Huge change for renters revealed in 2023 King’s Speech – check how you will be affected
RENTERS will be given new rights against bad landlords, King Charles confirmed today.
At the State Opening of Parliament, the monarch announced that the Renters' Reform Bill will be carried through parliament ahead of the next year's general election.
However, the Bill will be watered down from its original form.
Last month Housing Secretary Michael Gove announced he'll delay a long-promised ban on "no fault" rental evictions AGAIN after dozens of Tory MP landlords threatened a major rebellion.
The ban - which was a 2019 Tory manifesto promise - will now only come into force at an unspecified date once "improvements" are made to UK courts.
These include digitising the court process to make it easier for landlords to banish tenants and clearing existing case backlogs.
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Labour has accused ministers of doing a “grubby deal” with landlord MPs and "betraying renters".
The party estimates 15,000 tenants face being booted out of their home for no reason in the time it will take before Section 21 is prohibited.
Critical Tory MPs say abandoning Section 21 would leave landlords stuck with anti-social tenants ruining their properties.
They also argue it would encourage masses of second homeowners to sell up, placing further pressure on the already squeezed English rental market.
Tom Darling, Campaign Manager at the Renters' Reform Coalition, said: "The idea that some ill-defined 'court reform' must happen before Section 21 no-fault evictions can end is absurd.
"The Government promised to end no-fault evictions in 2019 – what have they been doing since then?
“Any delay will have a terrible human cost - a renter faces losing their home every 15 minutes because of Section 21. No more delays!"
Shadow Housing Secretary Angela Rayner said: “The government has betrayed renters with this grubby deal with the Tory backbenches.
"The Conservatives’ long-promised ban on no fault evictions has majority and cross-party support across the House, but this flip-flop kicks it into the long grass.
“Having broken the justice system, they are now using their own failure to indefinitely delay keeping their promises to renters in the most underhand way."
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Alongside eventually banning no-fault evictions, the Renters Reform Bill will include:
Introduction of a new ombudsman
A new Private Renters' Ombudsman will be created to help private renters and landlords settle disputes quickly.
It will also mean disputes don't have to go to court which can be expensive for both tenants and landlords.
Digital 'property portal'
The Government will introduce a new online portal to help landlords understand and comply with their responsibilities.
The portal will also offer councils and tenants information on how to tackle rogue operators.
Legal right to request a pet
Tenants will be given the right to request a pet in their house.
Landlords will have to consider any request and won't be able to refuse it without a good reason.
Landlords given rights to evict anti-social tenants
The Bill will give landlords more rights to evict anti-social tenants.
The number of disruptive activities that can lead to eviction will be widened too.
Increase in rent notice periods
Notice periods for rent increases will be doubled from one month to two months.
Tenants will also be able to challenge landlords if they deem a rise is unjustified.
Illegal to impose blanket bans on renting
As it stands, private landlords and letting agents don't have to give up their property to someone reliant on Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit to pay rent.
You can currently challenge a decision like this if you deem it to amount to unlawful discrimination.
But the Bill will see a blanket ban on renting to families with children or those receiving benefits made illegal.
This will see the most vulnerable given greater access to homes.
Ending the use of rent review clauses
Some tenants have rent review clauses in their contracts which mean their rent can be increased.
But under the Bill these will be abolished.
Tribunals will also be restricted from hiking up rent and tenants will be repaid rent if found to have lived in a home that doesn't meet certain standards.
Move to single system of periodic tenancies
All tenants will be able to leave poor quality housing without having to continue paying rent.
A tenancy will only end if a renter ends it themselves or a landlord has a valid reason to terminate it.
Campaigners have welcomed the "once-in-a-generation” announcement from the Government.
Dan Wilson Craw, acting director of campaign group Generation Rent, said: “Abolishing (no-fault evictions) will take away much of the stress of renting and improve communication and trust between tenants and landlords."
Michael Webb, head of policy and public affairs at Battersea Cats and Dogs Home, said: "Not only will this Bill bring us one step closer to significantly reducing the number of dogs and cats we see being needlessly separated from their owners, it will also open up the many joys of pet ownership to millions of renters in the future."
Meanwhile, founder of the MoneySavingExpert.com website Martin Lewis said he was "pleased" about the introduction of an ombudsman.
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Polly Neate, chief executive of homelessness charity Shelter, welcomed the “once-in-a-generation” opportunity but warned it must “truly deliver” change for renters when it becomes law.
Shadow housing secretary Lisa Nandy pointed to “years of delay” in introducing the plans, saying: “The Government first promised reform for tenants in the private rented sector over four years ago.