Another week and another Newsround, let’s see what has caught our eye this week in the housing news. The main item being
The Renters Reform Bill is on the move again
It was debated in the Commons and passed its third reading on 24th April and will now to to the House of Lords, where it will have to follow the same procedure as it has gone through in the Commons.
However, it looks as if the government will be breaking a manifesto commitment as Michael Gove has confirmed that they cannot guarantee that section 21 evictions will be banned in England by the next General Election.
Renters and tenants groups generally, are disappointed with the current version of the bill as this article in the Guardian makes clear. Still, who knows what will happen to the Lords? Plus there is a strong chance that the bill will not get the royal asset by the time the election is called.
Landlords should be hoping that it will, as whatever Labour do (as they appear virtually certain to win the election), it will not be as favourable to landlords as the current bill.
Find out more about the developments in this special podcast from Good Landlording:
Problems with uncertainty
All the uncertainty about the future of legal reform is not doing much for the private rented sector. In this post Paul Shamplina, while accepting that it is important that the courts are ready for the legal chances, comments
It’s important to recognise that the uncertainty surrounding the future of Section 21 has already led many landlords to sell their properties. This trend ultimately impacts tenants by shrinking the pool of available rental properties, leading to increased competition and potentially higher rents.
Going on to say
A transparent roadmap outlining the steps and timeline for court reforms would provide much-needed clarity to all parties involved, allowing landlords to plan accordingly and ensuring all parties have access to fair and efficient legal recourse.
This uncertainty is not doing anyone any good, least of all tenants.
Scottish government urges landlords views on new housing bill
Scotland’s new housing bill is working its way through parliament and it is calling for all landlords to comment on their proposals during the consultation stage. It has quite a few controversial changes such as new powers on eviction procedures, homelessness prevention, new laws on tenants keeping pets along with rent controls and more tenants’ rights.
The government says it is committed to working with the councils to make sure they have the right amount of resources, but Propertymark has concerns over its timescales and implementation.
Furthermore Propertymark states that rent controls should be dropped from the bill and the government should be looking at better ways to of making the private rented sector more affordable. The bill was introduced on March 26th and will take another 12-15 months to go through Scottish Parliament.
Snippets
Landlord faces 15 months in jail unless she pays over £50,000
Council offering landlords ‘training to help them improve’
Propertymark not giving up on the Regulation of Property Agents
Welsh Conservative warns: “Nightmare legislation” driving good landlords away
Labour unveils plans for new housing on ‘grey belt’
Newsround will be back next week