King’s Speech: New Renters’ Rights Bill will ban no-fault evictions and extend Awaab’s Law to private sector

Awaab’s Law, named after the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who suffered prolonged exposure to mould in his family’s housing association home, will introduce strict timescales within which social landlords have to respond to hazards in homes. The new bill will outline “legal expectations about the timeframe”, which private landlords will also have to adhere to.

Labour previously said it would extend it to the private rented sector. 

The Renters’ Rights Bill replaces the former government’s Renters’ Reform Bill, which was shelved ahead of the election. 

The King’s Speech, written by ministers and read by the monarch, sets out the government’s legislative agenda for this parliamentary year. It is the first speech from the monarch under a Labour government in 14 years. 

The Conservative government first pledged to ban no-fault evictions in 2019, but had still failed to do it before the general election in 2024. 

In June, ahead of the general election, Labour said it would immediately ban Section 21 evictions if it formed the next government. It is unclear how long the bill will take to become law. 

According to the background briefing notes, the no-fault eviction ban will be brought in through a Renters’ Rights Bill. 

The document said: “More than 11 million people in England live day in, day out with the knowledge that they could be uprooted from their home with little notice and minimal justification, and a significant minority of them are forced to live in sub-standard properties for fear that a complaint would lead to an instant retaliatory eviction. 

“The government is determined to address the insecurity and injustice that far too many renters experience by fundamentally reforming the private rented sector and improving the quality of housing in it. 

“We value the contribution made by responsible landlords who provide quality homes to their tenants and believe they must enjoy robust grounds for possession where there is good reason to take their property back. 

“However, the government is determined to level decisively the playing field between landlord and tenant by providing renters with greater security, rights and protections and cracking down on the minority of unscrupulous landlords who exploit, mistreat or discriminate against tenants with bad practices such as unfair rent increases intended to force tenants out, and pitting renters against each other in bidding wars.”

According to the document, the bill “delivers our manifesto commitment to transform the experience of private renting” and will give renters “much greater security and stability so they can stay in their homes for longer, build lives in their communities, and avoid the risk of homelessness”.