Renters Reform – An update

We have been waiting for an update on the Renters Reform Bill for a while. We know that it is coming into force but other that the headlines reported in the white paper there has been little in the way of how the proposed reforms will work in practice or indeed timeframes.

Whilst light in detail, we have been supplied a little more information in the last couple of weeks.

Firstly, in an interview with the BBC, Michael Gove commented that the reforms will be moved forward, indicating progress in the next couple of months. In addition, he said that ‘Rent Freezes’ and ‘Rent Caps’ were not part of the plans. Clearly welcome news for landlords who were fearing not only not being able to evict tenants but also not being able to keep the rent at market level/in line with inflation.

This has been coupled with a press release from Rishi Sunak’s Office, titled ‘Action plan to crack down on anti-social behaviour and restore pride in communities.’ In this, along with increased powers given to the police, one of the measures included was:

“Giving landlords and housing associations more powers to evict unruly tenants who ruin their neighbours’ lives through persistent noise or by being drunk and disorderly.”

There has been much discussion about the effect of the abolition of no-fault notices seeking possession of the property, otherwise known as section 21 notices. We now know that the heightened powers given to landlords to seek possession for the tenant’s breaches of tenancy, will include antisocial behaviour at the forefront. No doubt this will be added to in detail and in presumably other grounds, but it gives us a guide that the plans for the legislation are ramping up.

This part was to be expected but the key element of how remains outstanding and will be what many landlords and property managers will be looking out for. It is all very well and good to have intentions, but as anyone who deals with possession claims is all too aware, antisocial behaviour grounds for possession already exist and claims based on these grounds are tricky. What makes these plans different? That will certainly be something to look out for and I suspect by the way that this information is being released, we may not have to wait too long to see what the government has in mind.

About Boyes Turner

Boyes Turner are a regional UK law firm with an impressive international reach. The expertise of their teams is considerable, spanning the corporate world, technology and private clients. Richard Pulford is an Associate in the firm’s Property Disputes team with over 10 years of experience in property law. He advises on all elements of residential and commercial property matters. (rpulford@boyesturner.com)