9:36 AM, 10th January 2025, About 2 weeks ago 12
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Like the proverbial bad penny, the unwelcome return of the Renters’ Rights Bill to Parliament next week is not to be celebrated.
The countdown to the doom of the private rented sector will begin in earnest and we’ll see which amendments look like becoming law.
A law that could be in place by the summer.
I should recommend that everyone reads the latest version of the RRB to be debated but I won’t – I read the first version, and it was a borefest.
There won’t be any good news for landlords, and I still hope that the media and politicians – but especially tenants – will see what a significant issue this is.
We still need to get the message across that small landlords are leaving the PRS in droves.
It’s not even a trickle but it promises to become a flood once the Bill finally approaches Royal Assent.
Landlords leaving inevitably drives up prices and makes the homelessness situation worse. And taxpayers must pay for yet more hotels to house them.
I’m sad to say that it looks like decent landlords who are proud of what they provide will be the ones going.
So, while I’ve been saying ‘I told you so’ for some time, perhaps this is an opportunity to look afresh at what the real problem is.
Essentially, we now have another government set on impressing tenants with a promise to improve the PRS and deal with landlords.
Balancing the PRS playing field sounds great but it’s just one side that is being balanced.
This is now the time to look at the negative effects and we need the likes of the NRLA – or anyone – to push this narrative.
Small landlords will be simply overwhelmed with the new rules.
These are good people offering decent homes at a reasonable rent.
They aren’t criminal landlords out to exploit tenants but those who simply want an extra income or boost their pension fund.
That’s not a criminal enterprise, is it?
To the tenant organisations and lefty politicians, it certainly is.
Just about every new rule for the PRS is nonsense on stilts without any consideration of its impact.
Extend the notice period – for many renters, that’s an extension to a rent free period.
Hand your notice in on day one? That’s a costly inconvenience and will make landlords wary about who they take on.
We must take pets – I’m not sure why this is even being discussed.
Bin ASTs to become periodic so there’s no end date. Who does that benefit, exactly?
Create hurdles for the legitimate eviction of non-paying and/or poorly behaving tenants is crazy. I’ve said before the issue with landlord licensing is making us responsible for a tenant’s behaviour – but we can’t evict them easily!
It’s like when Right to Rent came in, it looks good on paper (to politicians, natch), but it means we are doing someone else’s job.
Being able to reclaim a property is a crucial part of being a landlord.
There’s no appreciation of the risk we take when renting out a property or the effort and money we spend in taking it back.
The Decent Homes Standard is another issue being hung around our necks – decent landlords will offer decent homes.
The uninvestigated and uninterested criminal landlords won’t.
I would hope to see the planned timeline of 14 days to investigate and seven days to fix also extend to social housing landlords.
Mainly because it will cause chaos because most of them can’t run a bath.
And don’t get me started (again!) on having to meet the EPC C rating by 2030 when social landlords don’t have to.
Growing numbers of us have lost confidence in the future.
That’s understandable since Labour strives to secure better deals for tenants, it doesn’t understand or even care about the plight of landlords.
To me, that means the dreaded Renters’ Rights Bill is not only self-defeating because life and costs for tenants are about to get much worse.
But the Bill is being ideologically driven – those behind it are intentionally blind to its ramifications.
There’s still no hope that Labour will even deliver a fraction of the promised 1.5 million homes – and they still won’t say that most of them will go to newcomers.
The government has been warned time and time again, and it still chooses not to listen.
So, let’s see what happens when a blizzard of section 21 ‘no-fault’ eviction notices starts to fly after the Bill passes its final hurdle.
The numbers will swamp the courts and councils will bleat about needing more money to house the homeless.
It will be a final act of defiance to 10 years of uncaring politicians finally getting what they deserve.
That will be our ideological response to being forced to hand over our homes without a voice.
To all our MPs set to vote on this: you will hear our voice when you pass the Bill – but you’ll hear it from the mouths of aggrieved tenants with nowhere to rent.
Until next time,
The Landlord Crusader
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Reluctant Landlord
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Sign Up11:04 AM, 10th January 2025, About 2 weeks ago
You read all our minds on this topic! Well said
"There’s still no hope that Labour will even deliver a fraction of the promised 1.5 million homes – and they still won’t say that most of them will go to newcomers."
Even if the promise/pledge/target/wish/milestone/plan/idea EVER comes to fruition (it wont) there has NEVER been any target/numbers/% given for the number of SOCIAL/AFFORDABLE units this will include.
