The Renters Rights Bill has already generated a lot of concern and attracted many amendments, with the legislation now set to be subjected to more attempts to alter certain details before it finally becomes law.
Introduced by the Labour government after its election last year and including many elements of similar legislation from the previous Conservative administration that did not complete its passage before Parliament was dissolved, the new legislation has generated much criticism from various quarters.
While many landlords would agree in principle with some key proposals, such as the ban on Section 21 evictions and allowing tenants to keep pets (unless there is a compelling reason not to, like having a big dog in a small flat), there are elements that have caused deep concern.
As the bill reaches the report stage, now may be the time for important amendments, although there are doubts over whether the passage will be completed in time for it to gain royal assent before the autumn.
Whatever happens, letting agents for landlords may have a key role to play in guiding landlords through the implications of the bill when it does finally become law.
Student Concerns Over Fixed-Term Lets
As Property 118 reports, one of the major areas of concern is that of student accommodation. The government is planning to ban fixed-term student lets as part of the bill, which pressure group Student Accredited Private Rental Sector (SAPRS) has persistently opposed.
SAPRS chair Calum McInnes said: “We have been campaigning throughout its entire legislative journey, and to this day the government is unable to provide a clear rationale for the fixed-term tenancy ban on private student housing.”
This has prompted peer Baroness Scott of Bybrook to table an amendment to table an amendment calling for fixed tenancies for students to stay, with the amendment stating: “To allow student tenancies to remain as fixed tenancies to provide the certainty that both student tenants and student landlords require.”
NRLA Rage Over Bill’s Burdens
Other bodies unhappy with the bill in its current form include the National Residential Landlords’ Association (NRLA), which has called some of the amendments made already by the government “a dog’s dinner”.
This includes the very topic of where dogs eat and sleep, as the government has dropped the requirement that tenants should have insurance to cover against pet damage while retaining the obligation to accept requests to keep them.
NRLA chief executive Ben Beadle called this “a shoddy and outrageous way to make law”, saying it added an extra burden of risk to law-abiding landlords.
He added that this “comes on top” of several existing problems with the new legislation. These include allowing tenants to build up larger rent arrears before they can be evicted, putting the cost of “delays to an already sclerotic court system” onto the shoulders of landlords and making it harder for tenants without credit histories to obtain lets.
Mr Beadle concluded: “whilst the government may say that they are fighting their corner, it is tenants who will lose out as landlords become more risk averse.”
With so much criticism and many amendments tabled – Baroness Scott is far from alone in this – there may be much change as well as a few months of waiting before the bill, in whatever form it takes, makes it onto the statute book.
Whatever happens, landlords may be glad to have letting agents on hand to help deal with what is required of them.
