9:20 AM, 8th March 2024, About 9 months ago 58
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The controversial Renters (Reform) Bill which is set to abolish Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions is on the brink of collapse, The Sun newspaper claims.
Quoting Whitehall insiders, the newspaper says ‘angry Tory MPs’ are holding the Housing Secretary Michael Gove ‘to ransom’ in a bid to force changes.
The Bill was promised in the Conservative’s manifesto in 2019 and is still making its way through Parliament.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had promised to end ‘no-fault’ evictions by the next election.
The newspaper says officials are ‘distraught’ because the Tory MPs are refusing to budge on their legislation stance.
The resistance is being led by Totnes MP Anthony Mangnall.
The Sun quotes an insider who told them: “The Renters Reform Bill looks like it may now collapse and the Tories risk breaking their manifesto commitment to end no fault evictions.
“Officials are at a total loss given both pro-landlord groups like the National Residential Landlords Association and pro-renters groups like the Renters Reform Coalition want this bill passed ASAP.
“It seems a small group of landlord MPs, led by Anthony Mangnall, are holding the bill to ransom.”
While not being a landlord, Mr Mangnall says he supports abolishing ‘no-fault’ evictions.
And he warns that there are many disappointed Tory MPs who are unhappy at the prospect of Section 21 being abolished and periodic tenancies being brought in.
It now appears that the two sides are at a stalemate and time will likely run out before the Bill will finish its journey through Parliament.
Mr Mangnall told The Sun: “I want to amend the Bill not to kill it.
“It’s my role as a legislator to ensure we pass sensible legislation. We’ve had constructive meetings with Michael Gove.
“This is about trying to find the right balance.”
On X, formerly Twitter, Ben Beadle, the chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, said: “If amendments are as reported, the Govt should get on and publish them. The changes would give responsible #landlords the confidence they need & keep manifesto promises to #renters.
“I hope @michaelgove stands firm & gets the RRB over the line. It would be a travesty if not.”
The chief executive of Generation Rent, Ben Twomey, said: “If the Renters (Reform) Bill were to collapse as this report suggests, it would be the biggest betrayal of renters in a generation and nothing short of a disgrace.
“Ending Section 21 no fault evictions has been promised for almost five years and the prospect that government might abandon its word to 12 million renters because of party infighting is shameful.
“The Bill intends to, in its own words, ‘rebalance the power between tenants and landlords’, but no compromise appears to be enough. Concessions to weaken and delay the Bill’s impact have already been made.”
He adds: “This Bill is more than fair to landlords and the major landlord organisations all support reform. With soaring homelessness and record evictions, opponents of this Bill are far removed from the realities of renting.”
Tom Darling, the campaign manager at the Renters Reform Coalition, said his organisation wouldn’t support ‘a grubby deal’ between landlord backbenchers and the government.
Labour’s Shadow Communities Minister, Liz Twist, said that the government has had 14 years to protect tenants but has only broken promises.
A Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities spokesperson said: “Our landmark Renters (Reform) Bill will deliver a fairer private rented sector for both tenants and landlords.
“It will abolish section 21 evictions – giving people more security in their homes and empowering them to challenge poor practices.
“We continue to meet regularly with a range of groups, representing all those in the private rented sector.”
Disillusioned Landlord
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Sign Up11:11 AM, 10th March 2024, About 9 months ago
As a small landlord I understand a lot of the issues, and there are several which I disagree with, but my main issues with this are:
1. We are woefully neglected when trying to recover a property, and these much hyped revenge evictions are a tiny percentage of S21 use where we need to recover a property. If the court system was fast and fair we would all be better off.
2. Deal with rogue landlords - us good guys get tar’d with the same brush, but we are nothing like the bottom feeders who treat tenants as cash cows, we want to make a living, and that means being fair and balanced, not creating void periods and a high turnover of tenants.
So leaving all the other tax and legislation aside for a moment, if just these two areas were fixed, we would have a considerably fairer and better PRS.
Rerktyne
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Sign Up11:27 AM, 10th March 2024, About 9 months ago
Reply to the comment left by Cider Drinker at 10/03/2024 - 08:11
It’s cynical! It’s like paying traffic wardens on results so that they book you for being 1 inch over the line!
