Yesterday the government announced that the Renters’ Reform Bill will be introduced in this parliamentary session. Wide-ranging proposals outlined in its Fairer Private Rented Sector White Paper include abolishing section 21 and introducing a single system of periodic tenancies.
The government has outlined its proposals for the Renters’ Reform Bill, which will be introduced in this parliamentary session, detailed in its Fairer Private Rented Sector White Paper. This paper builds on the Levelling Up White Paper and sets out the government’s plans to fundamentally reform the Private Rented Sector and level up housing quality. The proposed reforms for the private rented sector in England go much further than initially expected, with the government calling it “the biggest shake-up of the private rented sector in 30 years”.
As expected, the proposals include abolishing section 21, requiring private rented properties to meet the Decent Homes Standard and establishing a new ombudsman covering private landlords and a new property portal. The government has also put forward several new proposals, including making all tenancies periodic; doubling the notice periods for rent reviews; making it illegal for landlords to have blanket bans on renting to families with children or those in receipt of benefits; and improving the rights of tenants to have pets in properties.
The government says the Fairer Private Rented Sector White Paper “marks a generational shift that will redress the balance between landlords and 4.4 million private rented tenants. It provides new support for cost of living pressures with protections for the most vulnerable, and new measures to tackle arbitrary and unfair rent increases.” At the same time, the proposals to introduce Private Renters’ Ombudsman, improve grounds for possession under section 8, and introduce a new property portal will provide ” the estimated 2.3 million private landlords with greater clarity and support”.
Whilst there are ‘rogue landlords’ operating locally we’ve been fortunate to align ourselves with decent landlords who provide good quality housing and accommodation. So I was disappointed to read the “anti landlord” rhetoric in yesterday’s headlines, the Renters Reform White Paper and how Michael Gove references unscrupulous landlords time and time again is not a positive move for the Private Rented Sector.
Landlords provide vital housing due to decades of failed social housing policies, lack of social housing and their heavy reliance on the PRS to support social housing tenants who are on impossibly long waiting lists.
Working as middle men bridging landlord and tenant relationships we, more than anyone can appreciate there are good and bad on both sides of the coin, but with so much reform and compliance to mitigate in such a short period of time we will simply see landlords sell their properties and a massive glut of S21’s prior to new laws taking effect.
There is already a crippling shortage of housing in the PRS so this will impact tenants worse, just how the tenant fee ban saw increases in rent to offset landlords increased costs.
The government should be making it attractive for landlords who operate professionally within the PRS to provide good homes while benefiting from their investment, not disincentive and villainize them.
Landlords have already had to navigate EPC regs, EICR regs, Tenant fee ban, and face EPC pt 2 by 2025. I fear this could be the straw that breaks the back of many good landlords whose pockets are not endlessly deep.
I hope that Propertymark and National Residential Landlords Association – NRLA have a voice that is heard by the Government and sensible balanced policy is brought forward. Change can be great, but not if the balance tips too far in one direction.
The bill still has to go through parliament but we anticipate it becoming law later this year and we will keep our landlords abreast of all changes to come.
