Renters' Rights Bill: Labour has 'once-in-a-generation opportunity' to fix the renting crisis

The Renters’ Rights Bill is set to make its debut in parliament this week with Labour under pressure to deliver on its promise to scrap ‘no-fault’ section 21 evictions.

The government will introduce its bill to the House of Commons this week after it was included in July’s King’s Speech and Labour made a manifesto to pledge to abolish the evictions immediately after coming into power.

Renters have been waiting more than five years for leaders to act to stop landlords from being able to evict tenants without giving a reason. The mechanism is considered a leading driver of homelessness.

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The Tories failed to pass its Renters Reform Bill before the general election earlier this year, despite promising back in 2019 to axe no-fault evictions and redress the power balance between tenants and landlords.

Labour’s new Renters’ Rights Bill is expected to strip out some of the changes introduced by the Tories at the Renters Reform Bill report stage, sparking accusations from pro-renter groups of changes to “appease landlords and backbench Tory MPs”.

That includes removing delays to abolishing no-fault evictions until courts are reformed and introducing longer notice periods for tenants. Pro-renter campaigners have previously called for notice periods of up to four months.

Tom Darling, director of the Renters’ Reform Coalition, said: “The renting crisis in England is as bad as it’s ever been, with soaring rents and homelessness, so we’re pleased the government are to introduce the Renters’ Rights Bill. Some of the key details we’ve heard so far, such as an immediate end to section 21 when the bill passes, and longer notice periods, will have a real impact.

“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to fix a broken system and improve quality of life for 12 million private renters. To ensure renters can finally have genuine security in their homes, we know that wide-ranging reforms will be necessary – including limits on how much rent can be increased during a tenancy, to stop unfair rent hikes forcing people out of their homes. We look forward to engaging with the government on the details.”

The government is expected to introduce the Renters’ Rights Bill for a first reading in the Commons before parliament breaks up for conference season on Thursday (12 September).

As well as scrapping no-fault evictions, the Renters’ Rights Bill is expected to include other long-promised changes to support renters, including the right to keep a pet and bans on excluding renters with children or on benefits from renting a property.

The proposed changes come as rents have soared to record highs and the number of renters being made homeless through a no-fault eviction has continued to rise.

More than 109,000 households have been threatened with a no-fault eviction in the five years since then-prime minister Theresa May promised to scrap them.

The latest Ministry of Justice statistics show that 2,916 households were evicted from their homes after receiving a section 21 eviction notice between April and June this year – up from 2,228 in the same period last year.

Francesca Albanese, executive director of policy and social change at Crisis, said: “The ending of no-fault evictions has been a long time coming and we welcome reform that will protect renters’ rights, and improve the landscape of private renting, for the better.

“No-fault evictions are the leading cause of homelessness in England, so by immediately ending these the Renters Rights’ Bill can deliver much needed stability and security for the millions of people living in privately rented homes.

“We look forward to seeing the finer details in the bill this week. It is crucial that it puts a stop to sudden rent hikes and introduces longer notice periods for tenants. It is only then that private renters’ can feel safe and secure in their homes and feel genuinely protected from homelessness.”

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