Campaigning charity Shelter says the government’s rental reform programme is “a crucial step forward”. 

The Levelling Up White Paper insists landlords ensure their private rental properties meet the Decent Homes Standard – originally designed for social housing – and has also announced plans to end Section 21 repossessions, consult on a national register of landlords and develop plans to better tackle rogue landlords.

Now Osama Bhutta, campaigns director at Shelter, says: “Today’s commitment from government is a crucial step forward and offers hope to the millions of people being held back by the housing emergency. 

“You cannot level up the country without safe and secure homes. The devil will be in the detail, so the government now needs to set out how it will deliver on its promises.

“Renters have had a rotten deal for years. Far too many have been forced to live in shoddy conditions, afraid to complain for fear of eviction. 

“Major reforms of the private rental sector are long overdue – these commitments to drive up standards and make renting fairer could transform renters’ lives. The government must now get on and deliver its Renters’ Reform Bill.

“But you cannot level up the country or tackle homelessness without more homes people can actually afford. 

“The government says it wants to increase the number of genuinely affordable social homes, now it must set out a plan for significant investment in social housebuilding to tackle the housing emergency head on and truly level up once and for all.