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Long-awaited Renters’ Reform Bill to be published next week
The government’s long-awaited Renters’ Reform Bill will be published next week, housing secretary Michael Gove has said.
In an interview on Sky News last night, Mr Gove said the bill will be “out next week”.
The proposals are a wide-ranging government effort to make the private rented sector “fairer” for tenants.
An 80-page white paper was published last summer outlining the plans, which include banning Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions. Other measures include introducing a Decent Homes Standard for the private rented sector for the first time.
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Mr Gove told Sky News: “[The legislation] will change the way in which the relationship between landlords and tenants work, providing tenants with new protections which should ensure that they are better protected against arbitrary rent increases.”
The bill’s publication will bring to an end a long wait for campaigners keen to see action.
Theresa May, the prime minister at the time, first announced plans to ban no-fault evictions four years ago.
Reacting to Mr Gove’s statement, the Renters’ Reform Coalition, a group of 20 organisations campaigning for change, tweeted: “We look forward to this momentous day – four years after the government first promised to end no-fault evictions – and to scrutinising the legislation in full.”
Shelter, which has continually pushed for a ban on Section 21 evictions, also welcomed the news.
In a tweet, the charity said: “This is huge news – millions of renters have been waiting years for the security we all deserve in our homes. The government has dragged its heels on the Renters’ Reform Bill, trapping private renters in a broken and unfair system. We look forward to next week.”
Once a bill is published, there is no set timetable for when it will become law. However, it usually takes several months, as the legislation is debated in the House of Commons and House of Lords and scrutinised by committees before gaining Royal Assent.
