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Rayner determined to ban Section 21 ‘as soon as possible’ as MPs debate rental reforms
Angela Rayner has said she is determined to ban Section 21 no-fault evictions “as soon as possible” as MPs debate the Renters’ Rights Bill in parliament.
The deputy prime minister and housing secretary will give a speech today highlighting key parts of the bill as it returns to the House of Commons for its second reading, less than a month after it was introduced.
The bill will ban Section 21 no-fault evictions across new and existing tenancies, which was commitment in Labour’s general election manifesto.
Last year, nearly 26,000 households faced homelessness as a result of a Section 21 eviction and had to go to their council for support.
The bill will also clamp down on unfair rent increases and extend the Decent Homes Standard and Awaab’s Law to the private sector for the first time, enabling tenants to raise concerns about damp, dangerous and cold homes.
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Ms Rayner said: “I am determined to get this bill in to law as soon as possible. The thousands of children and families living in unsafe housing or under the cruel threat of a Section 21 eviction notice have been waiting far too long already.
“We will deliver on our promise to renters and transform the sector into one where families can put down roots, where children can grow up in healthy homes, and where young people can save for their future.”
Under the legislation, Ms Rayner will say in her speech, tenants will be in a stronger position to challenge unreasonable rent increases supported by a tribunal while landlords will only be allowed to raise rent once a year and only to the market rate.
A new ombudsman service aims to give private tenants a quicker resolution over disputes, cutting down on the need to go through the courts.
Meanwhile, councils will be given stronger powers to crack down on “unscrupulous landlords” and maximum fines will be increased to up to £40,000 for serious offenders.
A new database will be created for landlords to share important information on their property standards, showing their compliance with the law and helping councils drive out bad landlords.
Tenants will be able request to have a pet and landlords will not be able to “unreasonably refuse”. Unfair decisions on pets can be challenged by renters.
Currently, 21% of privately rented homes are considered non-decent and more than 500,000 contain the most serious of hazards.
Earlier this week, Inside Housing reported that social landlords are being urged to prepare for “major changes” to their legal options around shared ownership under the Renters’ Rights Bill.
Under the bill, shared ownership leases of more than seven years will no longer be classed as assured short-hold tenancies. As a result, landlords of shared ownership homes will no longer be able to serve a notice of seeking possession under the Housing Act 1988.
Ben Ramsay, a paralegal at law firm Trowers and Hamlins, said this will have “a major impact on a landlord’s ability to threaten possession, as a means to recover rent and service charge arrears, resulting in a significant shift in income recovery processes for shared ownership”.
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