It’s about money and costs and convenience to them. It’s about using band aids when the real problem is the broken house building programme - assuming there is one- and the sale of council houses for peanuts in trying to create mini capitalists! Utter garbage. Thatcher had no idea what the council house tenant was like. I know of one who bought and then sold and then bought his and hers Mercedes!!! Then they were rehoused! I know of another who did the same and then moved to Croatia and lived the “good life” at our expense.
It’s simple: if you put idiots in charge you get idiotic policies. Meanwhile they are all safe in their ivory towers!
We need a housing revolution: root and branch!
dismayed landlord
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Sign Up14:17 PM, 15th March 2024, About 8 months ago
Reply to the comment left by Rerktyne at 08/03/2024 - 21:58
Were they prosecuted?
dismayed landlord
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Sign Up14:29 PM, 15th March 2024, About 8 months ago
Reply to the comment left by moneymanager at 08/03/2024 - 12:56
sorry - whose pro landlord. ?? NLRL are Not!!
Ben has no idea !
GlanACC
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Sign Up14:38 PM, 15th March 2024, About 8 months ago
Reply to the comment left by dismayed landlord at 15/03/2024 - 14:29
NRLA were very good at one time when tey were the RLA, these days they seem more interested in flogging things. They certainly don't speak for all landlords (I wonder what % they do represent)
dismayed landlord
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Sign Up15:21 PM, 15th March 2024, About 8 months ago
Reply to the comment left by GlanACC at 15/03/2024 - 14:38
I left 2 years ago. They are not representing me in any form.
Rerktyne
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Sign Up16:19 PM, 15th March 2024, About 8 months ago
Reply to the comment left by dismayed landlord at 15/03/2024 - 14:17
Yes! The poor lady went to jail. So unfair. He had driven her to distraction and she could not get rid of him. Mental cruelty! Everyone acknowledged that.
Jesus Diaz
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Sign Up21:40 PM, 15th March 2024, About 8 months ago
Reply to the comment left by Alexandra at 08/03/2024 - 17:30
NRLA represents only 5% of the landlords and most of them do not attend their meeting as it is a £300 cost.
Now the more confusing and legislation in the rental market is excellent business for NRLA. They are not just a Landlord Association but their number of business has increased dramatically with the 70 laws, rules and regulations introduced in the last 8 years.
So NRLA owns OpenRent, A Deposit Scheme, Various expensive courses ranging from law to how to how to be compliant: Safe2Rent, Deposit, inventories, Licensing support, Mediation Services, Tenancy referencing, Full Tenancy creation, Rent Insurance, Photos and plans, Right to Rent. The last one is around £700+ annually for each studio or apartment. So NRLA interest in supporting the government in making things far more difficult and confusing for their members is excellent business while landlords will struggle to see if after all these service is there anything for their property renting or work.
Rerktyne
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Sign Up5:36 AM, 16th March 2024, About 8 months ago
What a scam!
Mike Thomas
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Sign Up21:19 PM, 17th March 2024, About 8 months ago
There are many comments in respect of Anthony Magnall’s proposed amendments to the RRB. However, the comments are silent on the details of the proposed amendments.
The proposed amendments follow a Briefing to MPs and Lords. at the Houses of Parliament, by iHowz Landlords’ Association (“iHowz”), on the 22 November 2023 - http://www.iHowz.uk (see website for full details)
The NRLA were invited to the Briefing. Surprisingly, no one was available to attend.
Under the RRB, the Government propose that “No Fault” evictions may still take place if a property is to be sold, renovated, or occupied by a family member. These grounds, are of course, likely to be abused by some landlords.
Further, these grounds of eviction may lead to homelessness - which is the main purpose of abolishing section 21 evictions.
iHowz proposed that in the event a landlord requires possession of their property, the last TWO MONTHS’ of tenure shall be RENT FREE!
This provides tenants with the money to find alternative accommodation: thereby reducing the risk of homelessness.
iHowz also propose that “No Fault” evictions should be available to address anti-social behaviour (“ASB”). Under the Government’s current RRB proposals, if ASB is proved in Court, an Order for Possession will still be discretionary: not mandatory.
In this circumstance, the lives of innocent tenants will continue to be blighted. Under the iHowz proposal, a landlord would be able to seek a “No Fault” eviction against the tenant perpertrating ASB, however, the offending tenant would “benefit” from TWO MONTHS RENT FREE tenure.
It stands to reason, a landlord would not pursue such an eviction, losing Two Months Rent, unless there was a really good reason to do so.
On the 22 November 2023, the proposal received cross party support from MPs. It also received support from a cross bencher of the House of Lords.