Propertymark’s Timothy Douglas will be hosting a webinar today, where he will discuss the outstanding amendments, how agents can influence them by writing to their MP, and the anticipated timelines for what happens next.
The Renters’ Rights Bill, which recently completed its passage through the House of Lords, will enter its final stage next month, as it moves to the House of Commons for consideration by MPs.
The next stage of the process, which gets under way on 8 September, marks a key milestone for the legislation, which aims to introduce significant reforms to the private rented sector and strengthen tenant protections across England.
Once both Houses have reached an agreement, the Bill will receive Royal Assent. The next key milestone is commencement, when the main provisions of the Act take effect. This is when Section 21 will be scrapped, ending Section 21 evictions. However, there is no set timescale for this at this stage.
The UK government has promised to allow sufficient time for the sector to adapt. However, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government also needs time to prepare – drafting secondary legislation, creating standard forms and notices, issuing guidance, launching publicity, consulting on the decent home standard, building a national database, and setting up the PRS Ombudsman.
Key measures aimed at reforming the private rented sector include:
Key Measures:
+ Abolition of Section 21 evictions:
Landlords will no longer be able to evict tenants without giving a reason, offering renters more security.
+ Simplified tenancy structure:
All assured shorthold tenancies will transition to a single open-ended tenancy type, giving tenants more flexibility and reducing fixed-term confusion.
+ Stronger grounds for eviction under Section 8:
New and revised grounds will be introduced to allow landlords to recover possession for legitimate reasons (e.g. selling the property or repeated rent arrears).
+ Creation of a Private Rented Sector Ombudsman:
A new ombudsman service will be introduced to resolve disputes between landlords and tenants without going to court.
+ Mandatory landlord registration via a property portal:
Landlords will be required to register their properties through a central portal, improving accountability and transparency.
+ Improvements to housing standards:
Greater enforcement of property condition requirements and an aim to raise the quality of homes in the sector.
Agents can sign up for the Propertymark webinar by clicking here.
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