Dear All,
As I write this, the King has just opened Parliament after Labour’s historic election victory earlier this month.
As I stated in earlier updates, my view is that all parties have the appetite to change the UK letting sector and this was borne out by the King’s Speech on Wednesday (July 17th).
The Renters’ Rights Bill is set to be Labour’s version of the Renters’ Reform Bill, which failed to pass through Parliament during the Conservative government. If approved, it will apply only in England.
It’s early days, but the Bill is likely to:
– Abolish Section 21 “no fault” evictions, with clearer grounds to enable landlords to reclaim properties as necessary.
– Ensure that landlords consider and cannot reasonably refuse pets in rental property. Insurance can be requested to cover any pet-related damage.
– Make it unlawful to discriminate against tenants with children and/or are in receipt of benefits.
– Strengthen tenants’ rights to challenge rental increases and so-called bidding wars
– Support quicker and cheaper resolutions to disputes, including the introduction of a new ombudsman service
As soon as the timescales and implications are clearer, I will of course update you again.
As always, if you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Kind regards
Steve Chipp
steve@brightonlettings.co.uk
