News

The Renters’ Rights Bill was published yesterday. The key measures in the Bill are:

• Abolishing Section 21 for “no fault” evictions.
• Applying Awaab’s Law to the private rented sector (PRS).
• Applying a Decent Homes Standard to the PRS for the first time.
• A ban on rental bidding wars, by cracking down on those who make the most of the housing crisis by forcing tenants to bid for their properties. Landlords and letting agents will be legally required to publish an asking rent for their property. There will be a ban on asking for, encouraging, or accepting any bids above this price.
• Ban on in-tenancy rent increases written into contracts to prevent landlords implementing too high rents mid-tenancy. Under these reforms, landlords will only be allowed to raise the rent once a year, and to the market rate.
• Abolishing blanket bans on tenants with children or those in receipt of benefits to ensure fair access to housing for all.
• Introduction of a new Private Rented Sector Database to help landlords understand their obligations for compliance and provide tenants with the information they need to make informed choices for new tenancies.

There is no detail regarding any of the changes proposed and this will emerge over the coming months. There is no fixed date as yet for the Bill to become law and the Government will announce this over the coming weeks.

As the Bill evolves safeagent will keep agents updated so that they are in an informed position to deal with questions from landlords who may be concerned about its implications.

Professional agents are there to help landlords navigate the reforms and the potential impact they might have. safeagent will support its member agents with updates on the passage of the Bill and what it means for them and their clients.

Read the full details on the government website.