Tenants’ groups want the government to hand out compensation for evicted tenants, introduce longer protected periods and give them the right to pause rent payments in cases of serious, unaddressed disrepair.

The Renters’ Reform Coalition says tenants should be compensated with two months non-payment of rent at the end of a tenancy when landlords repossess their properties so they can sell or move back in themselves.

It believes the Renters’ Rights Bill, set to have its second reading in Parliament next week, should go further and legislate for unwanted house moves which can push renters into poverty, homelessness or debt.

The coalition’s report - Roadmap for Reform - urges the government to “hold its nerve” after landlord groups threatened a wave of evictions in the run up to Section 21 being abolished.

Threatened

New data released by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government shows the number of households threatened with homelessness due to the end of an assured shorthold tenancy increased by 4% to 57,340 in the year to March 2024 from the previous financial year.

The coalition suggests the government should add amendments to the Bill including longer protected periods to ensure that renters are protected from a no-fault eviction for the first two years of a tenancy, a cap on in-tenancy rent increases and the right to pause rent payments where a landlord fails to carry out essential repairs within a defined timeline.

Tom Darling (main image), director of the Renters’ Reform Coalition, says it’s ridiculous that Section 21 still exists.

“We’re approaching six years since the previous government first promised to abolish it, while every indicator on the dashboard has been going in the wrong direction,” he adds. “We are concerned the legislation may still fall short of the mark, given the government’s important ambitions to rebalance the private rented sector.”

Pic credit: Sky News