The Renters’ Rights Bill is now almost certain to become law before the political parties break for the party conference season.
Parliament’s schedule of business next week now shows that the amendments added to the Bill during its third reading in the Lords on the 21st July will be debated at 2.30pm on Monday 8th September, giving it a week to attain ‘ping-pong’ , the odd name for the process of to-ing and fro-ing that draft legislation goes through between the Commons and Lords before gaining Royal Assent.
Parliament rises on 16th September to allow the parties to have their annual conferences – Labour’s this year is in Liverpool.
Paul Shamplina, Founder of Landlord Action
"It's obvious that the first measures to be rolled out will be the abolition of Section 21 "no-fault" evictions, the shift to open-ended periodic tenancies, and stronger Section 8 grounds for possession," he says.
"Alongside that, we will see limits on rent increases to once a year through a Section 13 notice, an end to rent bidding wars, a ban on asking more than one month's rent upfront, plus new rights for tenants to request pets and protection from discrimination.
"The big question is whether the Government will put proper investment into the court system to cope with these changes, which does not appear to be the case at the moment. Without it, landlord confidence will really suffer.”
Sean Hooker, Head of Redress at PRS
“What will be needed as a matter of urgency will be clear guidance as soon as the legislation has been enacted," he says.
“If as expected, the first changes will be tenancies becoming periodic; the end of Section 21; and the introduction of the new and revised Section 8, then any transition arrangements need to be understood not just by landlords and their agents but also their tenants.
“There will also be guidance for local authority enforcement agents, if other new law introduction is anything to go by, so there may be some hefty fines coming soon for the unsuspecting or those who choose to ignore the Act.
“I hope that the Government has been working on this support behind the scenes and have most of it ready, except for last minute tweaks that may come out of the ping pong process.
“Other changes contained in the bill will no doubt come in over a longer period and may need secondary legislation to be passed before they come into force.
“The law will pose huge challenges to the sector to get up to speed but there is lot of work underway by many of us preparing training and education for those agents and their landlords who need it and I urge you to grab the opportunity to learn with both hands.
“I suspect, however too many will either blissfully ignorant of the changes or be like rabbits caught in the headlights.
Allison Thompson, Lettings Managing Director, LRG
“Most of the Bill is expected to apply to new tenancies from day one – including the Rent Increase Amendment, which will immediately change how rents are reviewed and negotiated," she says.
“While the details on existing tenancies are still to be confirmed, these measures will likely be phased in over time.
“Other elements, such as the Decent Homes Standard, the Ombudsman, the Landlord Portal and Awaab's Law, are likely to follow once the infrastructure is in place, reflecting the scale of operational change required.
But landlords and letting agents need to be preparing now – especially for reforms that will affect their tenancy agreements and rent review processes from day one.”
Eddie Hughes, former Tory housing minister
“The headline outcome for this Bill will be the abolition of Section 21, “no-fault" evictions," he says.
"For a Government eager to demonstrate delivery on its manifesto commitments, I would imagine it will want this change implemented within six months of the Bill receiving Royal Assent, if possible.”
The comments from Shamplina, Thompson and Hughes form part of a report published this week by the National Landlord Investment Show which has several dates coming up across the UK.
Secure your free tickets to Bristol on 1st October, Manchester on 14th October and London on 29th October.
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