Shadow housing minister Lisa Nandy has unveiled a Charter for Renters which she says will be implemented within 100 days of Labour winning a General Election.
Labour - currently running well ahead of the Conservatives in multiple opinion polls - says it will implement many of the policies put forward in the controversial Fairer Private Rented Sector White Paper - a product of the Johnson Conservative government - but will also go much further in giving additional powers to tenants.
Nandy pledges Labour will:
- End Section 21 evictions;
- Reduce eviction powers for landlords whose tenants are in arrears;
- Introduce four month notice periods;
- Examine scheme for ‘portable’ deposits making it easier and cheaper for tenants to switch properties;
- Allow tenants to have pets;
- Permit renters to make ”reasonable alterations to a property”;
- Create a national register of landlords;
- Initiate a legally-binding decent homes standard in the private rental sector.
Nandy is telling Labour delegates to the party’s conference in Liverpool: “For private renters we will tilt the balance of power back to you through a powerful new renters’ charter and a new decent homes standard – written into law.
"Because security in your home, the right to make your home your own, and most of all the right to live in a home that isn't cold, mouldy, damp and unfit for human habitation, is a fundamental right.
"The Tories have turned housing into a racket. They started under Thatcher and now they've come back to finish the job. "Incentivising speculation and profiteering while millions languish on waiting lists in cold damp homes."
However, despite the “100 days” pledge to take action, it is likely that should Labour win the next General Election the process will actually take some considerable time longer.
Nandy’s team have told the Mirror newspaper that there would first be a White Paper and then a statutory consultation period, before legislation would be introduced to Parliament.
Want to comment on this story? Our focus is on providing a platform for you to share your insights and views and we welcome contributions.
If any post is considered to victimise, harass, degrade or intimidate an individual or group of individuals, then the post may be deleted and the individual immediately banned from posting in future.
Please help us by reporting comments you consider to be unduly offensive so we can review and take action if necessary. Thank you.
.jpg)
%20(002).png)
.png)
Join the conversation
Jump to latest comment and add your reply
Well at least we know what they think they would do. If the PRS isn't already dead by then this would kill it off, so makes you wonder how they would house all the homeless tenants this would create.
yes there wont be any tenants as there wont be any properties !
If you want to make a property your own (as is the Labour aim for renters) then you need to buy it, not rent it.
Their Charter is OK for social housing, but not for houses owned by private individuals. The private rental sector is not part of the social housing sector.
Absolutely, especially if like myself, a landlord has just had a lovely 3 bedroom detached house totally refurbished following 3 insurance claims following tenant’s malicious damage and also wiped out thousands of pounds of savings too. I would not be happy to now allow a tenant decide to make alterations etc to my property! That’s totally unreasonable.
I am sorry to hear about your awful experiences - so unfair!
You are quite right that allowing tenants to make changes to other people's properties is totally unreasonable - and it is an ignorant proposition showing a lack of awareness of reality.
First and foremost I would like all political parties to do an audit of their own Council stock. I can guarantee you that the condition that Councils house tenants in, by comparison, is in a much worse condition that that in the PRS. I speak from experience as was a district Cllr for 8 years and the state of a lot of the council stock was horrific!
Agreed Norwich City's stock is dreadful, but in their defence they do house the dregs of society, horses for courses
" Reduce eviction powers for landlords whose tenants are in arrears". I wonder if Labour will acknowledge there should be some kind of reasonableness surrounding arrears, for example some kind of de minimus limit on what arrears figure means a landlord must be allowed to go ahead as the tenant will NEVER get back up straight.
I have two DWP tenants that due to the cap have now got arrears of circa £20,000 and it all built up just before and then during the pandemic so I've not gotten around to starting eviction proceedings, until now.
Look on the bright side I have a tenant who is in arrears but have managed to get a top up payment direct from the DWP. In 1065 years he will have cleared the debt - that was before the present interest hike, the period is now extended to eternity.
The tenant fees act which allows landlords to charge interest really is a gem!
Labour are 'playing' to the small % of Rogue tenants, as EHS show 84% are satisfied with Status Quo.
Tenants and would be Labour voters need to understand that actions on Private business have consequences - in short reduce supply, and Increase demand and Prices ' Rent '
Chasing the tenant vote again .. shame the tenants can’t see this does more damage than good as landlords walk hearing this nonsense
No winners here I'm afraid.