The 1.5M is always talked about with direct linkage as this ending the issue of families/kids in temp accommodation/kids in emergency housing especially and this being the panacea - but the reality is it wont happen because there wont be the number of units built, available at a rent they can afford. So no change there...only a growing number being added to the need list, day by day...
Even if just 1% of the 1.5M were built tomorrow for those in this situation now, there is still not enough to go round no matter where they are built.
As every lies, lies lies and deceptive soundbites only.
Clint
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Sign Up11:47 AM, 10th January 2025, About 2 weeks ago
Labour are not only destroying the PRS but the country as a whole.
I think our only hope now is to sell up and go to a nice hot country.
Judith Wordsworth
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Sign Up12:37 PM, 10th January 2025, About 2 weeks ago
The latest amendments
https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbill/59-01/0127/amend/renters_rights_rm_rep_0108.pdf
Some of you may remember my comments re UK tent cities when the Renters Reform Bill rose it's head - my local authority started buying in tents before the May 2023 elections.
Cider Drinker
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Sign Up18:05 PM, 10th January 2025, About 2 weeks ago
I believe the government wants this to achieve a number of things.
1. To win votes. There are more tenants than renters.
2. To ensure landlords comply with legislation in order to take more tax. EPC Assessments, EICR, Gas Safety, Rent Insurance, NRLA membership, Accountants (the list is long) all pay tax and many include VAT. More money for the Treasury to waste.
3. To ensure all landlords pay the right tax. If tenants or other members of the public see that a landlord or privately rented property is not registered on the database, HMRC will soon be knocking on the door.
I hope that the removal of Section 21 will encourage bad tenants to behave better. They will no longer be able to move on from a Section 21 (no blame) eviction.
Reluctant Landlord
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Sign Up18:18 PM, 10th January 2025, About 2 weeks ago
just had a good read through the latest amendments..
NC11 relates to use of a guarantor. Plan is to REMOVE the ability of a LL to require a tenant to provide a guarantor if ....
(3) The circumstances are –
(a) that the person has paid a tenancy deposit or has been assisted under
a deposit scheme;
(b) that the person is required to pay rent in advance equivalent to one
month’s rent or more;
(c) that on a reasonable assessment of their means the person’s income
(including state benefits received and any other lawful source of income)
is sufficient to enable them to pay the full rent due under the tenancy;
(d) that arrangements will be made for housing benefit or the housing
element of universal credit to be paid directly in respect of rent to the
relevant person;
(e) that the relevant person has entered into a contract of insurance under
which they are insured against non-payment of rent; or
(f) such other circumstances as may be prescribed in regulations made by
the Secretary of State.
(4) In any other case where a relevant person lawfully requires a person, as a
condition of the grant of a relevant tenancy, to provide a guarantor, the sum
for which the guarantor may become liable under the relevant guarantee shall
not exceed a sum equal to six months’ rent.
WTAF???? So if the T pays the deposit and the first months rent, we are banned from asking for a guarantor.
If they are on benefits it is apparently totally acceptable that as long as that 'arrangements' are made for the LL to be paid directly then we also cant ask for a guarantor! ANd if the next day the T calls UC to demand payment of the rent to themself????
Stella
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Sign Up19:17 PM, 10th January 2025, About 2 weeks ago
Reply to the comment left by Reluctant Landlord at 10/01/2025 - 18:18
This is crazy !
Cause For Concern
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Sign Up20:22 PM, 10th January 2025, About 2 weeks ago
PRS is no longer a suitable business to be undertaken by any law abiding landlord.
Bristol Landlord
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Sign Up1:04 AM, 11th January 2025, About 2 weeks ago
“Just about every new rule for the PRS is nonsense on stilts without any consideration of its impact.”
I beg to differ.
The impacts of the nonsense rules are very very carefully considered. They are designed to frustrate and drive out as many independent landlords as possible in order to pave the way for corporate landlords to take over the best tenants.
That has become increasingly clear over the last few years.
Just put my first house up for sale on Saturday, had viewings on Monday and Tuesday had three offers of asking price or above.
Six more to market asap .
Eventually 26 tenants will need to find another home.
Northernpleb
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Sign Up18:45 PM, 11th January 2025, About 2 weeks ago
According to the latest Government House survey only 6 % of tenancies ending 2023 were down to Landlords claiming possession.
So what problem is the Government supposed to be solving ?
Stech Te
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Sign Up19:20 PM, 11th January 2025, About 2 weeks ago
I don't understand why we need more homes. Moat of the new homes built are taking lots of time to get sols. All newly built homes are 20 to 40 percent costlier than houses in the market.. Previous government provided help to buy scheme to allow builders to make more profit. Without that no one is going to buy new home.