Rent reform bill

[Deleted User]

I have no plans to sell, and my current tenants are great. I issued a Section 21 notice in June of last year. Moving forward, I believe landlords will be more selective when choosing tenants.

Summary 

The UK Renters (Reform) Bill, introduced to Parliament in May 2023, aims to overhaul the private rental sector in England. It focuses on improving renters' rights, ensuring fairer tenancies, and making the rental system more transparent and secure. Below is a summary of its key features:

1. Abolition of Section 21 'No-Fault' Evictions

• Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 allows landlords to evict tenants without giving a reason at the end of a fixed-term tenancy.
• The Renters Reform Bill seeks to abolish Section 21, giving tenants more security by ensuring landlords can only evict tenants with a valid reason under specified circumstances.

2. Stronger Grounds for Eviction Under Section 8

• The Bill strengthens Section 8, which allows landlords to evict tenants with a valid reason, such as rent arrears or anti-social behavior.
• It introduces new grounds for landlords to reclaim their property, such as if they want to sell the house or move in a family member.

3. Periodic Tenancies

• Fixed-term tenancies will be replaced by periodic tenancies, meaning that tenancies will automatically renew on a monthly basis.
• This change will make it easier for tenants to move without being locked into long-term contracts, giving them greater flexibility.

4. Rent Review Changes

• Rent increases will be limited to once a year, and landlords will have to provide two months’ notice before raising rent.
• Tenants will have the right to challenge unfair rent increases through the First-tier Tribunal.

5. Property Standards and Pets

• The Bill introduces a Private Rented Sector Ombudsman to help tenants resolve disputes with landlords more efficiently.
• Landlords will no longer be able to unreasonably refuse tenants’ requests to keep pets. Tenants can request pet ownership, and landlords cannot refuse without a good reason.
• It also strengthens rules around property maintenance to ensure homes meet decent home standards, covering things like repairs, safety, and energy efficiency.

6. Banning Blanket Bans on Certain Tenants

• Landlords will be prevented from imposing blanket bans on renting to families with children, tenants on benefits, or other protected groups.

7. Creation of a New Ombudsman and Property Portal

• The Bill will establish a Private Rented Sector Ombudsman to handle tenant complaints more effectively.
• A Property Portal will be created to provide tenants with information on landlord compliance with legal obligations, increasing transparency in the rental market.

8. Notice Periods for Renters

• The Bill will increase tenants' notice periods from one to two months when they wish to vacate the property, helping landlords maintain better control over planning.

9. Greater Enforcement and Penalties

• The bill allows for greater enforcement powers to ensure compliance, including fines for landlords who do not adhere to these rules.

tealady

So reading Zoe02's summary I read it as decent tenants get more rights and the landlord has greater powers to evict bad ones.
Speaking as a person who has been a good tenant (and lived near to some bad ones) I think this sounds reasonable.
It's a difficult balancing act but perhaps tenants and landlords should consider that (IMO) it's not just in the dictionary that responsibilities come before rights.

R200

Notice Periods for Renters

• The Bill will increase tenants' notice periods from one to two months when they wish to vacate the property, helping landlords maintain better control over planning.

Many tenants will just stop paying rent for last few months that is their way of giving notice they they will be moving out soon 

noitsnotme

R200 said:

Notice Periods for Renters

• The Bill will increase tenants' notice periods from one to two months when they wish to vacate the property, helping landlords maintain better control over planning.

Many tenants will just stop paying rent for last few months that is their way of giving notice they they will be moving out soon 

Only the bad ones and then they won’t get their deposits back.  And they’ll end up with CCJs for any money owed that the deposits don’t cover.  Only the really stupid tenants will do this and have it mess up their financial future.

elsien

R200 said:

Notice Periods for Renters

• The Bill will increase tenants' notice periods from one to two months when they wish to vacate the property, helping landlords maintain better control over planning.

Many tenants will just stop paying rent for last few months that is their way of giving notice they they will be moving out soon 

You do have a bad habit of making sweeping statements based on no evidence whatsoever. 

RHemmings

elsien said:

R200 said:

Notice Periods for Renters

• The Bill will increase tenants' notice periods from one to two months when they wish to vacate the property, helping landlords maintain better control over planning.

Many tenants will just stop paying rent for last few months that is their way of giving notice they they will be moving out soon 

You do have a bad habit of making sweeping statements based on no evidence whatsoever. 

As an ex-tenant, I would never have dreamed of stopping paying rent for the last few months. 

Sea_Shell

I think there are going to be many "unforeseen circumstances" of these measures.    

If I were a tenant, I wouldn't be cheering just yet.  

They are pulling a lever thinking that one thing will happen, but something else will happen too and they'll then go..."oh, that's not what we wanted to happen" .

NSS

noitsnotme

elsien said:

R200 said:

Notice Periods for Renters

• The Bill will increase tenants' notice periods from one to two months when they wish to vacate the property, helping landlords maintain better control over planning.

Many tenants will just stop paying rent for last few months that is their way of giving notice they they will be moving out soon 

You do have a bad habit of making sweeping statements based on no evidence whatsoever. 

I think they believe if they say it enough times it will become true.  As Peter Pan once said “I do believe in fairies, I do, I do”

R200

Courts used to be so backed up it was several months or even nine months to get the tenants out. After this it will be a year or more, and that only after the 4 months of stopped paying rents

noitsnotme

R200 said:

Courts used to be so backed up it was several months or even nine months to get the tenants out. After this it will be a year or more, and that only after the 4 months of stopped paying rents

No it won’t.  The only reason courts were backed up was because of covid.  It’s pretty much back to normal now and the new renters bill won’t change the landscape that much.  In fact the new bill will strengthen section 8 and make it easier to get rid of non-paying tenants.