Landlords who were relieved when the Tenancies (Reform) Bill failed to progress last Friday can’t sleep easy quite yet – the quest to end “revenge evictions” now appears in the Deregulation Bill.
This government bill aims to ‘[free] UK businesses from red tape and [make] life easier for ordinary Britons’.
The Liberal Democrats have tabled an amendment to the bill that will bring campaigners’ fight to limit landlords’ use of section 21 back to life.
The amendment mirrors the two most important clauses of the Tenancies (Reform) Bill:
1) Six months’ protection for victims of revenge eviction. And for renters living in homes so poor, the council has intervened.
2) Key safeguards and exemptions for law-abiding landlords.
Shelter said that while there were other key clauses it would like to see included, particularly time limits on section 21 eviction notices, there will be an opportunity to include these when the government and the opposition table their own amendments to the bill.
Last Friday, backbench Tories Philip Davies and Christopher Chope talked out or “filibustered” the debate, leaving MPs with no time left to vote.
The Deregulation Bill will return to the House of Lords in mid-January. Shelter has warned that: “This fight is far from over.”
Comments
The country would be in a right mess without the PRS. There just aren't enough houses to go around. So instead of punishing good landlords they should be concentrating on prosecuting the rogue landlords.
This makes me very concerned that bad tenants have just been given permission not to pay and to cause damage to stay in the property longer and for free.
While i'm at it the government should also take a look at the condition of properties offered for rent by Housing Associations they are much worse than the private stock i've ever seen! I've worked in both sectors...
We are the enemy of this socialist agenda to control every facet of the lives of people via the presupposition that everyone who uses anyone in the open market is a victim of foul practices and is being abused when doing so.
Its easy to find a weekly landlord who has breached some damp issue in a home to continue the war against us.
Where will it all end?
We are now also responsible for immigration and border control, we will be soon charged for the behaviour of our tenants who deal and grow drugs in our properties, for assaults, theft from local shops, all the bills these low life characters don't pay. They will keep this hate campaign up, until common sense prevails, or until landlords are banned from letting a property out to anyone because its predatory to do so.
Bloody morons running their socialist agenda
I find Shelter's comment “This fight is far from over” just sums up their attitude to the PRS