‘RRB hasn’t gone far enough’ – Generation Rent
The pressure group has welcomed the passing of RRB through the House of Commons on Tuesday but says it is still ‘disappointed’.
Despite the Renters’ Rights Bill receiving “praise from MPs from across the House for acting swiftly to address the power imbalance between renters and landlords”, Generation Rent says that it won’t fix the cost of renting crisis.
It claimed it has worked extensively with MPs to table amendments but none had made it into the bill. They included extending the reach of Rent Repayment Orders and improving the protection for renters on low incomes when their landlords receive grants to improve the energy efficiency of their homes.
No breathing space
The group adds that despite renters across England facing soaring rents, there are very few measures in the Bill which would provide the breathing space needed from the cost of renting.
It is therefore ‘disappointing’ that the Government didn’t bring forward the amendment to introduce rent caps within tenancies to limit how much landlords can hike up tenants’ rents.
The Government must act to stop runaway rents and unfreeze the Local Housing Allowance.”
It believes, without this measure, many landlords will use rent hikes as a Section 21 eviction in all but name.
The group goes on to say that, in the long term, the Government must: “Act to stop runaway rents and unfreeze the Local Housing Allowance rate to protect families on low incomes from poverty and homelessness”.
It also notes that the Bill will now proceed to the House of Lords, which will provide it with one more opportunity to table amendments and raise issues.
Read more about Generation Rent here.
Generation Rent have done nothing but harm renters. Of course rents will go up, it is like any business and required to offset the cost of risk.
Totally agree with both contributors. This bill is/will kill the PRS
LL will sell up if they cant get possession back easily (Its hard enough now) and raise their rents to cover their own rising expenses. Already we have a shortage of stock. It will only get worse. As always Governments never look at the wider picture
The level of naivety is simply staggering from the likes of Generation rent. This Act will only destabilise the market by putting investors off as the risk reward balance is not in their favour, and traditional landlords will continue to leave the market in ever increasing numbers. The law of supply and demand will push rents up as it did when we came out of lock-down.
If Generation Rent truly wanted to help tenants they would be calling for greater rights for landlords. That may appear counter intuitive, but look at how the PRS blossomed when the 1988 Housing Act came in and gave tenants great choice and at rents that were (certainly in the early part of the 1990’s) considerably cheaper than mortgages. Get the supply and demand balance right and the market will find its own level – how to get supply up? Simples! encourage investors back into the PRS and don’t persecute existing landlords.
All the politicians need to do to protect tenants is increase the punishment for true ‘rouge’ landlords who have no regard for a tenants safety or living conditions.
David
I could not agree with you more with everything you have said.
There is a fault in the government for not having built enough social housing over the past couple of decades, and it is now punishing existing landlords. In contrast, they need to do exactly what you’ve said and encourage investment into this sector to create growth. I believe there is a general lack of entrepreneurism in the political arena over the last generation, as many used to become politicians after having spent many years in the industry, like Micheal Hesiltine
Generation Rent, Shelter and their ilk will never be satisfied, even if Landlords had no rights whatsoever they’d still want more.