Overview of The Renters Reform Bill Measures

Overview of Bill measures

The Renters (Reform) Bill will improve the system for both the 11 million private renters and 2.3 million landlords in England. Our reforms have been developed in consultation with landlord and tenant groups over the past five years. The Renters (Reform) Bill will:

• Abolish section 21 evictions and move to a simpler tenancy structure where all assured tenancies are periodic - providing more security for tenants and empowering them to challenge poor practice and unfair rent increases without fear of eviction;

• Introduce more comprehensive possession grounds so landlords can still recover their property (including where they wish to sell their property or move in close family) and to make it easier to repossess properties where tenants are at fault, for example in cases of anti-social behaviour and repeat rent arrears;

• Provide stronger protections against backdoor eviction by ensuring tenants are able to appeal excessively above-market rents which are purely designed to force them out. As now, landlords will still be able to increase rents to market price for their properties and an independent tribunal will make a judgement on this, if needed. To avoid fettering the freedom of the judiciary, the tribunal will continue to be able to determine the actual market rent of a property;

• Introduce a new Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman that private landlords must join, which will provide fair, impartial, and binding resolution to many issues and prove quicker, cheaper, and less adversarial than the court system;

• Create a Privately Rented Property Portal to help landlords understand their legal obligations and demonstrate compliance (giving good landlords confidence in their position), alongside providing better information to tenants to make informed decisions when entering into a tenancy agreement. It will also support local councils - helping them target enforcement activity where it is needed most;

• Give tenants the right to request a pet in the property, which the landlord must consider and cannot unreasonably refuse. To support this, landlords will be able to require pet insurance to cover any damage to their property.

• Apply the Decent Homes Standard to the private rented sector to give renters safer, better value homes and remove the blight of poor-quality homes in local communities. This will help deliver the Government’s Levelling Up mission to halve the number of non-decent rented homes by 2030.

• Make it illegal for landlords and agents to have blanket bans on renting to tenants in receipt of benefits or with children - ensuring no one is unjustly discriminated against when looking for a place to live; and

• Strengthen local councils’ enforcement powers and introduce a new requirement for councils to report on enforcement activity.