0:03 AM, 3rd November 2023, About A year ago 73
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Angela Rayner has promised to abolish Section 21 straight away if Labour wins the next general election.
In an interview with LBC, the Shadow Housing Secretary answered questions from worried landlords about the removal of Section 21.
Ms Rayner argued that “no-fault evictions are causing misery for people”.
One landlord told the Shadow Housing Secretary that he houses vulnerable people in his properties and the removal of Section 21 will frighten many landlords.
He said: “I specialize in taking homeless people and people from charities who are ex-drug addicts. I take these people on the condition that they get one chance, they can’t mess it up.
“If Section 21 was abolished I would not be able to take these vulnerable people because I could not get rid of them.”
The landlord emphasised the critical role Section 21 played in his ability to help house vulnerable people.
“I have had instances where I have had to use Section 21 because I’ve had an ex drunk who’s been homeless and after five or six months he’s gone back on booze and I’ve had to go through that process. What happens if I can’t do that anymore?
“I wouldn’t be able to take the risk and take people who are homeless or ex drug addicts from charities and that’s all I specialize in. I ask you will you abolish Section 21?”
Ms Rayner told the landlord that no-fault evictions would be abolished immediately under a Labour government.
“Yes, we would abolish Section 21. I’m being honest with you and I gave you a straight answer. I know that the court system is in a mess at the moment and that needs sorting out.
“There’s so many good landlords out there and they’re frustrated by the current situation and the work you are doing is really important.
“However, on balance, Section 21 is causing misery for a lot of people because it is used to turf people out without any explanation or excuse.”
She added: “We need to make sure there’s a fair balance between renters and landlords and being honest with you I think at the moment it’s much too much towards landlords as opposed to tenants.”
Elsewhere in the interview, one landlord told Ms Rayner scrapping Section 21 would cause chaos in landlords trying to gain back possession of their property.
He said: “Most landlords don’t have an issue renting to any tenant that looks after the property and pays the rent.
“However, if it all goes wrong and the landlord wants their property back, they don’t want to wait nine months and they don’t want to have to spend several thousand pounds.
Ms Rayner interrupted and asked: “Is that why you think so many of these Section 21 notices are implemented and imposed on people at the moment because they are significantly used?”
The landlord argued back saying most landlords don’t issue a Section 21 without a valid reason.
He said: “The main reason a landlord will use Section 21 is because they want a tenant out for a reason.
“The tenant might be in breach of the lease or they are causing a disturbance. Section 8 is going to stop all that and therefore landlords will flee the market or the ones that are in the market won’t let to tenants on lower incomes.
“At the end of the day, a landlord has to know that they can get their property back quickly and efficiently.”
The full video can be seen here
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Peter Merrick
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Sign Up11:35 AM, 23rd November 2023, About 12 months ago
Reply to the comment left by Paul McCarthy at 03/11/2023 - 10:58
You have no choice, you are not a charity and Labour will be even more against you than the Tories are currently. No good deed will go unpunished, I can assure you!
If you want to continue with vulnerable people, the best bet would be to set up a company with the appropriate remit, e.g. bill it as emergency accommodation provider or such-like where you have much more control. You might even make more money as the short term accommodation rates tend to be higher as well.
A "normal", decent tenant will rarely need S21 in any case.
Peter Merrick
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Sign Up11:42 AM, 23rd November 2023, About 12 months ago
Reply to the comment left by Dawn Fellingham at 03/11/2023 - 10:47
Dawn, they will probably find some way of implementing it as emergency legislation, like they did during the covid days. And then make it permanent, like with rent caps in Scotland.
The only solution is to only take tenants that are very unlikely to need Section 21, have guarantors, etc. With the dire shortage of accommodation, that should be achievable.
Dylan Morris
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Sign Up11:49 AM, 23rd November 2023, About 12 months ago
Reply to the comment left by Peter Merrick at 23/11/2023 - 11:42Yes they will use emergency legislation as per the Scottish model. Won’t be a cost of living crisis though if inflation is much reduced, or pandemic crisis….. it will simply be “the rent crisis”.