Renters’ (Reform) Bill

Many of you will have seen that the long anticipated ‘Renters Reform Bill’ was finally introduced to parliament this week.

As usual, sections of the media have created a number of misleading and unhelpful headlines which have caused some people to worry unnecessarily.

A long time coming…

Back in 2019, the government set out to create ‘a better deal for renters’, and to ‘improve renters rights’, by providing a range of new protection against arbitrary rent increases and unfair evictions.

Thanks again in part to the media, this caused many landlords to worry they might not be able to regain possession of their properties, when in fact, the new bill, in addition to adding protection for tenants, also seeks to give extra powers to landlords so they can evict anti-social tenants and those not paying rent.

Whilst we have seen a flurry of headlines this week, as with all new legislation, the bill is only a proposal at this stage, and will most likely be amended several times before it comes into effect, so it could be sometime before it becomes law!

The purpose of the bill…

Most importantly, landlords with good quality properties, and well behaved tenants who pay their rent do not need to worry! The new legislation is aimed squarely at those rogue landlords who do not look after their properties or tenants (and equally those tenants who do not pay their rent or look after the property!).

The new legislation also aims to improve the standard of rented property by increasing a tenants ability to challenge the landlords of poor quality homes, without the fear of losing their home.

Pets…

In addition to seeking to improve the quality of homes, the new legislation will also give tenants the right to request a pet in the home, which the landlord must consider and not unreasonably refuse.

Some have misinterpreted this and believe a landlord will be forced to accept pets, which is simply not the case.

New Ombudsman…

To oversee all of the new legislation and provide both quicker and cheaper resolutions to disputes, the government will also be introducing a new Ombudsman and Property Portal to provide both landlords and tenants with a better understanding of their obligations and options.

As ever, if you have any questions or queries about renting your home, or believe we can assist you, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Hackney & Leigh

Caring about you and your property