Date Announced For Renters Reform Bill

The Government has announced that the long-expected Renter’s Reform Bill will be introduced to Parliament next week.

Housing Secretary Michael Gove has told Sky News: “We’re introducing new legislation, it will be out next week and it will change the way in which the relationship between landlords and tenants work, providing tenants with new protection which should ensure that they’re better protected from arbitrary rent increases.”

The Bill is expected to include a wide range of reforms including the much-publicised abolition of Section 21 eviction powers for landlords, an apparent strengthening of Section 8 eviction powers, probably a mandatory landlord register and the introduction of a Decent Homes Standard for the private sector akin to that operating for social housing providers now.

The Bill was first mooted in 2019 and the government has had substantial criticism from activist groups for its slowness at introducing it into Parliament.

The details of the Bill will reveal which measures, if any, can be introduced into law at short notice and which may require primary legislation, which takes up to a year to get through Parliament.

Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, has tweeted in response to the news: “Secretary of State Michael Gove confirms that we will see the long-awaited Renters Reform Bill next week. A fun week ahead beckons!”

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Comment from our Managing Director, Dee Quealy:

There may be measures that can be introduced quite quickly and others that could take up to a year to go through Parliament.

Dee Quealy explains that the measures that have been widely discussed centre around reforms to Section 21 notices, strengthening of Section 8 notices, a national landlord register and an introduction of a Decent Homes Standard akin that which exists in the social housing sector.

There is always scaremongering about forthcoming legislation and the impact that it may have on the market.

Dee feels that with our approach to relationships between landlords and tenants, that landlords should have nothing to fear. It is generally those landlords who have no regard for the conditions in which they expect their tenants to live who have most to fear from what is anticipated.

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Free advice for Kent landlords

If you need marketing and legislation advice as a landlord in Kent, get in touch with the Lettings and Property Management team at Quealy & Co in Sittingbourne, by giving us a call on 01795 429836 or email hello@quealy.co.uk.

We can advise you on how to achieve the best possible price for your rental property, while helping you to maintain compliance and keep your tenants comfortable.