Generation Rent claims a proposed government amendment to the Renters Reform Bill may ‘trap’ victims of domestic abuse.
Generation Rent - which has accused the government of “watering down” the Bill - says one of the most concerning proposals would seek to bring in a four-month protected period for all new tenancies before a tenant could submit two months’ notice to leave.
“This will mean that a new tenant will be trapped into a property for a total of six months before being able to move on” Generation Rent says in a statement.
The government has said it is exploring exemptionswhich may include when tenants have been mis-sold the property or in cases of domestic abuse.
But the activist group says “there have been no details revealed about these suggestions.”
It continues: “The ‘tenant trap’ threatens to force victims of abuse to remain in homes with their abusers – unable to flee or move away. Because they will be legally liable to pay the rent on the property for six months, victims and their children may have to remain in extremely dangerous situations, at the mercy of their perpetrators.
“If victims of abuse want to get out of this ‘tenant trap’ they will need to go through the courts to do it, putting the onus on survivors to fight to be free of tenancies causing them direct harm. This is completely unacceptable and must not be allowed to happen.
“Two women a week are killed by a current or former partner in England and Wales. 62% of children living with domestic abuse are directly harmed by the perpetrator of the abuse. These are terrifying figures, and we must do everything we can do to ensure that survivors are able to leave violent perpetrators as quickly and as easily as possible. Trapping renters into tenancies for six months at a time does the opposite of that.”
In addition it claims that - despite the government’s pledge on exemptions - the proposed amendment would mean “many renters stuck in poor quality, mould ridden properties, with no accountability for bad landlords who are now being guaranteed half a year’s worth of rent.”
It goes on: “The ‘tenant trap’ only works to reward bad landlords and to help perpetrators maintain control over victims of abuse. We are calling on the government to stop their plans to inflict a dangerous ‘tenant trap’ on renters across the country. They must make sure that the Bill supports and protect survivors of abuse, rather than endangers them further.”
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That is a truly bizarre argument.
ASTs have been 6 months minimum for decades.
Domestic violence has existed for centuries.
People stay with violent or abusive partners for a whole assortment of reasons, some financial, some emotional. Been there, done it, got the T-shirt. The length of time left on a tenancy agreement comes a very long way down the list of reasons for staying or going.
If the government wants to clamp down on Airbnb style letting don't expect landlords in the long term lettings market to accept anything less than 6 month ASTs.
Great points as usual :)
Very well put.
It will also affect climate change , global warming and cooling and cause ww3 and probably 4
I’d love to have some of what this lot are smoking !
I think it is the drug that turns them into zombies. 😱. It is the only way this makes sense.😂
Nearly burst a lung laughing! Great post🤣
AST was always six months minimum since 1988 Act, now they are concerned this is too long a period to have Tenants trapped but its ok to trap the landlord in life time Tenancies. Why is Government or anyone else listening to those people who don’t house anyone just trying to frustrate the system and do as much damage as possible, they are not helping anyone but bringing the Recession closer will it be worse than 2008 ?.
It is the politics of envy. Next they will want older people to be forced to move (by taxing them) out of their houses into one bed flats.
Useless *****! They have an excuse for everything. The stuff they come up with is an absolute joke.
What will they come up with next?!!
What absolute nonsense.
I spoke to a charity in Norwich who help homeless and ex prisoners back into rentals - they are finding it harder to secure affordable housing from private Landlords to do this and once their clients are ready to move on they cannot do so due to higher rents/landlords leaving the market. By the same token re domestic abuse if landlords were encouraged rather than vilified and driven out there would be more housing available giving a domestic abuse victim chance to move out and find a new hone leaving the perpetrator in the original rental. So you can turn that argument 180 degrees!
Spot on. Sadly in view of the difficulty to obtain repossession (even with a section 21), I now filter extremely thoroughly and would NOT offer a rental to anyone who presents a slight risk of falling in arrears.
This is what these morons have achieved with their zealous approach!
They’ll be claiming next that COVID was caused by greedy landlords. Idiots!
