The Renters' Rights Bill (RRB 24) received its first reading in the House of Commons on 11 September 2024. As currently drafted, it contains various reforms to the private rented sector in England, and builds on the Renters (Reform) Bill 2023 which had been introduced by the previous government and which had been progressing through parliament until the general election halted its progress. The law in Wales has already been substantially changed in 2022.
The main changes in the RRB 24 (as drafted) include:
- The abolition of fixed-term assured tenancies and assured shorthold tenancies (ASTs).
- The abolition of "no-fault" evictions under section 21 of the Housing Act 1988.
- Amendments to the grounds for possession, aimed at providing tenants (Ts) with more security.
- Ts will have a 12-month protected period at the beginning of a tenancy, where they cannot be evicted for the landlord (LL) to move in or sell the property.
- The introduction of a "Decent Homes Standard" for the private rented sector, under which LLs may be prosecuted or find for failing to rectify serious hazards.
Other proposed changes include:
- Requiring social LLs to investigate and fix reported health hazards, enabling Ts to challenge dangerous conditions (e.g. damp and mould) and requiring LLs to act within specific timescales.
- Preventing LLs from having blanket bans on Ts with children, or those who are receiving benefits.
- Banning rental bidding wars. LLs and letting agents must publish an asking rent and will be prohibited from requesting, encouraging or accepting bids above that price.
- Limiting rent increases to once a year, to the market rate, with a view to protecting Ts against "backdoor evictions" via rent increases during the tenancy.
- Giving Ts the right to request a pet, to which LLs cannot unreasonably refuse.
- Introducing an ombudsman (providing cost-effective dispute resolution) and a private rented sector database (helping LLs understand their obligations and providing information to Ts).
The RRB 24 will now pass through the parliamentary process, and there are therefore various hoops which need to be jumped through before it is given Royal Assent and becomes law. In fact, until then, it cannot be 100% certain that it will become law or in exactly what form. Unless and until the RRB 24 becomes law, LLs will be able to continue to carry out “no fault” evictions on their Ts. There are, however, strict rules in place as to what a LL needs to have done, and carried out properly, before he or she can evict a T, as well as set procedures which need to be followed to carry this out in accordance with the law. Even after a “no fault” eviction notice is correctly served, a LL always needs to apply to court to properly evict a T if they refuse to leave of their own volition. Getting this wrong can even lead to the LL being prosecuted for unlawful eviction or harassment, as well as not being able to evict the T. We have a large suite of factsheets and precedents available on the Hub for members to access, and there is a useful guide to the RRB 24 available here.