The BBC are today (16 October) reporting that a group of 30 organisations, led by Shelter, have written to the Prime Minister to ask him to ensure progress is made with the Renters Reform Bill. The letter says that scrapping the so-called ‘no fault evictions’ should be “at the heart” of Government plans.
The Renters Reform Bill was introduced for its first reading in Parliament on the 17 May 2023. But since then, there has been no progress and no date has been set for a second reading as yet. At the recent Conservative Party Conference, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing an Communities, is reported to have said in a fringe meeting that the Bill would be getting its second reading in the autumn, but the absence of any mention of the Bill in Mr Gove’s key note speech was of concern to some.
The fact that charities and organisations that support tenants are calling for progress to be made with the Bill is unsurprising: tenant groups have been campaigning for reform for many years. But the lack of progress is of equal concern to landlords. No one likes to operate in a state of limbo; it is as important for landlords to have a clear timetable for change to work towards as it is for tenants.
Some commentators have suggested that the delay may be down to the number of MPs who are themselves landlords and who may therefore be trying to digest what the changes will mean. However, there is no suggestion that the Bill will not progress and reform of the sector is inevitable. The sooner the Bill is progressed and the sooner landlords know what the future lettings landscape will look like, the better.
All eyes are therefore on Parliament in the coming weeks to see when the second reading of the Bill will be, and how quickly it progresses thereafter. Watch this space…
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