Renters Reform Bill fast becoming landlords’ charter, say campaigners

Long-promised rental reforms are fast becoming a “landlords’ charter”, campaigners said as a leaked letter appeared to indicate a watering down of protections for tenants.

The Renters’ Reform Coalition (RRC) accused the Government of making “major concessions to landlord groups and pro-landlord Conservative MPs”.

Plans to consult on new legislation to abolish Section 21 so-called no-fault evictions were first announced in 2019.

A group representing landlords has urged ministers to “crack on to ensure the Bill can proceed with the scrutiny it deserves” and criticised a lack of progress to date as being “destabilising and damaging” for all concerned.

Earlier this month, communities minister Jacob Young told Parliament when asked about progress of the Bill: “We are absolutely committed to the abolition of section 21, I am personally committed to that and we will bring back the Bill as soon as we’re able to.”

The leaked letter from Mr Young states that the Bill will return to the Commons for report stage when Parliament comes back after the Easter break.

The Government has previously said the abolition of Section 21 would not come in until reforms in the court system to ensure it was also a fair process for landlords.

On Section 21, the letter states that an amendment will be brought forward requiring “the Lord Chancellor to publish an assessment on barriers to possession and the readiness of the courts in advance of abolishing section 21 for existing tenancies”.

Tom Darling, RRC campaign manager, said the Government was “selling renters down the river with concessions that will prevent the vast majority of renters from seeing the end of Section 21 before the next election, as we’d been promised”.

He added: “The Government’s flagship legislation to help renters is fast becoming a landlords’ charter – watch as landlord groups today declare victory now, having exacted a significant toll on this policy in exchange for their support.

Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) said the “rumour, speculation and off-the-record briefings about the future of the Bill has caused a huge amount of concern and uncertainty for tenants and responsible landlords”.

He added: “The Government has a mandate to end section 21 repossessions. Our focus has been on ensuring that the replacement system works, and is fair, to both tenants and responsible landlords. The changes being proposed would achieve this balance.

“Ministers now need to crack on to ensure the Bill can proceed with the scrutiny it deserves.

“The lack of progress and uncertainty about the future is destabilising and damaging for those living and working in the private-rented sector. It is time to bring this to an end.”

She said “only a watertight Bill will curb the unfairness that’s hardwired into England’s rigged renting system”.

Labour’s shadow housing minister, Matthew Pennycook, accused Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Housing Secretary Michael Gove of having “chosen once again to put the interests of party management ahead of what is right for the British people”.

Vowing Labour would “immediately abolish section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions and deliver the security and rights that renters deserve”, he said: “After years of delay, private renters have every right to be furious at the watering down of the vital protections the Tories promised them.”

Propertymark, which represents estate and letting agents, said it was “pleasing to see the UK Government commit to further assessments and measures to ensure the current inadequacies that exist in the court system are tackled before removing no-fault evictions”.

A Government source said: “This is a balanced package of measures that delivers our manifesto commitment to get rid of unfair no-fault evictions and will ensure a fairer private rented sector for both tenants and landlords.

“The Bill will return to the House of Commons shortly and amendments will be scrutinised, debated and voted upon in the usual way.”