No-fault evictions to be banned in reform of rental sector

Landlords would be banned from evicting tenants with no justification as part of a long-promised overhaul of the private rental sector in England.

A new law to be tabled in Parliament would abolish no-fault evictions and end bans on tenants claiming benefits.

The bill would also make it easier for landlords to repossess properties from anti-social tenants.

Housing campaigners said the bill was a “huge opportunity” to improve the lives of the 11 million renters in England.

Under the new law, tenants would be given the legal right to request a pet in their home, which the landlord cannot unreasonably refuse.

The law would also make it illegal for a landlord to refuse tenancies to families with children, or those in receipt of benefits.

The full details of these reforms and how they will work in practice will be outlined in the Renters (Reform) Bill.

The Conservatives promised “a better deal for renters” – including a ban on no-fault evictions – in its manifesto ahead of the general election in 2019.

Boris Johnson’s government then set out plans to “fundamentally reform the private rented sector” in 2022, before Michael Gove, the communities secretary, promised legislation this year.

At the heart of the bill is the abolishment of Section 21, a key piece of legislation that allows landlords to evict tenants without providing justification.

The government said a tenancy “will only end if the tenant ends it or if the landlord has a valid ground for possession”.

Housing campaigners have long called for tenants to be given the right to a safe, secure and affordable homes, free from arbitrary evictions and escalating rent increases.

But other campaigners, as well as some Conservative MPs, have warned the bill could force more landlords to leave the market and reduce the supply of rental properties.

The timeframe for the bill becoming law is not clear, but the government is keen to get the bill passed before the next general election, expected next year.

Mr Gove told the BBC the bill would make sure renters are “protected from the very small minority of rogue landlords who use the threat of no-fault eviction to silence tenants who want to complain about poor conditions”.

Landlords have expressed concerns about some of the reforms promised in the bill.

Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, said landlords needed to be confident “they will be able to repossess their properties as quickly as possible”.

“Without this assurance, the bill will only exacerbate the rental housing supply crisis many tenants now face,” Mr Beadle said.

He said he welcomed a pledge, also in the bill, to ensure landlords can recover properties from anti-social tenants and those failing to pay rent.

But he added “more detail is needed if the bill is going to work as intended”.

When the bill is introduced, the government said it will legislate to: