Reapit and Ministry of Housing in war of words over renting reforms
Neil Cobbold at Reapit says it is "critical" that an impact assessment of the Renters' Rights Bill is made public.
The Government’s refusal to say what the impact of the Renters’ Rights Bill will be on courts is being challenged again by property tech firm Reapit.
An impact assessment of how the bill will affect county courts is not being made public by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Reapit is now saying that its refusal is unacceptable, insisting that it is “critical” the information is made available.
The company is appealing a decision by MHCLG to deny a Freedom of Information request for the assessment to be published.
Dysfunctional
Only this week, the House of Commons Justice Committee said the courts in England and Wales were ‘dysfunctional’, and wait times too long.
And the Law Society joined the criticism saying the Government hadn’t properly funded the courts.
With the Renters Rights’ Bill due to become law in the next few months, and the scrapping of Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions, many landlords and letting agents will be watching developments anxiously.
There is a clear public interest in understanding how the justice system is expected to respond.”
Dr Neil Cobbold, Commercial Director at Reapit UKI (main picture), says: “We recognise the Government’s need for a ‘safe space’ during the early stages of policy development.
“However, with the Renters’ Rights Bill clearing the Report Stage in the House of Lords, the focus is shifting towards final amendments and implementation.
“At this point, there is a clear public interest in understanding how the justice system is expected to respond to the changes,” he says.
Delays
“This is critical in light of the Justice Committee’s recent report showing increasing delays for those seeking justice through the County Courts, which is where most eviction cases will be ruled on.”
He says landlords, tenants, and letting agents are already preparing for what the Bill will mean in practice.
And publishing the ‘Justice Impact Test’ would provide “much-needed clarity”, and help ensure that everyone affected is ready for the transition.
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