Renters rights bill must protect ‘workable’ grounds for possession, landlords warn

Plans to reform renters rights must protect “clear, comprehensive and workable” grounds for possession, a landlords body has warned.

The government could reportedly bring forward its new Renters Rights Bill, which was announced in the King’s Speech, as soon as next week, according to Sky News.

And renters rights campaigners have urged ministers to fulfil their pledge to ban section 21 – known as ‘no fault’ evictions when legislation is brought to the House of Commons.

Section 21 is a legal mechanism allowing landlords to evict tenants without giving a reason, which Labour pledged to “immediately abolish” while in opposition and in its party manifesto.

A previous version of similar legislation under the Conservative government – the Renters (Reform) Bill – which contained measures to abolish section 21, but only after a review of the courts system, elapsed before becoming law when Rishi Sunak called the July 4 election.

Renters Reform Coalition director Tom Darling told Sky News that renting was in crisis in England and was “out of control” and “the government must act soon”.

He said: “Homelessness linked to no fault evictions has continued to rise since the election.”

But the National Rental Landlords Association (NRLA) has urged the government to publish details of its latest proposals and open a discussion on how they could work in practice.

This includes steps to reform the court system and ensure cases are quickly processed.

It also comes as property portal Rightmove revealed a record number of former rentals are now up for sale with an average of 15 households now competing for every available let.

NRLA chief executive Ben Beadle said: “Plans to reform the private rented sector have been on the table for over five years now. Above all, renters and landlords need certainty.”

He said a decent homes standard and an ombudsman service were important to ensure every landlord “provides decent housing and a good service to their tenants” but that the measures would require councils to be properly resourced to effectively enforce them.

“The end of section 21 will leave the courts needing to hear possession claims where landlords have a legitimate reason,” he added.

“The grounds for possession will need to be clear, comprehensive and workable in cases of tenant anti-social behaviour, serious rent arrears or where landlords plan to sell properties.”

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) previously said the government had “inherited a housing crisis” and vowed to “prevent homelessness before it occurs by banning Section 21 evictions and deliver the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation”.