Or the extinction of the Dung 💩 beetle 🪲😂
What next? Landlords responsible for autism? For divorces? For suicides?
The minimum six months is a necessity to run our business with a minimum of profitability. If tenants want the flexibility of giving notice at any time, then it's an Airbnb model and the rents will be commensurate to reflect higher turnover and aggro.
Last time I checked in London, it was around £150 a night..
This is a bizarre argument! Surely most domestic victims who mange to leave the abusive partner walk out of the home & leave the partner with the bills?
If tenancies are not a minimum of 6 months most LLs will start front loading rent to mitigate any losses.
Exactly. And many landlords will simply avoid/dismiss whole "demographics" as too risky to rent to, if they dont already do so.
Well I'm doing that already Sarah, if a tenant looks the least bit risky I avoid them, better an empty property than one with a problem tenant in it
I can see a case where we could offer two types of contracts:
- Totally flexible: the Rent is x..(considerably more than now)
- minimum six months commitment, the rent is x -20% for example.
If the latter is "illegal ", then higher tents for everyone.. SUCCESS!.. (Morons!)
Like hotel bookings do. Pay more and allowed to cancel booking, or pay less but can't cancel the booking.
I don’t understand this why don’t they deal with the abuser, it not for landlords to be involved in private Domestic situations, we will be expected to be carers next if we exist.
I'm not negating the seriousness of domestic abuse (I have been a victim myself and almost driven to suicide in the past), but this is utter hypocrisy! They complain about renters having to go through the courts to deal with a bad situation, when they are all for landlords having to go though the courts and spend months getting rid of a bad tenant who causes serious problems for the landlord through not paying the rent and trashing their property, potentially leaving them bankrupt and traumatised. But of course we don't count as human beings in their eyes.
Yes that sums it up, sadly
Presumably Generation Rent will expect people with mortgages to be able to move out and stop paying their mortgage if they are victims of abuse too?
Many of these people are locked in for 25 to 35 years!
Neil, I was just thinking the same thing. If the couple had a mortgage the government wouldn't give a hoot and they would be expected to repay it. Generation Rant would be totally ignored, but because we are landlords they want to jump all over us.
PRS landlords tend to be more flexible than big corporations. I once let a tenant out of a AST after 1 month as they had split up due to me being friends with her parents. It cost me more in estate agent fees than I received in rent. I won't do it again.
Tenants are in for 1 hell of a shock when the big boys take over :D and the government will just look the other way and accept the payments that they are being given.
What utter nonsense. What type of argument is this to wiggle out of a contractual obligation? As if every new Tenancy is one with a violent individual (?) AND that it is the landlords fault/problem. Sorry what? Go rent from the Council.
Gen Rents ideology includes endless cries for more ‘Social Housing’. Given that the ethos of Social Housing includes housing the most vulnerable, then that is the sector they should be harassing not the PRS.
Some guy or girl goes around smacking the other half is now the landlords fault? Is that because we did not do a thorough enough reference check?
Seem to be getting desperate.
The sense of entitlement from activists is bordering on a mental illness. So someone in an abusive relationship, would have known that at the point they sign the tenancy agreement. If there is any argument to allow people in that situation to be released early then they should lobby the government to cover their rent for the remainder of the 6 months, or maybe even activist charities such as Gen rent could offer this sort of support if they care so much?
The problem that I see is when all the cherry picking is done of the well healed who’s going to house the majority of the Tenants that’s left ?.
This is akin to living in a country ruled by a dictator. We don't want small landlords, lets get rid of them and put big corporations in their place. If that's the case let's get rid of all small businesses. plumbers, electricians, dentists, nursing homes, shops, builders, roofers etc etc etc.
What we need in a democracy is a regulatory body that regulates a market. NRLA is neither a regulatory body nor a representative of landlord's interests. Generation rent, rightly or wrongly is representing it's members and no one is representing us and no one is representing the good tenants. We need to create a landlord's association with a sole purpose of representing the landlords. We should flood the media with statistics and counter the anti landlord groups arguments, bring all these groups to task by showing them for what they are. (They are a representatives of bad tenants). We must present alternative solution that supports good tenants and landlords and help deter bad tenants or landlords.
