The Renters’ Rights Bill is to get its next parliamentary airing on the 22^nd and 24^th April when a Lords scrutiny committee is due to go through the Government’s controversial legislation, although further dates to allow for the sessions are expected.

By 22nd April the Bill will have spent nearly six months going through initially the Commons and now the Lords, which by parliamentary standards is swift – and most industry experts expect it to become law either before the Summer recess which starts in August, or possibly when MPs return in September.

But this is only the Bill itself becoming law – many of the extra regulations needed to make its provision legal in law will take longer to roll through parliament too.

The Lords will have their work cut out not only during the two days of scrutiny in April, but during its reading when the 50 pages of newly-lodged amendments will be debated and either included within the bill or voted off.

Amendments

These amendment include, for example, a proposal by Baroness Scott who wants to see smaller landlords with fewer than five properties still able to issue Section 21 ‘no fault’ eviction notices, and for student tenancies to be kept as fixed rather than the new proposed ‘open ended’ ones.

And Lib Dem Baroness Thornhill has submitted an amendment that would see landlords who have asked a tenant to move out because they want to sell the property or move in themselves, to provide evidence of this 16 weeks after the tenant leaves.

The National Residential Landlords Association is backing two amendments on rent arrears which we believe will give “landlords the confidence to know they will still be able to regain possession – in a timely manner – should their tenants stop paying rent”.

Following the Lords’ committee stage, there will be another two stages in the Lords before the Bill returns to the Commons for agreement ahead of Royal Assent.

Read the official guide to the Bill.