Renters Reform
Bill
The purpose of the Bill is to:
● Fulfil the manifesto commitments to abolish so-called ‘no
fault’ section 21 evictions and strengthen landlords’ rights of
possession, delivering on the levelling up mission to halve the
number of non-decent rented homes by 2030 and create a rental
market that is fairer and more effective for tenants and
landlords.
The main benefits of the Bill would be:
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● Delivering a better deal for renters through reforms
that will provide 4.4 million households with more secure and
higher quality homes.
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● Providing a more effective legal framework and a more
stable rental market for landlords to remain and invest in.
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● Giving local councils effective tools to crack down
on the minority of non- compliant landlords and poor
practice.
The main elements of the Bill are:
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● Abolishing so-called ‘no fault’ evictions by removing
Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988, providing security for
tenants in the private rented sector and empowering them to
challenge poor practice and unfair rent increases without
fear of retaliatory eviction.
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● Reforming possession grounds for landlords,
introducing new and stronger grounds for repeated incidences
of rent arrears and reducing notice periods for anti-social
behaviour, ensuring that they can regain their property
efficiently when needed.
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● Applying the legally binding Decent Homes Standard in
the Private Rented Sector for the first time ever, giving
tenants safer, better quality and better value homes.
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● Introduce a new Ombudsman for private landlords so
that disputes can easily be resolved without the need to go
to court, which is often costly and lengthy, and ensure that
when residents make a complaint, landlords take action to put
things right.
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● Introducing a new property portal to help landlords
understand their obligations, give tenants performance
information to hold their landlord to account as well as
aiding local authorities.
Territorial extent and application
● The Bill will extend to England and Wales and apply to England
only.
Key facts
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● There are currently 4.4 million households in the
private rented sector in England, making it the second
largest tenure (19 per cent of households).
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● Around one million (21 per cent) private rental homes
don’t meet the Decent Homes Standard. This is down from 41
per cent in 2009 but still much higher than other tenures (12
per cent of social sector homes and 16 per cent of owner-
occupied homes).
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● In 2019-20, more than one fifth of renters (22 per
cent) did not end their last tenancy by choice and faced an
average of £1,400 of moving costs as well as likely paying
more for the home they moved into.
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● The measures in the Bill will support the
Government’s levelling up mission on housing for the number
of non-decent rented homes to have fallen by 50 per cent by
2030.
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● We will shortly publish a White Paper which will set
out more detail on our proposals for landmark reform in the
private rented sector.
