Landlords hoping that the Government’s renting reforms might be kicked into the long grass will be disappointed today after it was revealed that The Renters (Reform) Bill will move to its next stage in parliament on Wednesday 24^th April.

Officials who allocate Bills time within the parliamentary timetable have published the date within their official diary.

This will see the Bill move to its report stage and third reading, during which any further amendments can be made before it enters the Lords for scrutiny.

But the Government will have to move fast in order to get the legislation through to Royal Assent, as the summer recess is only three months away and a General Election likely later this year.

Committed

“We are absolutely committed to the Renters (Reform) Bill, which will have its remaining stages in the House of Commons next week,” a spokesperson from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities says.

“This Bill will abolish Section 21 evictions and deliver a fairer rented sector for tenants and landlords. We will continue to work across the sector to ensure it passes into law as soon as possible.”

Ministers, including junior housing minister Jacob Young have been under extreme pressure from all quarters including housing campaigners to move the legislation forward.

There are sticking points which will make its progress problematical. The key one will be appeasing a group of 49 Conservative MPs who have said they may vote against the legislation unless their concessions are included.

These include the ending of selective licencing following the introduction of the Property Portal which will require all landlords and their properties to be registered, a delay to the banning of Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions until the court system is speeded up and tenants mandated to stay in a property for at least four months after ASTs are replaced by ‘periodic’ or open-ended tenancies.

“This is a change that will be wholly welcomed by landlords, who have been very concerned about the potential implications of unintentionally renting their property as a short let, and the costs of repeatedly letting it out.," says Beverley Kennard (pictured), Head of Lettings Operations at Knight Frank.

“We urge the Government to pass the Bill promptly. Implementing these changes and striking the right balance between landlords and tenants’ needs will ultimately bring more confidence and clarity to our vitally important rental market.”

Reaction

Ben Beadle, Chief Executive ofthe National Residential Landlords Association says: “Our focus has been on ensuring that when section 21 repossessions end, the replacement system works and is fair, to both tenants and responsible landlords.

“Tenants should rightly be empowered to hold rogue and criminal landlords to account to root out the minority who bring the sector into disrepute. However, it is vital that the majority of responsible landlords have confidence in the Bill to providethe homes for rent the country needs. The amendments proposed by the Government strike that balance.

“It is now important to provide certainty to the market, so it can transition smoothly to the new system.  We therefore call on MPs to ensure swift passage of the Bill through Parliament with the Government’s planned changes. This should be underpinned by action to improve the justice system for renters and landlords alike.”