Council leaders are the latest group to lobby Michael Gove over the Renters (Reform) Bill, urging him to extend notice periods for evictions from two to four months.

The cross-party group of over 100 council leaders in England have written to housing secretary Michael Gove, claiming that an extension of the minimum notice period given by a landlord seeking to evict a tenant “will help to reduce the number of people claiming homelessness duties because of the end of a private rented sector tenancy”.

Their letter has political urgency – the £2 billion cost of temporary accommodation for the homeless is one of ballooning costs that have caused many councils to face bankruptcy.

The group says landlords ending tenancies is one of the main reasons for homelessness with 25% of claims involving tenants who have had their Assured Shorthold Tenancy ended.

Their letter was co-ordinated by the Renters Reform Coalition, which also hosted an event in parliament yesterday with both Labour and Tory MPs attending including Mike Amesbury and Natalie Elphicke and backed by the Local Government Association.

Security

It is claimed that by extending the notice period for all evictions to four months, renters will have “more security and time to find a new home which suits their needs”, which will “reduce the number of people claiming homelessness support following the end of a private tenancy, lessening the impact of evictions on local government finances,” the letter says.

Tom Darling (main picture), Campaign Manager at the Renters’ Reform Coalition, says: “The Renters (Reform) Bill has many positive aspects but is still insufficient to address the scale of the crisis in the private rented sector.

“Rather than watering the legislation down, the Government need to be strengthening it - one critical change the Government must implement is increasing notice periods for renters when they are forced to move.”