The Mirror newspaper has launched a campaign to “make rented homes safer”.
It says its campaign - called Safe As Houses - demands a national landlord register where those who let out properties would be forced to prove they met essential safety requirements.
“We also want to see an end to no fault evictions, where tenants can be turfed out of their homes if they complain about poor conditions” says the newspaper.
These measures have already effectively been agreed by the government - many months before the Mirror launched its publicity drive on the issues.
The paper, however, claims it has the support of some MPs.
It names Labour Ian Byrne MP, who says: “Shamefully, we have a system that means a private renter has more than a one in 10 chance of living in a home that could kill or seriously harm them or their children.
“Let that fact sink in - how can this be allowed to continue? We must remind ourselves that it is 2022, not 1822.
“During the height of the pandemic, renters were trapped in unsafe housing while the Prime Minister was apparently picking out new wallpaper.”
Byrne continues: “Many renters are fearful of evictions if they raise complaints, because they cannot afford to move house in the middle of this appalling cost of living crisis.
“My constituent told me, ‘Section 21 takes the humanity out of the situation and that’s precisely the problem. We are human and lives are being carelessly destroyed.’
“The power imbalance means that the mental pressures facing renters are built into this broken system. New legislation must have real teeth and be enforceable.
“A renters reform bill must end no-fault evictions and create a national landlord register and licensing scheme to improve accountability and ensure that legal standards are met.”
The Mirror suggests shadow solicitor general Ellie Reeves MP is another backer, who says one of her constituents has been “devastated” by a no fault eviction.
Reeves says: “She wrote to me stating that the whole experience had pushed her to the verge of suicide.
“I know it is difficult to hear, but policy decisions have a very real effect on the hardest hit.”
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Such lies carry on you’ll get what you deserve, collapse will not just be housing market but the whole economy not much else left. Those left wing morons don’t realise property prices will collapse across the board including their own parents house and their own Inheritance. Government has roped in young people with ponzu unaffordable huge Mortgage’s not a hope of keeping up with payments with such Inflation. The hand outs wasn’t a saving but added onto the loan, The S,D wasn’t a saving because the Developers increase the purchase price by that amount. The Interest rate has gone up from 0.1% to 0.75% in a few months add that onto your monthly Mortgage’s. no need to mention food in the Supermarkets or diesel £1.80 per litre. Just continue with your spiteful policies and £1500. Licensing application fee, for good measure introduce another ponzu redress scheme to make more fat cats.
So Mortgage’s interest has gone up by more than a factor of X 7 times good luck.
We know at some point s21 is going so no risk taking with new tenants, only 5* working tenants need apply
Always the same ill-researched facts!
What about the 'mental pressure' the small private landlords face with not being able to put a section 21 into place to remove a troublesome tenant who plays the system and had no intention of EVER paying rent?
A register of landlords? What we need is a register for rogue tenants!
ill researched facts? I could only find ill informed opinion. It does act as an indicator though - it’s never been more important to do good quality background checks.
I often wonder when a section 21 notice, which reminds tenants that the agreed term of their tenancy is ending in a few months so they will need to move out, became a no fault eviction. It is not an eviction at all. An eviction is what happens through a court of law after a tenant breaches terms in the agreement, not leaving at the end of their tenancy, after being asked to being one such breach. Tenants can leave their tenancy at the end of its agreed term, giving no notice at all. Why is that not deemed to be the abandonment of a tenancy at no fault of the landlord?
“We also want to see an end to no fault evictions, where tenants can be turfed out of their homes if they complain about poor conditions” says the newspaper
Yes its called the "Deregulation Act 2015" which made revenge evidtions illegal. Duh!
Section 21 is not by any means an automatic eviction but a term Tenancy, which is normally renewed again and again just some protection for the owner.
Why then is media pushing the idea that LL’s wants to get rid of Tenants all the time when its not true, we are just sorry the day they leave. It seems to me they want LL to have no rights at all, we must be the only Business not allowed to have terms & conditions, even Estate Agents have more rights than us and not own the property.
I got thrown out of a luxury hotel and repatriated back to the UK against my will simply because I had agreed only to stay for 2 weeks.
I would have been quite happy to stay on getting 3 meals per day in luxury without paying but this option was abruptly refused by my cruel landlords simply because I complained about having to pay £8 for a champagne cocktail.
Look out for my sad tale in tomorrow's Mirror and Guardian.
Thanks for the chuckle, but it is mad how some people really believe that Landlords are so unscrupulous as a profession!
We've already had a report that the majority of tenants get on with their Landlord.
I guess it's gonna be the same old story...
Lol 😂 just wondering if the repatriation route into U.K. was via one of the boats 🛶 to then be escorted in comfort to a luxury hotel in Kent, paid for by the govt using PRS LL’s taxes🤔
It was on a jam packed package holiday flight - economy class - oh, the shame of it all! To add insult to injury, I didn't get any free champagne and had to collect my own luggage from the carousel and make my own way home at my own expense ( Note to Mirror readers: that's called paying your way and not freeloading).
No free bus rides or luxury hotel in Kent for me!
How many ex tenants claim they were evicted for no reason when in truth they were not paying the rent
They are slowly killing the whole of the PRS, and those least able to absorb this (tenants) are the ones who appear to support it !! Talk about Turkeys voting for Christmas.
The main problem seems to be there are landlords who have chosen to be landlords and who view their job as providing homes for people to rent for as long as they want to rent them for. We wouldn't dream of evicting a good tenant unless we were required by law to do so (potentially EPC requirements).
Then there are landlords who became landlords accidentally or after a wine fueled dinner party conversation. Maybe they couldn't sell a property and decided to rent it out until the market picked up, maybe they inherited a property, maybe their friends told them it was a get rich quick scheme? The responsibility of property rental is somewhat greater than investing in the stock market. These are the people who will evict good tenants with no concern about the expense and inconvenience it will cause.
Good tenants and good landlords need eachother so whatever the government does needs to be beneficial to both parties.
Personally I would like to see Section 8 beefed up and fast tracked. In exchange I would be perfectly happy with a requirement to pay compensation of up to 3 months rent in the unlikely event I ever needed to evict a tenant who had fulfilled their side of the tenancy agreement. Bad tenants out pronto, good tenants and professional landlords made to feel more secure.
Your last paragraph sounds all very well intentioned. But it’s proving who is a bad tenant that’s the problem. Getting them out. The bar for proving is so high for landlords. That’s why S21 is a god send.
I’ve just instructed a solicitor to get a real PITA out of my house. I’ve been prevented for the last 6 months due to the law. It’s been a nightmare. I can’t think of anything worse than having no S21. Giving it up will be a big mistake.
Nick that's why like never before we have to be so careful who we rent to, for me that's working tenants only, no one under 25 , no single mums and no all day curry eaters, oh and guarantors where ever possible, the rest can go get a tent and sleep under the fly over , had my leg lifted too many times over the years and I've learn't by my mistakes .
The harder it gets to remove bad tenants the higher the requirement for good tenants, so the LL will only choose the best tenants, making it harder for people to find good accommodation. I think the tenants will loose out in the long run.
I love the daily mirror , so absorbing, especially in my cats litter tray
Byrne is the MP who left the Treasury with a note saying, in essence, all the money has gone!
George Dawes, very witty! However the redtops are losing circulation like their is no Tomorrow. As far as I can see most of them are bust and only exist for their owners propagrandising.
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