Landlords are calling for major changes to an overhaul of the PRS before the Renters Reform Bill returns to Parliament on Monday.

The bill is set to receive its second reading after MPs debate the main reforms, including the scrapping of Section 21 ‘no fault evictions’.

There has been a delay since the controversial bill was last heard in Parliament back in May. Under the bill, tenants will have the right to keep pets, and a new ombudsman is to be set up to provide quick resolutions to disputes.

Confidence

Ben Beadle, CEO at NRLA (main picture), says: “The uncertainty over whether the bill will proceed or not has made it difficult for landlords and renters to plan for the future.

“As they consider the bill, MPs and Peers will need to make sure it secures the confidence of responsible landlords every bit as much as tenants.”

The shortage of homes will get worse, he says, if landlords feel the bill is unfair on them.

Logjams

Beadle says it is crucial that logjams in the courts are sorted out before the bill is enacted.

At the moment, a third of all possession cases are Section 21 notices, which are ‘accelerated’ claims that bypass the court system.

The bill plans to extend the grounds for possession under Section 8 instead, which will mean many more cases are forced into the courts.

An unreformed court system risks undermining the Government’s planned changes.”

“As the cross-party housing select committee has warned, an unreformed court system risks undermining the Government’s planned changes to the sector,” he says,

“Ministers have pledged to guarantee improvements to the court system, and we will continue to work with them to ensure this happens.”

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