Renters (Reform) Bill - Overview

The Renters (Reform) Bill seeks to deliver the Governments promise in 2019 to "bring in a better deal for renters".

Having had a quick glance of the published Bill (not yet law but it is making its way through Parliament) some of there key findings are:

• Abolish section 21 'no fault' evictions
• Abolish fixed term tenancies and move all tenancies to monthly periodic tenancies which have no end date, allowing tenants to move from poor quality accommodation without remaining liable for the rent, or to move easier when they change jobs. Tenants will have to only give 2 months notice and ensure the end date aligns with the end of a rent period.
• Allow additional ground of possess in cases of anti-social behaviour or repeat rent arrears.
• Introduce a Property Ombudsman and make it mandatory for landlords to sign up to it and landlords who don't face penalties of £5,000-£30,000 from local councils. Landlords will be required to pay a fee to join.
• Introduce a database to support the Property Portal Service which landlords will have to sign up to and pay the required fee. If the landlord markets or lets out a property without signing up to the Service they could be subject to penalties. This will allow landlords to access guidance in one place, allow tenants to access information about the property and more importantly provide local councils with data on all the housing stock in their area and free up their administration time in compiling existing date so they can focus on enforcement action.