In the King's Speech today (Wednesday 17 July) it was confirmed the Labour government will work on a new Renters' Rights Bill, in order to "give greater rights and protections to people renting their homes, including ending no fault evictions and reforming grounds for possession”.
This follows the falling of the previous Conservative government's Renters (Reform) Bill which was cut short by the snap election called on 22 May 2024.
The Renters' Reform Coalition welcomes the news and will be engaging with the government to try to ensure that new legislation ends no fault evictions in full and does not allow them to continue by the backdoor.
Tom Darling, Renters’ Reform Coalition Campaign Manager, said:
“England’s renting crisis is out of control, with soaring rents and record levels of homelessness – so we’re pleased to see the government commit to a Renters’ Rights Bill in the King’s Speech today. It’s good that this legislation will carry over key provisions of the unfinished Renters (Reform) Bill, and confirmation that Labour’s manifesto commitments on damp and mould protections and bidding wars will be carried forward is also welcome.
"This Bill will finally end section 21 evictions, but if it is to ‘decisively’ rebalance the private rented sector, it is crucial that new landlord possession grounds are not open to abuse, and provide maximum protections for tenants so that every possible effort is taken to reduce the huge harm caused by evictions. The government is saying the right things on this front, but we will reserve judgment until we see the detail of the legislation.
“We are concerned, however, that unaffordable rent increases will continue to be no-fault evictions for many renters. We are clear that the best way to prevent this is a cap on in-tenancy rent increases, at the lowest of inflation or wage growth. On a day where new ONS data shows rents rising at 8.6% annually, well above both wages and prices, the Government should be warned that its welcome and ambitious vision for renters will come unstuck if it doesn’t have an answer to the affordability question.”