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The Committee Stage of the Renters’ Rights Bill in the House of Lords takes place on 22 April immediately after the Easter recess.
The House will be adjourned at the end of business on Thursday 3 April and return on Tuesday 22 April.
This will see peers scrutinise the detail of the Bill, and debate and agree any proposed amendments.
The debate is expected to take a number of days, and while both 22 and 24 April have been confirmed, further dates are expected to be announced closer to the time.
The NRLA is backing two amendments on rent arrears which it believes will give landlords the confidence to know they will still be able to regain possession – in a timely manner – should their tenants stop paying rent.
Lord Carter of Haslemere proposes the existing (two month) threshold remains when the Renters’ Rights Bill comes into force, as well as a caveat that would exempt arrears built up as a result of issues with Universal Credit payments.
The NRLA has also recommended other changes that it believes will ensure that the Bill is fair and workable in practice. These include:
+ The introduction of a system to assess rent increases before disputes are sent to the tribunal: This would be developed in conjunction with the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), which could advise on market rents.
+ Changes to mitigate the risk of arrears: These include a move which would allow an initial rent payment to be paid as a condition of a landlord agreeing to a tenancy, and the reintroduction the two-month threshold for rent arrears when it comes to triggering possession proceedings using the mandatory ground.
+ Changes to the student possession ground: We are calling for an extension of the ground allowing it to be applied to one- and two-bedroom student homes, and to allow students to pay rent by term (rather than monthly).
In all 50 pages of amendments have been tabled since the Renters’ Rights Bill was last discussed in the Lords on 4 February.
Each of these must be debated, with an open-ended time limit and all Lords given the opportunity to speak during this stage in proceedings.
Following Committee Stage, there will be another two stages in the Lords before the Bill returns to the Commons for agreement ahead of Royal Assent. This is expected to be this summer.
House of Lords urged to amend Renters’ Rights Bill this week
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