Renters (Reform) Bill: Housing Minister says not all tenants are ‘bad people’

"There are plenty of young people who are in the private rented sector who are not weed-smoking bad people, in gangs and crack dens and everything else and smashing up the neighbourhood."

Nobody in their right mind would challenge this statement but what is sadly lacking from her speech is anything about providing adequate tools for those who are in that category to be dealt with effectively.

“There’s lots of decent people, hard-working people and we need to do the right thing for them.”

Again nobody would disagree with this and I hope that she includes landlords in that category.

Regarding transferable deposits, this is quite worrying because the Bill as published omits various things that were anticipated and if they are proposing to sneak this in by the back door during the parliamentary process it is another major issue that needs proper debate and challenge.

Reply to the comment left by Teessider at 03/10/2023 - 13:26The price of a property with an impossible to evict ASB tenant would be worth half open market value. Very few people would invest and the PRS would tank leaving no properties available to rent.

The problem with socialist idealism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.

Reply to the comment left by Monty Bodkin at 03/10/2023 - 13:43
"The problem with socialist idealism is that you eventually run out of other people's money."

Well said Monty.

... and a country full of lazy people who have been enabled.

Reply to the comment left by AT at 03/10/2023 - 13:50
...and who feel totally entitled as a result of the power given to them by the government....

While I can see that the RRB may make it easier to evict for persistent rent arrears in those cases where the tenant pays up before Court but just how the RRB will make easier for landlords to repossess their properties in cases of anti-social behaviour has not been defined. I cannot see that tenants will be evicted for ASB by a landlord acting as ”judge and Jury” without the burden of proof required by all section 8 evictions and as others have pointed out this could be difficult unless ASB sufferers are willing to come forward.
Landlords can sell their tenanted properties to other landlords if they are willing to lose 30% or more of the open market property value. Unless desperate who in their right mind would do that? In any event if such a move became compulsory who would buy a tenanted property knowing the inherited tenant was essentially eviction proof?

Reply to the comment left by Reluctant Landlord at 03/10/2023 - 14:13
Polling season, just like Christmas is bringing; hope, promises and dreams for a better future (to fix the present that has been eroded with utter compliancy, infighting and lack of ownership).

This may be the first time I wont vote for either con or lab. Libs have let our area down badly.

Reply to the comment left by Teessider at 03/10/2023 - 13:26
You have fallen for the Government's spin. It will be ten times harder to repossess properties for anti-social behaviour. Because no reason has to be given, s21 is now used to deal with ASB. I have had to use it when threats were made by a family member of one of our tenants against another tenant.

You may not like landlords being judge and jury but we live in an imperfect world. If the choice is between a bully being evicted and his victim being asked to be identified as the complainant and give evidence in court months later, I know which I prefer..

Reply to the comment left by Ian Narbeth at 03/10/2023 - 14:52
Dealing with ASB is the one problem with the abolition of S21 that seems insoluble. I have never had anything to do with HMOs but imagine that it could deliver a fatal wound to that sector.

Reply to the comment left by Seething Landlord at 03/10/2023 - 15:03I see the whole problem spiralling to the point of more chance of physical wounds to an actual person!
I had issued getting a nightmare tenant who threatened to burn me along with my property to the ground. Direct threats via calls and written messages He was also bullying/damaging the flat door of the neighbour to the point they were so scared to report it directly to the council.
I could not report it myself either as I was not a direct witness to this (despite showing the Police and council the desperate messages sent to me by the persecuted tenant at all hours of the night/morning AND the catalogue of damage).
Good tenant knew if he reported it to the police when it was happening, the bad tenant know it could only be him. All the council said was that the good tenant has to keep a log of the issues/damage/threats and they would only investigate if he wanted it formally 'on record'!
Went on for months.
I cant see how the RRB will help in any way in thsi example. And its not a one off example either. Happens all the time to many landlords. S21 is the way this is dealt with. Make this impossible and all this may be made more visible...but the outcome is the same. Bad tenant cant be got rid of very easily.

Reply to the comment left by Reluctant Landlord at 03/10/2023 - 15:39Spot on. Our stupid MPs need to realise that by passing the RRB they will hurt the vulnerable and help the nasty.