I think we already know if we get a non paying tenant we have a problem, so strict affordability checks are a must, and a guarantor where possible, if we cannot evict then it's money claim online, a CCJ, and an attachment to earnings, there's more than one way to crack a nut
There is nore than one way to crack a nut nut it is very labour intensive and time consuming. Making it even more difficult to deal with defaulting tenants is going to kill the PRS for all but the very best tenants.
Not a guarantor where possible it’s mandatory for us , homeowner working one with something to lose
"For private renters we will tilt the balance of power back to you through a powerful new renters’ charter and a new decent homes standard – written into law." Really? Power back to people who don't own the property at all. But as usual here in the UK they are ENTITLED to everything....and responsible for NOTHING. This country is so backwards.
How about making tenants responsible for all internal repairs?
Lisa Nandy , Andy Pandy's not too sharp relative
Used to read her mind numbing drivel on titter
As useless as the tories are , labour manage to be even more useless
Andy Pandy is the more intelligent one (relatively speaking that is).
2023 could a defining year, and whatever your political persuasion, you have to consider likely outcomes in order to make decisions and timing is everything in politics.
After friday the Tories in Westminster are as divided as ever, with many commentators actually saying this morning many are already considering writing to Sir Graham Brady. Whether Mrs Truss survives or not, would you put money on either a) her uniting the parliamentary party behind her in time to win the GE which at the moment the odds are stacked well against or b) her replacement having time to turn their fortunes around both internally and with voters more importantly. Even if there was a new PM who changed signficant tack ficscally to weather the current storm, what confidence would that give to markets or the electorate? 3 PMs in 5 mins, 3 vastly different directions.
I dont think there it time for either now we have fixed term parliaments, even back in July, many said the party was mad for getting rid of Mr Johnson so close to the GE with 22 months to go, irrespective of whether it was warranted or not. Unless this long term budget delivers some miracles over the next fews months which seems unlikely by design, I cant see anything other than a Labour government in 2024, which is why they are in an awful hurry this morning to announce a raft of new policies. Labour started their election campaign on friday afternoon, they know it too.
A dramatic U turn is the only answer.
Just seen Rachel Reeves is even wearing a royal blue dress this morning that Maggie would have been proud of, they smell blood.
A month before next election issue Section 21 to all tenants and retract if Labour loses. That should motivate a few to vote responsibly
I guess we should all write to our tenants to warn them what is coming.
Good idea historically. But Labour would probably just announce a ban like in Scotland.
Will labour pay for any rent arrears and damages caused to the properties, she is clueless 😩
Yes just shows they have no idea at all.
So 2024 is the likely date they will get in…. Maybe a year or so to pass the legislation… at the outside, 2026 ? So I need to start selling NOW to maximise my CGT allowances with 4 properties 😬
Tenants R loving all this, smirking ear to ear, Thas ok so am I , they just dont understand that every time new legislation is made ie. no fees to tenants the rents just get hiked up so they actually pay more in continual rental payments than if they had just paid the one-off fee in the first place.
- Reduce eviction powers for landlords whose tenants are in arrears;
How about reducing HMRC collection powers against Landlords who are in tax arrears. Just a thought
Shall we book into the Hilton this weekend, and knock the bathroom through to as ensuite? I mean they can't be upset at that, after all Labour say we can make reasonable alterations to things we don't own...
How about doing a paint job on a hire car?
I'm not having reasonable alterations made by their builder mates. Will tenants have the money to put it all back to how it was once they've made a mess? No. Will the government pay me for why a perfectly reasonable home was F'd about with when the tenant can't? And let's not get on to won't. Surely there will be an ombudsman to decide.... And who will he ALWAYS favour?
What if the alterations made by the tenant require planning consent? What if they do not conform to fire regulations? What if they cause the building to collapse?
Who decides what "reasonable alterations" are?
By default the tenant who will make those "reasonable alterations" without your consent.
Knowing Labour i guess it will be the tenant !!!!
Labour - the party for the irresponsible.
The most annoying thing is this won’t help anyone. So renters will have more rights, will be able to do whatever DIY bodge jobs they feel like doing, get into arrears without fear of eviction and so on.
But - For renters at the bottom end of the market - there’ll be nothing available for them to rent - there’s barely anything available now, but if Labour get in - anything in the bottom half of the market will just become a money pit - no sane person will want go near tenants on low income or benefits.
