Proposed changes to the Renters Rights Bill, including a delay to a ban on Section 21 ‘no fault evictions’, have been welcomed by a leading estate agency.

Leaders Romans Group says the amendments also propose retaining fixed term tenancies, rent increases to be inflation-linked and measures to ensure student let’s remain workable.

The Renters Rights Bill has already passed through the House of Commons, and is now due to be debated by the House of Lords at Committee Stage later this month.

Increase capacity

One amendment requires the Government to say within six months how it will increase county court resources to cope with the extra cases if Section 21 is abolished, and another actually suggests delaying it until a review is carried out.

It is unclear whether ministers will back any of the amendments when they are formally put to a vote in the Lords.

It is crucial that these amendments are properly considered.”

Allison Thompson, National Lettings Managing Director at Leaders Romans Group (LRG), says: “The amendments proposed yesterday in the House of Lords mark a significant and positive step forward for the Renters’ Rights Bill.

“It is crucial that these amendments are properly considered to ensure the Bill strikes the right balance between tenant protections and the continued viability of the private rented sector,” she says.

Fair system

“We welcome the commitment to assessing judicial capacity, as well as the recognition that small landlords—who make up a substantial portion of the sector—need a fair system that allows them to manage their properties effectively.”

The Conservatives heavily criticised Labour’s Renters’ Rights Bill during its second reading in the Lords, including comments by Baroness Scott that the legislation is being ‘rushed through’.

Lauren King, Senior Knowledge Lawyer at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, said in a LinkedIn post that: “This Bill could start to look much more similar to the Conservatives’ Renters’ Reform Bill, and it will be very interesting to see how this plays out at Committee stage,” she says.

The Bill is expected to become law this Spring.

More on the Renters’ Rights Bill