Renters Reform Bill 2023

The Renters Reform Bill was published today.  Here is the full bill:

https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbill/58-03/0308/220308.pdf
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Despite what some news agencies claimed, it was not read or debated in the house today.  We have heard it will be properly debated in early June.  It will then have to be voted on, go to the House of Lords etc, so the timescale is not going to be fast, and is not yet known in detail.  It may not get passed before the next election.

Propertymark (ARLA) have said the following:

As Propertymark has said throughout, improvements to the private rented sector are much needed but the detail must deliver a fair system for both landlords and tenants.

On initial review, the Bill and guidance are limited to the areas that Propertymark has been in ongoing discussion with DLUHC on, throughout recent months.

The key areas:

• No fault eviction abolished, all tenancies to move to periodic
• Introduce more possession grounds where tenants are at fault, for example in cases of anti-social behaviour and repeat rent arrears
• Provide stronger protections against retaliatory evictions
• Introduce a new Private Rented Sector Ombudsman to reduce pressure on the courts
• Create a Portal for landlords and tenants to understand responsibilities and obligations
• Give tenants the right to request a pet in the property. Landlords will be able to require pet insurance to cover any damage to their property

Further improvements to the private rented sector

Align the abolition of Section 21 and new possession grounds with court improvements including the end-to-end digitisation of the process and prioritisation of anti-social behaviour cases.

Beyond this, the intention is to focus on applying the Decent Homes Standard to the private rented sector and strengthen local councils’ enforcement powers to help target criminal landlords.

The Pace team will read and analyse the bill over the next few weeks but clearly it could change substantially before it finally passes.  We do not think the abolition of Section 21 is anything to panic about – the system is unncessarily complicated anyway, so in reality this could well be an improvement in the long term.

There is lots in the Renters Reform bill that could be good for landlords as well as tenants. After all, mostly we all want the same thing – clear, simple, efficient rules that make sense so tenants can have a home and landlords can show a return on their investment.

As ever, please do contact Pace if you wish to discuss any element of the new legislation with your Property Manager.

lettings agent southend on sea - crystal horwood

Crystal joined Pace in 2007 and was appointed to her current role of Managing Director in 2010, heading up the company founded by her father in 1994.

She is responsible for the daily operations of the business, whilst also ensuring the company is financially sound, has strategic direction and is planning for future growth.

Crystal takes a thoughtful and considered approach to all that she does, transferring her determination to deliver implicit care, attention and professionalism to every member of her team.

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