Labour are clever enough (just) to know this, but they don’t care - they’re happy to trash the rental market and availability of properties for a whole sector of society if it means they get enough votes to give them the power they so desperately crave. They are banking on their voters not being switched on enough to work out the outcome of their “help”.
Spot on Analysis
RIP PRS 🙁
We all know the true reason for the labour talking about this subject and that is to win votes.
In reality most of what they say is ridiculous, what are the mortgage companies going to say regarding tenants been allowed to make changes to a property?
You work all your life to make an investment and buy a property to rent. You get good and bad tenants, I have had several for over 16 years but surely they have stayed because they are happy and we have communicated and been fair.
There are rouge landlords as well as tenants and these should be dealt with BUT so should the rouge tenants who know the rules far more than most landlords.
It is your property so why should you not say what the terms for renting that property? The tenant then has an option to rent or not rent.
To say they are allowed to have pets if a landlord does not want pets in a house is wrong. I speak from experience of having to clean, re carpet and many other repairs from pets been in a property.
Why should tenants be allowed to remain in a property when they are not paying rent, what happens if we do not pay our council tax?
Yes give tenants a fair support but also support the good landlords I thought in this country we were innocent till proven guilty not the other way round.
This is killing the PRS and making it easier for the Housing associations who ignore the councils and government anyway.
Labour won't win the next eletion but the Tories may well lose it!!
F off you communists. These people are sick control freaks. Get the hell out of my life you weirdos. My tenants are very happy, I give them high class places with central heating, double glazing, modern kitchens/bathrooms, warm, cozy and very reasonably priced. All my places are affordable. I do my best by my tenants but I am sick to death of this nonsense. No government has the right to tell me what to do with my private assets. I worked hard and if someone doesn't pay, I should have the right to evict them. These proposed laws of reducing the rights of landlords to reclaim their properties in the event of those sh't tenants that we've all had, (you know, the jealous loser type that has achieved nothing in life and gets a kick out of making life hell for others) are absolutely disgusting. Labour is always on the side of the criminal and the parasite. This disgrace of a party makes me sick in my stomach.
Drive off from a fuel station without paying and you will have a police car after you and a criminal record for theft, so how is a non paying tenant any different ?
Another issue forcing LL’s to accept pets, labour would do the same according to today Evening Standard.
Forcing LL’s to have HMO license where most live in their rooms where there are minimum room sizes say for 2 people 10.2 m2 so if they add a dog how many m2 for a dog or will he be in bed et them or are they going to start a trend and have a dog on every room.
A reasonable pet with responsible owners is one thing, but a dog in an HMO room or flat is totally unreasonable
Regardless of what party is in power after next General Election, PRS is and will be in the firing line and landlords will be squeezed until the pips squeak. Labour will no doubt revamp the 1965 rental reform bill whereby all lettings are rent controlled secure lifetime tenancies and any rent increases or more likely rent REDUCTIONS will be at discretion of the local council rent officer. Also as per the years after the 1965 rental reform, the value of landlord's tenanted property will nosedive, private lettings will all but disappear and already high homeless figures will go into orbit.
Sounds a nightmare. Believe it or not they have a lot those rent controls and council inference in the US, especially NY. The difference is you know in advance the assets that have that and those that don't. A government just forcing those reforms on existing stock without warning is disgraceful.
Danu Simmons
A lot of mad politics come from America, especially NY and CA.
So New York and Westminster do have something in common.
Allow Tenants to make reasonable Alterations, my goodness today I had an occasion to visit one of mine.
I seen straight away the front door frame & sidelight had been recently painted, on closer examination I could see it would flake away when you rub it, it had been painted with emulsion what can I say, it will have to be rubbed back and start again and they are going to be unleash Tenants on our property, it a bad joke they think they know it all like the useless Regulators or the way the London Mayor is bringing London to a standstill creating traffic jambs and Pollution.
Actually I did thank the Tenants for the painting not to dispirit them, at least they thought they were doing good, but don’t go giving permission letting them loose on the property it will be horrific.
I've often had tenants give the place a quick coat of paint before they leave, I wish they wouldn't they make such a hash of it they make my job a lot harder
What next? You can buy your private rented property off landlord at reduced price like the council and make it law!
Please login to comment