The most significant reform of private renting in England and Wales since the 1988 Housing Act has been announced after years of delays.
The Renters’ Reform Bill will be introduced to Parliament today after first being promised by the Conservatives under Theresa May in 2019. It has been welcomed by housing experts and homelessness charities.
Tom Darling, campaign manager of the Renters’ Reform Coalition – a group which comprises 20 organisations including Generation Rent, tenants’ unions, Citizen’s Advice and the homelessness charities Crisis and Shelter, said: “We will be scrutinising the legislation in detail over the coming weeks to ensure it doesn’t contain loopholes that unscrupulous landlords will exploit – we are particularly concerned that landlords may continue to use unaffordable rent rises as de facto no-fault eviction method.”
Mr Darling added that the coalition would “fight any attempts to water down the bill, and campaign to amend the legislation so that renters get a four-month notice period when they are forced to move, are protected from eviction for two years at the start of a tenancy and to ensure there are sufficient safeguards against illegitimate evictions.”
