New Renters' Rights Bill to be introduced
A new Renters' Rights Bill was announced in the King's Speech today; we outline full details below together with the other measures announced affecting housing and planning.
A new Renters' Rights Bill was announced today as part of the King's Speech outlining how the government would give greater rights and protections to people renting their homes, including ending 'no fault' evictions and reforming grounds for possession.
A spokesperson from Downing Street added “The Government is determined to address the insecurity and injustice that far too many renters experience by fundamentally reforming the private rented sector and improving the quality of housing in it. We value the contribution made by responsible landlords who provide quality homes to their tenants and believe they must enjoy robust grounds for possession where there is good reason to take their property back.
“However, the Government is determined to level decisively the playing field between landlord and tenant by providing renters with greater security, rights and protections and cracking down on the minority of unscrupulous landlords who exploit, mistreat or discriminate against tenants with bad practices such as unfair rent increases intended to force tenants out, and pitting renters against each other in bidding wars.
“The Renters’ Rights Bill delivers our manifesto commitment to transform the experience of private renting, including by ending Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions – we will take action where the previous Government has failed. The Bill will give renters much greater security and stability so they can stay in their homes for longer, build lives in their communities, and avoid the risk of homelessness.”
Other measures affecting housing and planning include:
- A Planning and Infrastructure Bill that will streamline the process for approving critical infrastructure to “get Britain building”, together with overhauling the rules on the compulsory purchase of land.
- As well as banning so-called 'no fault' evictions, the Renters' Rights Bill will extend a series of building safety rules for social tenants, known as Awaab's Law, to private renters.
- A draft Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill will curb ground rent for existing leaseholders, and ban forfeiture - where leaseholders are threatened with losing their home - over small unpaid debts.
In total, today's Kings speech outlined 39 Bills for the coming Parliamentary year, so the Government is going to be busy.
If you have any questions or are concerned about how the new bill will affect you and your investment portfolio, please don’t hesitate to contact our specialist lettings team on 0161 511 5339 or via our contact form.
