Landlords should be prevented from serving an eviction notice for at least the first year of a tenancy, in the case of repossession for selling or occupying the property, according to a new report from the Fabian Society.
The independent left-leaning think-tank believes the notice period for evictions should be increased to four months, and a permanent ban on winter evictions introduced.
Relocation payments
Landlords should also have to make a ‘relocation payment’ for tenants forced to move if they want to sell the property, move themselves or close family into the property, or if they want to increase rents above a certain percentage and tenants decide not to pay the new rate.
In its report of the Commission on Poverty and Regional Inequality, the group says these payments should be worth at least two months’ rent.
It explains: “Relocation payments will shift power to tenants, protecting them from landlords seeking to exploit unaffordable rent increases to circumvent security for tenants.”
The Fabian Society wants the government to substantially increase PRS regulation to deliver stronger renter protections and greater security of tenure.
Register
Other suggestions include a national landlords register that covers the PRS (as well as holiday lets and AirBnBs), to include past rent levels. Charges from the register would be returned to local authorities to fund stronger enforcement in the local area.
The government should introduce a locally led scheme to purchase private rented homes from landlords who no longer wish to keep them, and turn them into social rented homes, says the report, as well as roll out a private rented leasing scheme, with funding provided to enable the lease of residential properties from private landlords to local authorities for five years.
