The Government has rejected a petition calling for greater protections for landlords and action to deal with court delays.

Craig Littlejohn, who calls himself an ‘accidental landlord’, set up the petition on the Parliament website, and it has collected more than 15,000 signatures.

He only rents out one property in his native Scotland, but is experiencing severe problems with a tenant who has stopped paying rent.

There are a lot of good landlords out there.”

Once the petition reached 10,000 names it required a response from the Government. If it goes on to achieve 100,000 names, then it will trigger a parliamentary debate

“There are a lot of good landlords out there,” Littlejohn told The Neg, and “they are giving us no protection at all.”

The petition says: “We urgently need an expedited court process for mandatory grounds (ASB/arrears), a vetting database for repeat offenders, and a higher deposit cap to help sustain the rental market.”

No plans

Now, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government says: “The Government has no plans to introduce an expedited court possession process for mandatory possession grounds, a tenant vetting database, or to raise the cap on tenancy deposits.”

It “does not support these proposals. From 1 May 2026, the Renters’ Rights Act will ensure landlords can continue to gain possession when necessary, while offering more security to tenants.

“These reforms will clarify and expand grounds for possession, allowing landlords to regain possession when necessary, for example to sell or move in.”

It goes on to say “a new digital end-to-end service for resolving all possession claims in the County Courts in England and Wales” is being introduced.

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