A parliamentary petition calling for changes to the Renters’ Rights Act has yet to receive a government response, 13 days after surpassing the 10,000 signatures required for an official reply.
Since reaching that milestone on 10 February, the petition has gained nearly 5,000 additional signatures, bringing the total close to 15,000. If it eventually reaches 100,000 signatures, it would be considered for debate in Parliament.
Launched in late January by landlord Craig Littlejohn, the petition urges the government to introduce a six-week fast-track court process for Mandatory Grounds under Sections 8 and 7A (covering arrears and anti-social behaviour), establish a registered landlord database of tenants evicted through the courts, and raise the deposit cap to cover substantial property damage.
The campaign notes that the abolition of Section 21 under the Renters’ Rights Act has left Section 8 as the main route for evicting problem tenants. Ministry of Justice data shows the average eviction now takes more than 27 weeks—over six months.
“We believe this delay [in the tenant eviction time] punishes law-abiding landlords via irrecoverable arrears and damage. We urgently need an expedited court process for mandatory grounds (ASB/arrears), a vetting database for repeat offenders, and a higher deposit cap to help sustain the rental market,” the petition stated.
You can view the petition here.
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