PRESS RELEASE : How we’re protecting renters [September 2024]
The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 11 September 2024.
We’re giving greater rights and protections to people renting their homes.
New laws will ban unfair no-fault evictions and help protect tenants from discriminatory treatment and poor living conditions.
Our Renters’ Rights Bill will put an end to bad practices, such as landlords and letting agents forcing bidding wars to drive up rents, and unreasonable mid-tenancy rent increases often used to force out tenants.
This Bill will overhaul the private rented sector in England, with the government determined to address the insecurity and injustice that far too many renters experience, by:
Ending no fault evictions
More than 11 million people in England live day in, day out with the knowledge that they could be uprooted from their home with little notice and no justification.
Our new Bill will end Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions for new and existing tenancies, giving all private renters security and assurance.
The Bill will give renters much greater stability – so they can build lives in their communities, and reduce the risk of homelessness.
What does the Bill do?
The Bill will:
- Abolish unfair no fault evictions
- Ban rental bidding wars
- Ban in-tenancy rent increases written in to contracts
- Create a new Private Rented Sector Database to help landlords and tenants
- Abolish rental discrimination on tenants with children or those in receipt of benefits
- Apply Awaab’s Law to the private rented sector
- Give tenants the right to request a pet
- Apply a Decent Homes Standard to the private rented sector for the first time
- Support quicker, cheaper resolution when there are disputes
End bidding wars and mid-tenancy price increases
We will empower tenants to challenge rent increases designed to force them out by the backdoor and introduce new laws to end the practice of rental bidding wars by landlords and letting agents.
This Bill will crack down on those who exploit the housing crisis by forcing tenants to bid for their properties. Landlords and letting agents will be legally required to publish an asking rent for their property. They will also be banned from asking for, encouraging, or accepting any bids above this price.
It’ll also ban in-tenancy rent increases written into contracts to prevent landlords implementing too high rents mid-tenancy, often to push out the current tenants. Under these reforms, landlords will only be allowed to raise the rent once a year, and to the market rate.
Greater rights and protection
The Renters’ Rights Bill will make it illegal for landlords to discriminate against tenants in receipt of benefits, or with children when choosing to let their property – so no family is discriminated against and denied a home when they need it.
It’ll also apply ‘Awaab’s Law’ to the sector, setting clear legal expectations about the timeframes within which landlords must make sure homes containing serious hazards are safe.
The new Bill will also give tenants the right to request a pet, which landlords must consider and cannot unreasonably refuse.
It will also apply a Decent Homes Standard to the private rented sector. This will make sure that homes are safe, secure and hazard free.
