New eviction rules that will shake up the rental market

The government is planning to enforce new legislation called the “Renters’ Reform Bill” with the aim of creating safer environments, fairer rental procedures, and high-quality homes for tenants in the UK, as well as greater protection for landlords.

 

Organisations like Shelter have been hoping for a new system for years to improve the rights of tenants. Now, this new Bill is going through Parliament and will come into force in the near future.

 

 

One of the key changes is the abolition of Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions. No-fault evictions are where a landlord can evict a tenant from their home for no reason. This can happen at any time and the tenant is given just 2 months to find alternative options. The problem with this is that it is so unpredictable and scares tenants away from raising concerns about issues they may have with the home such as damp or property damage that is affecting their health. 

 

The new law will empower renters to question poor-quality housing or challenge landlords without the worry of losing their homes and being evicted. Instead, landlords will need to give a justifiable reason for evicting a tenant which will be outlined in the law. For example, if the tenant refuses to pay their rent or if they destroy the property. 

 

In addition, landlords who want to increase their rental prices will need to give tenants more notice in case they need to make arrangements for finding new accommodation.

 

 

At the moment, landlords and letting agents are able to pick and choose who they prefer to rent their property which means that certain people such as women with children are being easily discriminated against. The new law will make it illegal for landlords to refuse to rent to certain people such as those receiving state benefits, families with young children, and people with pets without reasonable justifications.

 

 

The new law will not only give tenants more rights, but it will also provide more protection for landlords who genuinely want to sell their property or move back into their home. In addition, it will strengthen the powers of landlords to evict tenants showing anti-social behaviour such as being a nuisance to neighbours or damaging property. It will do this by introducing new grounds for eviction.

 

 

Another proposal is to set up a Property Ombudsman which will make it quicker and easier to handle landlord and tenant disputes rather than going to court. In some cases, taking matters to court may still be necessary, but having a point of contact to address complaints will help to resolve issues more efficiently without costing the world. 

 

At GloverPriest, we provide friendly and transparent legal advice. If you would like further advice on your property, please don’t hesitate to speak to one of our expert lawyers today. Complete our enquiry form.