NRLA chief calls on the next government to instigate a new Renters (Reform) Bill

NRLA chief calls on the next government to instigate a new Renters (Reform) Bill

9:24 AM, 4th June 2024, About 7 months ago 23

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After seeing five years of hard work in shaping the Renters (Reform) Bill for the private rented sector (PRS) evaporate when the general election was called, the next government must work ‘from scratch’ on a new law.

That’s the verdict of Ben Beadle, the chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) writing to members on the organisation’s website.

He says the Bill was the government’s masterplan to transform the PRS with more security for tenants, the abolition of section 21 and the end of fixed term tenancies.

The controversial Bill was first mooted in 2019 with the NRLA working with its members and Government to amend and hone the plans so they were fair to landlords.

The discussions also enabled Ministers to honour their commitments to tenants.

‘We believed was fair and workable’

Mr Beadle said: “While there’s no suggestion that what was on the table was the ‘perfect’ Bill as far as landlords, and arguably tenants were concerned, what we had was something that we believed was fair and workable.

“It came as a huge blow, therefore, that Rishi Sunak’s decision to call an election when he did, rendered it dead in the water.

“It is even more frustrating when we understand that the Labour party would have supported the Renters (Reform) Bill had it been selected for ‘wash-up’ – the process in which outstanding parliamentary business is completed ahead of Parliament being prorogued.”

Essentially, it is the ‘wash-up’ period that means that any parliamentary business not completed cannot become law and cannot be carried over to the next Parliament.

Next Government will need to start from scratch

Mr Beadle says the next Government will need to start from scratch and develop new legislation for the PRS.

He adds: “This, in turn, means even greater uncertainty for landlords who have already been waiting for five years for answers on how they must run their businesses going forward.

“The repercussions could be far-reaching – for landlords and tenants.”

Along with a cost-of-living and housing crisis, surveys show that growing numbers of landlords are considering what their future is in the PRS.

The issue is, he says, that the ‘crippling uncertainty’ means many landlords will decide to sell up.

Bad news for renters

Mr Beadle continues: “This in turn is bad news for renters looking to the sector for a home, with most recent figures from property platform Rightmove showing there are now 15 tenants competing for each property.

“Both the Conservatives and Labour have previously committed to abolishing Section 21, one of the cornerstones of the Renters (Reform) Bill, but it will be down to the new administration as to how they progress this – and what priority it is given.

“We may have more clarity on what approach the different parties may take once election manifestos are published in the coming weeks.”

He added: “Whatever happens we are committed to working constructively with them to ensure proposed changes are fair and workable for landlords and tenants alike.”


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Stella

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11:00 AM, 4th June 2024, About 7 months ago

Reply to the comment left by moneymanager at 04/06/2024 - 10:41
The NRLA want more regulation!!!
This beggars belief.

TheMaluka

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11:47 AM, 4th June 2024, About 7 months ago

Revert back to the 1988 housing act and repeal nearly all subsequent anti landlord legislation. It's all sticking plasters on sticking plasters on sticking plasters . . . .

moneymanager

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15:20 PM, 4th June 2024, About 7 months ago

Reply to the comment left by TheMaluka at 04/06/2024 - 11:47
And it's not only the PRS, government has no place in the regulation of interpersonal relationships in any sphere, ALL such legislation is societally destabilising, i.e. It's Marxism.

Catapultman

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21:00 PM, 4th June 2024, About 7 months ago

what is wrong with this man ???
getting rid of section 21 is good for landlords.....really why?? i have only used section 21 , i have bedsits and section 21 is normally the only way of getting rid of bad tenant's

Cider Drinker

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9:46 AM, 5th June 2024, About 7 months ago

Reply to the comment left by Catapultman at 04/06/2024 - 21:00
The only way that Section 21 would be ‘good for landlords’ is that bad tenants would be evicted using Section 8.

If you use Section 8, you may as well go after the costs (property damage, missed rent payments and legal fees).

If they don’t pay, they’ll get a CCJ against them and this should alert future landlords.

It would also alert the Local Authority who would be able to refuse to house them (freeing up more homes for migrants, perhaps).

Reluctant Landlord

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11:44 AM, 5th June 2024, About 7 months ago

Reply to the comment left by Cider Drinker at 05/06/2024 - 09:46I disagree. Use of S8 may allow you the option of going after costs but even then you have to pay to do this for what is usually zero return - so no LL benefit here.
Plus S8 can be defended. That's not automatic with S21 whcih is why it is often chosen as the best route when you just want the swifted possible possession.
If the tenant knows they can send a defence in (listing anything - true or otherwise) then the judge will inevitably want a court date. This just delays the whole process so again no 'advantage' or benefit to the LL in any way shape or form. In fact this discriminates against the LL further as it gives the T even more reason not to pay the rent going forward even if they did before!
S21 disposal needs a ramped up S8 replacement to ensure that just like a S21's, mandatory grounds are not defendable if the requirement has been met.
The focus on the S8 has always been adding/adjusting the discretionary grounds, as a way of placating the loss of S21. This is not the point.
If the courts cant cope already (all sides agree) then the point is to keep mandatory claims from being contested and getting there in the first place.

PH

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12:13 PM, 5th June 2024, About 7 months ago

I'm waiting to read the final Labour manifesto regarding mandatory grounds for selling within S8. So far I have read 3 alternatives those being,
1. Selling will not be a mandatory ground .
2. Selling will only be allowed after the first 6 months of tenancy.
3. Selling will only be allowed after the first 2 years of tenancy.

This is a very important matter which every party needs to be perfectly clear on.
We want clarity once and for all !

Steve O'Dell

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9:54 AM, 8th June 2024, About 7 months ago

I have resigned my membership at the NRLA and I suggest other landlords do to. I gave the reason that my leaving was due to Beadle's lack of defence of landlords in relation to the RRB. I received an email from a member of his management team asking for a time to speak with me about my reasons. I politely declined stating that if it was not obvious to them that he was not representing the majority of landlords in the way they want representing, then they are truly misguided, suggesting that they conduct a review of online comments about Beadle and ask their members. I have heard nothing since and now this. What a farce. If enough landlords do not renew membership, he may end up being replaced. Until that time I have written them off.

PH

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10:38 AM, 8th June 2024, About 7 months ago

Reply to the comment left by Steve O'Dell at 08/06/2024 - 09:54
Well done, others need to the same.

Stella

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11:40 AM, 8th June 2024, About 7 months ago

Reply to the comment left by PH at 05/06/2024 - 12:13
Why should we have the worry of whether we can have a mandatory ground for selling with vacant possession.

If this becomes a discretionary ground it will be virtually impossible to get vacant possession no matter what these polititions promise us.

This is my experience when I had sitting tenants pre 1988 housing act.

There is something very wrong when a government thinks it has the right seize our assets in this way.

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