification, which was resulting in cases of tenants being asked to leave properties if they did not agree with proposed rent changes or raised concerns about the condition of the property. However, the loss of this power is causing unease amongst landlords leading to fears that landlords will dispose of their let property, reducing the supply in the private rented sector even further.

In addition to protection from no-fault evictions, tenants will have additional rights to request pets, to not have an application refused because of children nor be turned down for receiving housing benefit.

Away from tenants’ rights, the Bill also proposes greater enforcement powers for local authorities to crack down on criminal landlords, to apply the Decent Homes Standard to improve the quality of privately rented homes, and set up an online portal (which will also act as a database of landlords) to assist with signing tenancy agreements.

However, there are also proposed changes to strengthen landlords’ ability to remove tenants for deliberately missed rent or anti-social behaviour. Furthermore, Landlords will still be able to regain possession if they are selling the property or wish to live in it.

Passing the legislation will be a priority for the Conservatives before the next General Election but we are not yet clear on the timescales for the changes to be implemented once made law. For a start, the passage through Parliament may result in some alterations and is likely to take several months before Royal Assent. This will give landlords time to reflect on their let property portfolios and make decisions on the future of their assets.