Renters (Reform) Bill published

Renters (Reform) Bill published

Introduced to the House of Commons on Wednesday 17th May 2023, the Bill sets out the UK Government’s plan to deliver on the Conservative Party’s policies to reform the private rented sector in England. 

The legislation will implement many of the measures that the UK Government included in its ‘A Fairer Private Rented Sector’ White Paper that was published in June 2022. 

The objective of the Bill is to ensure renters have access to a secure and decent home and that landlords retain the confidence to repossess their properties where they need to.

• Abolish Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions and reform tenancy agreements where all assured tenancies are periodic 
• Introduce more possession grounds where tenants are at fault, for example in cases of anti-social behaviour and repeat rent arrears 
• Provide stronger protections against retaliatory evictions 
• Introduce a new Ombudsman that all private landlords must join 
• Introduce a new Property Portal including a database of residential landlords and privately rented properties in England 
• Give tenants the right to request a pet in their property, which the landlord must consider and cannot unreasonably refuse 

• Apply the Decent Homes Standard to the private rented sector 
• Make it illegal for landlords and agents to have blanket bans on renting to tenants in receipt of benefits or with children 
• Strengthen local council’s enforcement powers and introduce a new requirement for councils to report on enforcement activity 

Reforms to the private rented sector in England have been long awaited and the Bill will bring much needed clarity to letting agents and their landlords and tenants. 

Article source: Propertymark. More info on their website.