15:22 PM, 8th June 2023, About A year ago 86
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The Renters Reform Coalition is encouraging tenants across England to contact their MPs to support the Renters’ Reform Bill.
The coalition, which includes housing sector organisations, charities, and partners like Big Issue, aims to bolster tenants’ rights and bring about ‘meaningful change’ in the rental market.
To garner support, tenants are encouraged to email their MPs, requesting their attendance at the Bill’s second reading.
According to Shelter’s Polly Neate, the coalition has recommended several amendments to the Bill to fortify tenants’ rights and ensure the legislation possesses the ‘teeth needed for real change’.
And part of the call includes having landlords pay the tenant TWO MONTHS rent to find somewhere new to live AND move home.
The coalition is also calling for the imposition of a one-year ban on re-letting a property after a landlord uses a no-fault eviction – rather than the planned three-month ban.
Introduced last month, the renter reforms seek to abolish section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions so landlords cannot possess a property without providing a reason.
The Bill also aims to grant tenants more power to own pets and enhance the quality of privately rented homes.
However, the coalition proposes that judges should have full discretion to determine whether an eviction is justified.
They also recommend instituting a cap on in-tenancy rent increases, tied to the lower of inflation or wage growth, to prevent rent increases being used as a covert eviction tactic.
Landlords and letting agents might also be surprised at the demand from Generation Rent that a landlord pays their tenant two months’ rent to help them find a new place to live and move home.
And the groups says that landlords who want to sell will have to list the property for sale with a sitting tenant for six months before seeking an eviction.
As part of the campaign to get support, Shelter has launched a campaign for 5,000 supporters to email their MP and urge them to turn up for the Bill’s second reading.
The charity’s campaign page states: ‘By contacting your MP, you’re showing them just how important this bill is to you.
‘As their constituent, you have their ear, so adding your own story about why renting must be fixed will make your email even more powerful.
‘We need as many MPs as possible to turn up to the debate and demand for it to be focused on renters’ rights and as strong as possible.’
On Twitter, Ms Neate said: “This is not the time to relax on reform of private renting.
“There’s real danger of loopholes in the Renters Reform Bill that could undermine benefits of ending no-fault evictions.”
Along with improved tenant protections, the coalition is also calling for an extended eviction notice period of four months instead of the current proposal of two months.
It also suggests shielding renters from section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions during the first two years of a tenancy, as opposed to the proposed six months.
According to the coalition, these changes would offer a significant improvement over the existing system.
Mick Roberts
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Sign Up7:22 AM, 8th June 2023, About A year ago
She han't got a clue. She's wrecked it for renters in Scotland with her shouting for these measures. Now England.
TheMaluka
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Sign Up7:22 AM, 8th June 2023, About A year ago
More than happy to oblige if and when my mortgage company pays me the equavalent of two months rent to help me move home. In addition all fees and stamp duty for owners should be banned in line with the tenant fees act.
In essence everything which applies to tenants should also apply to owners - we need to "Level up".
David Houghton
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Sign Up7:51 AM, 8th June 2023, About A year ago
Should such an amendment pass, expect a wave of s21 before the bill gets it's third reading
Monty Bodkin
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Sign Up8:01 AM, 8th June 2023, About A year ago
Just knock it off the arrears.
As with section 21, there's always a very good reason for landlords evicting.
Laura Delow
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Sign Up8:50 AM, 8th June 2023, About A year ago
It seems the mindset of these people see landlords as "rich blood sucking" parasites who are making lots of money off the back of hard working people who want or can only afford to rent a place to call home for the longer term or at least until they choose to move on. In effect they're not wrong as the only reason someone invests in rental property is to make money, not for altruistic reasons. What they fail or don't want to see is that most tenant & landlord relationships are extremely healthy & symbiotic in that they're happily mutually beneficial. The tenant does not have to find a big deposit to buy their own home or pay the associated legal, disbursement & stamp duty costs, nor do they have a mortgage that would cost more pm than they otherwise pay in rent & they have a place to call home that is kept safe & looked after by the landlord if anything goes wrong, and the landlord earns from it. Yes, there are bad landlords who charge top dollar for a pigsty they don't maintain & treat their tenants with utter disdain, & yes there are bad tenants who also treat landlords & their property with utter disdain, but these few shouldn't tarnish ones mindset. There will always be rogue employers, rogue farmers, rogue landlords, rogue politicians, rogue tenants....the list is endless and exist in every walk of life. Even charities. But the majority are good employers who pay & look after their staff well, good farmers who don't abuse their livestock nor treat them as machines to generate a product, good landlords who treat tenants with respect & offer good safe homes at a fair price & maintain the property well, good politicians who genuinely want to fairly help the larger community & don't abuse their position of power, good tenants who want a place to call home they treat with respect & are happy to pay a fair price for. If instead Shelter & the likes could just change their mindset by lifting the dark veil over their eyes, they'd see the majority are good landlords & tenants who they could seek help from to find ways to deal with the rogue ones, rather than damn the whole landlord community, which in turn also causes suffering to the majority of happy tenants if their landlord is made to suffer. Yet all the time the rogue slithery creatures with no conscience find another way to slip under the new rule radar which they can successfully do as the focus isn't on them, it's on all landlords. History tells us the road to hell is paved with good intentions from those who think they are doing good but on route create "sh## storms" & these sh##-storms throughout history destroy more good people with good intentions than bad. There must be a way the likes of Shelter can provide supportive & constructive criticism that does not damage or destroy the good landlord community but rather leaves room for them to be nurtured, encouraged and to grow. We need to work together in solidarity & show more support to each other (which sadly the likes of Shelter seem to be totally against) but in doing so, we can help one another to do better.
Crossed_Swords
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Sign Up8:55 AM, 8th June 2023, About A year ago
If S21 no fault evictions are to be abolished, why are they trying to impose conditions on them since they won't exist?
TheMaluka
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Sign Up9:01 AM, 8th June 2023, About A year ago
Reply to the comment left by Laura Delow at 08/06/2023 - 08:50
"There will always be rogue employers, rogue farmers, rogue landlords, rogue politicians, rogue tenants...."
Employers, Farmers, Landlords and Tenants, yes but surely there are no rogue politicians?
John Parkinson
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Sign Up9:32 AM, 8th June 2023, About A year ago
Reply to the comment left by Laura Delow at 08/06/2023 - 08:50
And relax!
Dylan Morris
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Sign Up10:04 AM, 8th June 2023, About A year ago
Pointless as there will be no place for them to move to anyway.
Nelly101
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Sign Up10:04 AM, 8th June 2023, About A year ago
Someone needs to wake up,with these charities they are going to cause the biggest housing crisis in living memory.Why should a tenant have any more rights than a person with a mortgage ,it’s their choice to rent either by choice or need .Some folk just don’t have the means to buy or even want to.Just because you rent should not put you in a better position than someone who works hard to pay a mortgage.Maybe a mass section 21 across the whole rental sector would prove the disaster about to hit the rental market.I feel sorry for good tenants who are happy in their home,and want no part of this make landlords life hell.It will be them that suffer because as a good landlord I have had enough of shelter and the like.My letter to shelter/mp is waiting to be posted asking them to explain why my tenants are been evicted due to their demands.