Prevention is better than cure. Brent council took my money but gave me an HMO license without even visiting the place. We need active participation by the regulatory bodies to help landlords do the right thing from day one. The body can monitor rouge tenants and safeguard other member landlords from them.
If we had a body that truly represented us, they could wipe the floor with generation rent for comments like this. Instead they can blame us for famine somewhere across the world and no one would bat an eye lid.
I will sign up if anyone wants to start up a new Landlord Association.
In previous articles the activists wanted secure tenancy so they could put their roots down and call it home. Now they want the option to leave quickly. Make your mind up, you can't have it both ways!
Rumour has it that the Renters Reform Bill is also responsible for two World Wars, Covid and the plague.
Don’t know about rumours but one thing is undeniable The Renters Reform Bill has destroy Private Sector Housing and deliberately so, driving out thousands of landlords, making renting unaffordable just add The Licensing Schemes and the the picture is complete.
Saw an interesting post on Landlord uk forum from a contributor called Gillian Owens. I hope she will not mind me reposting it here as follows………………………………………. “Generation Rent has claimed the Renters Reform Bill will trap victims of domestic abuse into tenancies with victims being liable for the rent even after they have fled the violence.
Apart from the obvious that ASTs have until the new proposals tied tenants into a set period anyway (currently 6m) they obviously don’t understand the mindset of a narcissistic abuser.
Abusers are unlikely to give their victims control over the tenancy agreement let alone allow them finances to pay the rent.
They keep their victims isolated, in fear and cash strapped and undermine their confidence to make a decision such as signing an AST.
Fleeing DA victims often drop completely off the radar to avoid being found by their abuser and
Lastly no responsible landlord who knows the circumstances would hound DA victim for unpaid rent.
As an ex CEO of a Domestic Abuse charity- they have no idea what they are talking about and clearly clutching at straws”
Unpaid rent is a debt and I will hound anyone the owes me who ever they are
😂 😂 I've heard it all now! Let's also blame landlords for wars, global warming, bank robberies, corrupt MPs, unfair taxes, the price of energy, the closure of high street bank branches, the cost of living, etc etc etc. Where does it end? 😂 😂 😂 😂
LC, and a financial crash.
Think you guys have forgotten that it is our fault if it rains on a renters or activists birthday! Wonder how much the staff of these activist groups are being paid? When I had adverts for Crisis or Shelter (Don't recall which) pop up on my Facebook home page I checked out the jobs they had available. More than one paying over £50k. I picked one, then posted the link to it in comments to all the people (individually) who were saying how they supported the organisation and how wonderful it was and telling them they were being taken for mugs. Strangely I don't get any ads like that pop up now!
I critisied Polly Neate's salary (Shelter CEO). I got blocked on Twitter.
Nick
Surely you know by now that the lefties are above criticism??? Jusrt look at the double standards Labour are displaying over Darth Rayner and her living arrangements. She shrilly called for Tory MPs and Ministers to stand down or resign when the slightest accusation was raised. However all the attacks on her are. according to Labour and sir Kneel, because of her sex or class.
Annoyed - yes of course I know. My post was just for the benefit of the uneducated (e.g. Sandra Bowes-Rennox or James Turner).
She deserves everything she get and more. Crossing and uncrossing ger legs in parliament. Straight from the gutter that one. No place in Westminster at all.
What are these idiots on? Can they not get proper jobs? Only a couple of years back they were baying for longer tenancies, now they want shorter tenancies?
A good landlord would react accordingly if approached by a tenant subjected to any kind of issue likely to affect the payment of rent or finances generally, we make business decisions every day of the week. What exactly do generation rant think has happened for the past 36 years since the Housing Act??
No, they cannot get proper jobs. Who would employ them only to be told they were doing everything the wrong way?
Er- Sadiq Khan, TFL, and Civil Service department, The Department of Levelling Down, ASLEF, the RMT Union. There's all sorts of militant wasters out there all recruiting more.
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