Activists ask Boris Johnson to begin rental reform process tomorrow

Activists from pressure groups and London-focussed tenants’ bodies have handed in a letter to 10 Downing Street asking the Prime Minister to begin the process of reforming the private rental sector in tomorrow’s Queen’s Speech.

The Speech sets out the government’s legislative programme for the year ahead and over the weekend the Rental Reform Coalition - a group of 33 organisations - handed in a petition addressed to Boris Johnson.

The handover to Number 10 officials, accompanied by social media coverage from some of the organisations, was led by ex-Labour Baroness Alicia Kennedy, director of Generation Rent, one of the groups behind the coalition.

The letter says:

Dear Prime Minister

We are writing to urge you to keep your promise to bring forward the Renters’ Reform Bill in the Queen’s Speech on Tuesday 10 May 2022.

In April 2019, the government announced a commitment to end Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions, pledging that “private landlords will no longer be able to evict tenants from their homes at short notice and without good reason”. This change is keenly anticipated by private renters, who have watched the government recommit to a Renters’ Reform Bill at the Queen’s Speech in December 2019 and in 2021.

Three years on from this government’s first commitment, private renters up and down the country are relying on you to fulfil your promise of a Renters’ Reform Bill and make 2022 the year unfair evictions end for good.

With the rising cost of living, additional pressure is being placed on renters of all ages and backgrounds. Rapidly rising rents are squeezing household budgets and pushing ordinary people further from the dream of home ownership. The end of Coronavirus Act protections means that, until section 21 is repealed, renting families live in fear that requests for repairs could be met with an eviction that uproots their lives and adds further financial strain.

As outlined in the Levelling Up White Paper, the private rented sector has almost doubled in size in the past decade. Yet, one in eight privately rented homes in England pose a threat to tenants’ health, and the National Audit Office recently found that reforms to date have not been effective in ‘ensuring the sector is consistently fair for renters’. The Renters’ Reform Bill is a golden opportunity to fix these issues, essential to levelling up prosperity across the country.

This is why reforming private renting is a critical component of the government’s domestic policy agenda. Renters across England are crying out for an end to unfair evictions and expect to see this reflected in the Queen’s Speech on 10 May.

Our organisations, and our supporters, stand alongside private renters in calling for the government to keep its promise to deliver the Renters’ Reform Bill.

The letter is signed by the following Renters’ Reform Coalition members:

- Sue James, Chair, Renters’ Reform Coalition
- Polly Neate, Chief Executive, Shelter

- Dame Clare Moriarty, Chief Executive, Citizens Advice
- Kiran Ramchandani, Director of Policy and External Affairs, Crisis

- Joe Cole, Chief Executive, Advice 4 Renters
- Paul Kissack, Chief Executive, Joseph Rowntree Foundation

- John McMillan, Chair, Camden Federation of Private Tenants
- Alicia Kennedy, Director, Generation Rent

- Michael Deas, Coordinator, London Renters Union
- Miatta Fahnbulleh, Chief Executive, New Economics Foundation

- Rohan Kon, Chair, ACORN the Union
- Julie Bishop, Director, Law Centres Network

- Portia Msimang, Coordinator, Renters Rights London
- Ben Clay, Lead Organiser, Greater Manchester Tenants’ Union

- Ben Reeve-Lewis, Strategic Case Manager, Safer Renting
- Dr Phil James, Chief Executive, Chartered Institute of Environmental Health

- Hillary Gyebi-Ababio, NUS VP Higher Education, National Union of Students
- Anela Anwar, Chief Executive, Z2K

- Leigh Pearce, Chief Executive, Nationwide Foundation
- Jim Minton, Chief Executive, Toynbee Hall

- Anya Martin, Director, PricedOut

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