The government has confirmed its long-standing intention to scrap Section 21 eviction powers which currently sit with landlords – but the appropriate legislation won’t be introduced until the worst of the pandemic passes.

Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Olney obtained this information from Housing Minister Chris Pincher in the form of a written Parliamentary question.

Pincher told Olney: “The government is committed to abolishing Section 21 through a Renters’ Reform Bill, which will enhance renters’ security and improve protections for tenants.

“Repealing Section 21 represents the largest change to renting in 30 years and it is only right that the reforms are taken forward in a considered manner.

“It is important that providing tenants with greater security of tenure is balanced with an assurance that landlords are able to recover their properties where they have valid reasons to do so. This is vital to ensuring the future supply of good quality housing in the rented sector.

“We will bring forward the Renters’ Reform Bill in due course once the urgencies of responding to the pandemic have passed.”

The Renters Reform Bill was a key measure in the 2019 Conservative General Election manifesto some 11 months ago.

The pledge was for this Bill to include the scrapping of Section 21 eviction powers and the start of the concept of lifetime deposits transferable from one property to another when a tenant moves.

It was announced in the Queen’s Speech last December as being a measure that would be initiated in 2020 – but that was before the emergence of Coronavirus.