Lib Dems attempt to block renter evictions

The Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords have tabled a motion in an attempt to block new Government orders which will allow evictions of private renters in England to resume from 23rd August.

Liberal Demcorat Housing Spokesperson in the Lords Olly Grender has tabled a 'pray to annul' motion to the Government's statutory instrument which was laid before Parliament last Friday (17th July 2020).

The Statutory Instrument requires landlords who are seeking possession of their property to submit a ‘reactivation notice’, but concerns were raised when it became clear that judges will have no legal means to prevent a ‘no-fault’ eviction, even when faced with evidence that the tenant has been impacted by the pandemic.

The motion put forward by Baroness Grender is the strongest form of objection a motion in the House of Lords can take. If this motion wins, the Government's statutory instrument would be overturned.

Liberal Democrat Housing Spokesperson in the Lords, Olly Grender, said:

“Ministers have signed off for their summer holidays without so much as a backward glance at all the renters they have left in the lurch this summer. What the Government should have done is fulfilled their election promise and scrapped no fault evictions altogether, but instead they have just gone back to business as usual allowing evictions of tenants with no explanation.

“The fact they snuck these rules out without guidance and without Parliamentary scrutiny demonstrates once again that for this Government renters will always be left behind. The promise in March that “no renter who has lost income due to coronavirus will be forced out of their homes” was nothing more than hollow words.

“This is the strongest opposition Parliament can take to the Civil Procedure Rules change – and we hope everyone will rally behind this. The Liberal Democrats will continue to hold this Government to account and stand up for renters' rights."

ENDS

Notes to editors

A letter to Secretary of State Robert Jenrick from Generation Rent can be found here, asking a series of questions about the changes to the Civil Procedure Rules.

The full text of the motion is as follows:

Baroness Grender to move that a Humble Address be presented to Her Majesty praying that the Civil Procedure (Amendment No. 4) (Coronavirus) Rules 2020, laid before the House on 17 July, be annulled because they will permit evictions which have been paused during the COVID-19 pandemic to be resumed before Parliament has had an opportunity to debate the impact of the Rules on (1) homelessness, and (2) the spread of COVID-19 (SI 2020/751).