September 22nd 2024.
In a recent speech, Housing Secretary Angela Rayner made a commitment to address the power imbalance between tenants and landlords. This comes after concerns were raised by a renting campaigner, Tom Darling, about landlords using the threat of eviction to control their tenants. Darling, who heads the Renter's Reform Coalition, shared that landlords had warned the new housing minister, Matthew Pennycook, of a "wave of evictions" if the government were to ban no-fault evictions. He also accused landlords of using evictions as a means to "feel something" amidst the UK's housing crisis.
The proposed solution to this issue is the Renters' Rights Bill, which was outlined by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner at the Labour Party Conference. The bill aims to abolish Section 21 orders, which currently allow landlords in England to evict tenants without providing a reason. This measure was promised by the previous Conservative government but was not implemented due to the early election. The Renter's Reform Coalition is advocating for the ban to be put into effect as soon as possible to protect tenants in an already unstable housing market.
During a fringe event at the Labour Party Conference, Darling shared his experience with landlords threatening to evict tenants before the abolishment of Section 21. He called this behavior "psychotic" and emphasized the need for the ban to be implemented. The event, organized by the Renter's Reform Coalition, took place just hours after Housing Secretary Rayner's promise to "rebalance" the relationship between tenants and landlords, along with other measures aimed at ending homelessness and improving living conditions.
At the event, Darling and another housing campaigner, Anny Cullum, also urged the government to take action against landlords who hike rents to force tenants out. Cullum shared a disturbing story of a woman in Haringey, North London, whose landlord raised her rent to try and force her out after she complained about sewage in her backyard. This highlights the need for measures to prevent landlords from retaliating against tenants who speak up about living conditions.
The Renters' Rights Bill, introduced to parliament on September 11, will be debated by MPs later this year. It aims to address some of the deep-rooted issues in the rental market. One of the biggest reforms is the abolishment of no-fault evictions, which currently allow landlords to evict tenants without providing a reason. This practice has been used to silence tenants who complain about poor living conditions. The bill also aims to give tenants more rights, such as the ability to have a pet, as well as addressing excessive rent hikes and poor quality homes.
One of the main concerns in the rental market is the high rate of no-fault evictions. Tenants can be given just two months' notice to vacate the property without any reason, making it difficult for them to find a new home in today's housing market. This has also led to concerns about retaliatory evictions, where landlords evict tenants who speak out about poor living conditions. The Renters' Rights Bill aims to address these issues and give tenants more security over their homes.
Another issue in the rental market is the difficulty for pet owners to find a suitable rental property. Many landlords do not allow pets, fearing damage to their property. The bill aims to give tenants more rights in this area, ensuring that landlords must consider pet requests and cannot unreasonably refuse.
Rent hikes have also been a major concern for tenants. While rental inflation is currently at its lowest in three years, it is still at a high rate of 5.4%. This means that tenants are paying a larger proportion of their income towards rent than they were a decade ago. The bill aims to address this issue by capping rent increases within a tenancy to the level of wage or inflation increases in the last three years.
Poor quality homes are also a major issue for tenants. Many feel unable to speak up about problems in their homes for fear of being evicted. The English Housing Survey found that a significant number of private rented homes do not meet the Decent Homes Standard, which includes having modern facilities and being in a good state of repair. The Renters' Rights Bill aims to improve living conditions for tenants and ensure that they are able to raise concerns without fear of eviction.
Overall, the Renters' Rights Bill is a much-needed step towards addressing the issues faced by tenants in the rental market. It aims to give them more security over their homes, protect them from retaliatory evictions, and improve their living conditions. With the support of the Renter's Reform Coalition and other housing campaigners, it is hoped that the bill will be passed and implemented to bring about much-needed change in the rental market.
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