Michael Gove has voiced his support for landlords and insists he wants to make the Renters (Reform) Bill work for them.

The Housing Secretary (main picture) told The Sun that landlord backbenchers campaigning to stop a ban on no fault evictions often have “very good ideas” and “provide a great service to tenants”.

The group of 49 Conservative MPs have published amendments which would water down the legislation by forcing Gove to review how well the evictions courts are operating before bringing in a Section 21 ban, abolishing selective licencing and including ‘hearsay’ evidence as admissible evidence during eviction hearings for anti-social behaviour.

Gove said he will always listen to MPs from across the House of Commons and that he knows landlords who are “thoughtful and serious people”.

Great job

He added: “The overwhelming majority of landlords do a great job. They want to have a relationship with their tenant that goes beyond just cash. They want to make sure that they’re providing a service that the tenant appreciates. So, of course I listen to landlords.

“We just want to make sure that this Bill works for them as well because you need a healthy private rented sector.”

But the Housing Secretary added that he is entirely committed to ensuring no-fault evictions are banned before the next general election.

The Bill should get its third reading next month when landlords will find out how many of the amendments get government support.

Gove, who is also under investigaton by the parliamentary standards committee over not declaring a freebie, is coming under pressure from all quarters; campaigners such as the Renters’ Reform Coalition have warned him against putting the interests of Tory landlords above struggling tenants, while a group of more than 100 council leaders in England have urged him to extend notice periods for evictions from two to four months.